I hope you’re ready for installation number three on what we did in Australia! We decided to drive 2.5 hours north of downtown Sydney to check out Australian wine country, Hunter Valley! Here are the top places you must check out, especially if traveling with kids!
Getting to Hunter Valley from Sydney:
To get there, we just drove (shout to to Vince who got used to driving on the other side of the car, on the other side of the road rather quickly!) Here’s some useful info on how else to get to Hunter Valley from Sydney if you don’t want to drive yourself. Previously I looked up wineries that were “kid friendly” and made a tasting reservation a few weeks in advance. Hunter Valley reminds me of Napa where you can meander from vineyard to vineyard if you please. In my quest for a vineyard we’d all enjoy, I ran across Tulloch Wines.
What stood out to me about Tulloch Wines is that they offer a kid’s tasting! Adult tastings are only $10 per person, and include 6 wines from their current selection. I added on a vegetarian charcuterie board for and additional cost, knowing we’d want snacks with our wine. Additionally, kids tasting are $15 and include: chocolate milk, lemonade, grape juice, and apple juice alongside pretzels, marshmallows, gummy bears, grapes, and berries. The sommelier got our kids very engaged into the tasting having them pair their favorite snack with each drink. They also offer crayons and activity mats to keep the kids from getting bored while the parents drink.
If you’re checking out Hunter Valley with teens, they offer a Kombucha tasting for $20 per person. It includes a cheese box to pair with a variety of kombuchas.
You can ship wine home from Hunter Valley, for a steep price. So Vince and I decided to just pick out our three favorite bottles and pack them in our checked luggage. At the end of our tasting, our sommelier recommended we let the kids try out ice cream at a local cheese shop. Hunter Belle Cheese Room is less than 10 minutes away from Tulloch, and on deserted dirt roads, so I felt comfortable driving us there.
Hunter Belle Cheese Room:
This was one of my favorite stops of OUR ENTIRE TRIP! First off, the girl working at the shop was so delightful. She was truly the sweetest and made our impromptu stop here that much more enjoyable. The kids loved the ice cream, and I adored the gift shop. I ended up getting some of my favorite souvenirs here! (A cheese board for me, one for my mom, a jewelry dish for my mom, stuffed dairy cows for the kids, a baked brie dish for my mom, and of course, some cheese to take back to our Airbnb.)
After purchasing a bunch of things for my mom, we left the cheese shop to get some incredible photos of wild kangaroos. I kept thinking about the cheese board above, so I went back to the shop to buy it. The girl working there was so sweet and ended up giving me cappuccino for free for Vince and I to enjoy on our drive back to Sydney. She truly made this random pit stop so enjoyable!
Overall, if you’re in Sydney for more than a few days, I highly suggest going to Hunter Valley to check out the vineyards. Furthermore, you’d be remiss if you didn’t swing by Hunter Belle Cheese Room for some cheese, ice cream, and cute as fuck souvenirs! Stay tuned for my next blog all about the must-see beaches in Sydney! Thanks for reading and if you want to check out other Australia blogs, click here and here.
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