Hunter Valley, Australia

Advantages: cheap, friendly, plenty to see and do
Disadvantages: not good for teetotallers

...to have two nights in Hunter Valley which is the vineyard region of New South Wales and is located around 100 miles to the North of Sydney City. In all likelihood, you are not going to book a holiday in Hunter Valley from the UK. Any trip to Hunter Valley will probably arise as a result of a holiday to Sydney. As such, I am not commenting upon flight costs from the UK as you will probably have already paid for that. If you wanted to visit Hunter ...
...and the gateway to the Hunter Valley. We booked a two bed-roomed cottage which cost $400 for four adults ie, equivalent of £16 per adult per night. We had our own gardens with parking space and barbeque and whilst there were other cottages around us you were left with the feeling of seclusion and privacy. The cottage themselves had TV, Stereo, DVD and full kitchen and two bedrooms and one bathroom. They were spacious, comfortable and an absolute ... Read review

Advantages: Got to taste loads of different wines and learn about them
Disadvantages: Not much else to do other than wine tasting

Hunter Valley has wonderful scenery and is home to a large wine and coaling industries. To the south it stretches from Goulburn River and Wollemi National Park and right up to Barrington Tops National Park to the North. Lower Hunter is where most of the vineyards can be found but Upper Hunter also has vineyards as well as horse breeding and racing. During the year there are festivals and it is a great place for music from folk, jazz and even opera. ...
...can get various tours to Hunter Valley from Sydney or you could hire a car and drive to it yourself. It might be hard to find places however if you drove I would imagine. We chose to take a guided tour, it cost us $95 and included a stop off at the Australian Reptile Park as well which I thought was great value for money. The tour was through Kangaroo Coach and we were met in Sydney at the YHA where we had booked our tour. It was an early start at ... Read review

Advantages: Good beaches, relaxed
Disadvantages: Alcohol related violence

...in the summer can range from 25-35 in the day, and and night between 15-20. In the winter, temperatures can range from 15-20 celcius in the day, and 5-10 in the day - Proximity to Sydney: Newcastle is the biggest city in Australia not to be a capital, and is only 1.5 hours drive from Sydney, 2 hours by train. It is also close to the Hunter Valley Vineyards, which produce some of Australia's finest wine. Wine tasting tours can be organized from Newcastle city, with coaches leaving daily. - Relaxed Feel: life is Newcastle is very layed back, and this can be sensed upon visiting the city. Most people are very friendly, and are easily approachable for help or directions Bad points: - If your young, the nightlife in Newcastle is not fantastic, with only a handful of nightclubs available upon a night out (Fanny's, The Brewery, Frostbites... Read review

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