We recently had the opportunity to briefly visit the well-known Mudgee wine and gourmet food region. Mudgee is too far to visit as a day trip from Sydney, but is an excellent weekend destination.
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The road direct from Lithgow to Mudgee is a pleasant drive through undulating green countryside. We enjoyed passing through tiny communities such as Ilford where there were many interesting historic buildings.
An unexpected discovery was the Capartee Valley. A lookout invited us to stop and provided an amazing view of the fog bound canyon. We were fortunate to meet some locals at the lookout who recommended some Mudgee wineries.
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After a picnic lunch in the lovely green central park of Mudgee we visited some wineries. After a disappointing first stop selected from the tourist map, we hit the jackpot with the local’s recommendation to visit the Pieter van Gent winery. The tasting shed has an inviting ambiance, with massive old wine barrels guiding us to the welcoming tasting area. We enjoyed relaxing and tasting their wines and left with a few bottles of the 2010 Verdelho to enjoy. The Pieter van Gent winery is well known for producing white port, however while I enjoy drinking port I found the white port was too sweet for my taste.
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We also visited the Goree Park Winery which is located north west of Mudgee and enjoyed their white wines.
How to Get to Mudgee
Mudgee is located to the north west of Sydney, within a four hour drive. To get there you start by driving west across the Blue Mountains to Lithgow (142 km, 2 hours), then north west direct to Mudgee (127 km, 1.5 hours). An alternative scenic route from Lithgow to Mudgee is via the small townships of Rylstone and Lue (150 km, 2:15 hours from Lithgow to Mudgee), which has the advantage of entering Mudgee through the main winery zone.
Mudgee and surrounds require at least 1 – 2 days to properly explore at your leisure. You should research winery options in advance to ensure you make the most of the time you have in the area.
Different route options to and from Sydney include the following:
- Via Katoomba in the Blue Mountains (266 km, 3:47 hours), with the option to visit Wentworth Falls, Leura, Katoomba and Blackheath en route.
- Via Kurrajong in the Blue Mountains (269 km, 3:37 hours), with the option to visit the Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens, Bilpin and Kurrajong en route.
- Via Cessnock (444 km, 5:50 hours) in the Hunter Valley Wine Region, where you can visit a few more wineries along the way!
- Via Putty Road (449 km, 6:06 hours), and enjoy some twisty turny roads whilst watching out for motorcyclists.
- Via Wiseman’s Ferry (461 km, 6:49 hours), and enjoy driving through the bush and returning to Sydney via a historic back road.
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Check out our Australia Travel Planning Facebook Group – you are welcome to join and it is a great resource to enable you to ask questions about your Australian trip!