Hunter Valley

Here is a photo of Milne and me. Milne is the son of our host, Robyn, at the B&B. He was great fun to talk to and we enjoyed his company.

Piggs Peake Winery's mascot - a big pig. They made a great Sowvignon Blanc. Really - that's the name. They also made, only ones in Hunter Valley, a fabulous Zinfandel. Rivals anything from California.

The vineyard at de Bertoli - their original planting.

Our B & B. We had a room at the back opening onto the balcony. Shiraz grapes on the vine - won't be harvested this year.

The view from the top of the Pokolbin Mountains. The fog hadn't quite lifted yet.

Tyrrell's original ironbark cabin. Walter at the hearth.

There is also an older pottery works, with very large kilns, that is now a brewery. Loved the Beer Prayer.

We spent three days in the Hunter Valley, visiting various wineries and taking in the sights. We could easily have spent more time there. In addition to vineyards, there are horse farms and a few alpaca farms.

The area also has a history of coal mining. In 1929, coal mine owners had proposed terms which would have reduced the miners' wages by 12 1/2%, and allowed the mine managers to hire or fire miners without reference to seniority, among other things. The miners refused to accept the conditions and were locked out. The lock-out lasted from March 1929 to June 1930. In December 1929, the NSW police fired into a crown of miners who were demonstrating against the use of non-union miners in Rothbury. One miner was killed and dozens of miners and police were injured. The event became known as the Rothbury Riot. At the time, it was called one of the worst industrial clashes in Australian history. There is a memorial to the miner who died along the Wine Country Drive.

One of the most interesting things we saw was Edward Tyrrell's cabin. Edward Tyrrell is the founder of Tyrrell's Wines, and came to the Hunter Valley in 1859. He arrived at 19 from England in 1854, and started dairy farming in Singleton, at the top of the valley. When he saw the vineyards already established, he decided the take up wine making, and established his vineyards, which still exist today. His ironbark one-room cabin still stands on its original site. Today, the fifth generation of Tyrrell's is running the winery.

Another gem of a place was Wyndham Estates Winery at the top of the valley, on the north side of the Hunter River. The winery was established in 1828, and parts of the original buildings still stand, and have been incorporated into the existing winery. The first wineries were built closer to the river than later ones, and consequently are more subject to flooding. The last flood was in 2007. The photos in the wine shop show just how damaging flooding can be. The river has been up to 4 metres over its normal height. Thankfully, it doesn't last, and the rich deposit of silt helps to fertilize the land.

Everywhere we went in the valley, and up into the Brokenback Mountains which border it on one side, there are signs of the heavy rains from the summer. Creeks and rivers are swollen, and in one or two places, are almost level with the road. All of the wineries had grapes still on the vine, or on the ground in the vineyards. The summer was too cool and wet for the shiraz grapes - what the Hunter Valley is known for - to ripen properly (too much acid, no sugar), that the whole shiraz crop was lost.

At the bottom of the valley is the Pokolbin Mountain lookout. Not easy to get to. Four wheel drive definitely helped. Up a steep dirt road to the top of the mountain. You know you've arrived because there is no more road. But what a view! Incredible! Defintely worth the trip.