Cycle the Hunter Valley

Welcome to Cessnock, the gateway to the Hunter Valley and your base for the entire trip. Your trip begins with a midday welcome meeting at our 4 star hotel with your guide and fellow travellers. After an introductory bike fit, enjoy an easy ride following the Wine Eco Trail with six boutique cellar doors in just three kilometres, a wonderful introduction to all the Hunter Valley has to offer. Enjoy your first wine tasting at one of the small family-owned wineries and perhaps a cheese platter before returning to your bike for the ride back to Cessnock past well-known wineries. The rest of the evening is free for you to relax or perhaps dine locally at one of the many nearby wineries. Your group leader will be happy to advise which restaurant to visit if you need help choosing.

After breakfast, stretch your legs on a shorter but more challenging ride as you head into the nearby foothills of the Brokenback Ranges, passing by rolling farmland on the tracks to Bimbadeen Lookout. While it’s an uphill ride, your efforts are rewarded with sweeping views over the Hunter Valley and the vineyards below. On a clear day you can see all the way to Newcastle's Stockton Beach. From here, it’s a cruisy 10 kilometre downhill ride back to your hotel in Cessnock for a quick shower and change before a transfer to the tiny ‘boutique village’ of Broke, known for some of the best boutique wineries, World Heritage wilderness and a strong connection to our First Nations people.
While the setting is a beautiful vineyard the real highlight is hearing the story of the Wonnarua people, the traditional owners of this beautiful part of Australia. Spend time in the Cultural Centre or "Keeping Place" and listen to fascinating stories as well as visiting a foraging garden to learn and remember how the Wonnarua lived day to day. Finish the tour with a wine tasting (included) before taking the short transfer back to Cessnock where the evening is free to do as you please. To gain a deeper insight into genuine indigenous cuisine perhaps head out to dinner at the renowned Kawul Restaurant.

Your biggest challenge today will be ensuring you don’t taste so much delicious wine that you can no longer safely ride your bike. Head back into wine country as you enjoy a leisurely cycle along the new Around Hermitage Wine & Food Trail. This loop north of Palmers Lane contains the largest concentration of vineyards in the Hunter Valley (24 and counting) and what is arguably the best scenery the valley has to offer with vineyards forming a patchwork against the dark green backdrop of the Brokenback Mountains. A wine tasting at a small boutique winery is included, of course. This is also a great place to find and gather amazing local food – something each person will do so the group can enjoy a picnic lunch at the end of the ride. From here, all that’s left to do is park the bikes and settle back for the short vehicle transfer back to Cessnock, where your trip finishes on arrival.