Like most people in these wild pandemic times, JJ and I haven’t left our Sydney suburb for months. We made a last minute decision to escape to the country 2 weekends ago. Natural beauty, heritage buildings and some of the best food and wine in the state made Mudgee our top choice. Plus, we’d never been before and exploring somewhere new is always revitalising.

GETTING THERE

Mudgee is located 268 km northwest of Sydney, or about a 4-hour drive. If you wanted to take a train and coach service from Sydney, the journey takes around 5-6 hours. Alternatively, FlyPelican operates regular flights from Sydney and Newcastle to Mudgee.

If you’re planning to take a break en route, Lithgow (on the edge of the Blue Mountains) is about half way. I can recommend The Lithgow Tin Shed for lunch. This cafe supports growers from the NSW central tablelands and offers a great first taste of the regions produce.

ARRIVAL IN MUDGEE – FRIDAY

Strolling the tree-lined streets of Mudgee’s town centre you’ll find many charming 19th-century colonial buildings. When JJ and I arrived the trees were covered in pretty early-spring blossoms. We enjoyed wandering around checking out the cute cafes, bars and boutique stores.

Needing to buy some provisions for dinner on Saturday night, we stopped at Dad’s Deli (off market Street). The local bacon and olives were unbelievably good, perfect additions to homemade pasta all’Amatriciana with a glass of Mudgee red.

WHERE WE STAYED

Barella Cabins were the idyllic base for our rural getaway. Located a 30-minute drive northeast of Mudgee on Kains Flat, we were treated to both valley and mountain views. The aboriginal custodians of the area are the Wiradjuri nation. ‘Mudgee’ is derived from a Wiradjuri word that means ‘Nest in the Hills’. Here its really evident why that name was chosen.

The property overlooks Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve and Castle Rocks. There’s an abundance of native wildlife and we saw loads of kangaroos bounding around at dusk and dawn. Numerous native bird species call this place home as well. Such a peaceful, relaxed and private setting.

Our spotless, COVID safe, fully self-contained cabin was called Myrtle. It had a queen bedroom and 2 single beds in the loft, we didn’t use the loft but it’d be handy for a couple with kids. All 3 cabins have a lounge/dining area, a modern bathroom and a well-equipped kitchen. There’s also a gas BBQ with outdoor furniture on the veranda. Reverse-cycle aircon, WiFi and TelstraTV complete the cosy package. I would 100% stay there again.

On our first night JJ and I opted to have dinner at the local country pub. The Cooyal Hotel is just a 5 minute drive away and provides generous meals for a reasonable price. There’s a roaring fire, Dave (the publican) is welcoming, the beer’s cheap and the schnitzels are huge.

MORNING HIKE – SATURDAY

Before heading out to tour cellar doors, we went for an early hike in Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve. Dawn is always a good time to go if you want a trail to yourself and are hoping to spot wildlife. As planned we left the cabin at 6:30 AM, arriving at the Castle Rocks car park 15 mins later. JJ and I were the only ones there. The chilly 5°c temperature might have deterred other potential walkers 🙂

It’s a fairly easy 8km (2-3 hr) round-trip hike along Castle Rocks trail to the lookout. If you keep quiet you’re sure to see wallabies and notice that the eucalypt and native pine bushland is teeming with birdlife. Climb up the lookout rocks for beautiful vistas of the sandstone pagodas found throughout Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve. Totally worth an early start.

After our walk, JJ and I had breakfast back at the cabin and spent a couple of hours recharging before our first wine tasting appointment.

WINE TASTINGS – SATURDAY

At the moment pre-bookings are essential for all cellar doors so that social distancing can be maintained. They also need time to properly sanitise surfaces in between groups. If you’re thinking of visiting Mudgee soon, schedule tastings beforehand cos the most popular wineries get booked out, especially on weekends.

First on the agenda was a 12 PM tasting with food pairing at SHORT SHEEP Micro-Winery. This was such a unique experience! I’ve been to tastings before where nibbles are offered, but they’ve never been exact recreations of the flavours that go with each individual wine. To give a couple of examples, we had mushroom risotto with a syrah, then sliced roast beef and horseradish with a cab merlot. Very tasty indeed.

Established in 1858, picturesque Craigmoor Estate is Mudgee’s oldest winery and vineyard. At this second cellar door, we not only tasted a wide variety of delicious wines but also looked around Craigmoor’s wine museum. The museum is full of interesting relics such as bottling equipment, tools and trophies. It’s also lovely to explore the grounds of the property which is situated on the banks of Eurunderee Creek.

Lastly, JJ and I paid a visit to Rosby Wines and Sculpture Garden. The owner, Gerry, conducted our tastings. Gerry’s really friendly and down-to-earth, we enjoyed chatting with him and the wines were excellent too. It’s also worth checking out the impressive artwork in the gardens, as we did JJ and I were accompanied by adorable resident dogs, Dash and Pepper.

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Following a Saturday evening meal with more wine and a movie in our cabin, we woke a little groggy on Sunday. Thankfully check-out wasn’t until midday, so there was plenty of time to have a leisurely breakfast and recover. Eventually, we reluctantly packed up the car and made our way back to Sydney having had a brilliant long weekend in Mudgee.

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