If you live in NSW and love your wine regions, you’ve probably heard of the Hunter Valley and booked numerous weekend trips there (myself included). But did you know NSW has a whole other region that’s perfect to explore over a long weekend? This guide follows a three day itinerary between 4 friends. It can be adapted for partners or families, message me if you have any questions!
Without further ado, let’s head into Mudgee, a beautiful country town located approximately 3hours from Sydney in NSW’s Central West.
π£ππ₯π§ π: πͺπππ₯π π§π’ π¦π§ππ¬
If you’re like me and love finding unique places to stay, I highly recommend The Hangar House.
This homestay is located next to Mudgee airport and has it’s own plane which you can kindly ask the owners’ Gary and Kaye to show you around if they’re home. The kitchen and living areas are a shared space with the other guests, but of course you will have your own space in your room with an ensuite. Don’t forget to enjoy the free breakfast(!), make use of the indoor and outdoor fireplace over fiery sunsets and if you’re lucky, watch rising hot air balloons at sunrise.
One of the best parts was getting to know the history behind The Hangar House and getting to chat to the owners who are avid aviators and have broken several world records flying at the fastest speeds. On our second morning Gary casually mentioned “I’m just going to pop into Sydney for some lunch” (a cruisy 30min plane ride compared to our 3h car journey to get there!
Hangar House is also a quick 5min drive away from the town centre and a short 15min drive from most wineries. Everything is conveniently located but also feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere with so much space to roam and explore.
ππ°π°π¬π¦π₯ π°π―: Booking.com
ππΆπ₯π¨π¦π΅: $580 for 2 nights // $145pp for 4 people (perfect for friends or family)
Other luxury options more suited for partners includes: Gawthorne’s Hut, Sierra Escape
PART 2: WHERE TO EAT
If you’re looking for a place to reconnect with your friends, a partner, your family, or even just to treat yourself over a speciality long lunch or dinner, then the Zin House is the place for you. It is a modern farmhouse restaurant situated amongst the rolling hills of the Mudgee region and Lowe vineyards.
Everything on your plate comes from their gardens and what they don’t grow, they source from their neighbours and producers across the region (heck yes to supporting local!)
You’re encouraged to take your time (they recommend at least 3 hours) enjoying your food over good wine, good chats and even taking breaks to explore the gardens, which is such a welcome change from having dining limits.
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π Sourdough, Mudgee Truffle Co Butter (omg this was amazing), olives, dukkah, pickled jerusalem artichoke, wagyu proscuitto
πTinja organic angus beef tartare
πMudgee truffle, pecorino linguine (this tasted so heavenly)
πFrench rotisserie free range chicken, roast zin garden vegetables, chickpeas and pomegranate salad
π₯§Pumpkin pie, truffle honey, vanilla bean ice cream
βZin garden tea and chocolate
π·And I had a 2006 Shiraz ‘Block 5’ from Mudgee
ππ°π°π¬π¦π₯ π°π―: lowefamilywineco.com.au/zinhouse
ππΆπ₯π¨π¦π΅: $125pp
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While planning our Mudgee trip, we googled and read blog posts to figure out an itinerary, which led us to booking our long dinner and wine tasting.
Beyond that, everything we did was on the fly so we could have a super chill weekend with only a few pre-planned things that would let us experience the country town.
We didn’t get to do everything on this list but it’s all here for you to come back to if you’re ever wondering what you can do when you’re next in Mudgee.
π Enjoy a sunset overlooking the Mudgee hills @lowefamilywineco
π« Enjoy a long lunch or dinner with farm fresh ingredients and beautiful views (see more detail above) @thezinhouse
π² Go bike riding across wineries (or even try Triking with @mudgeetrikes)
π Go on a sunrise hot air balloon ride with @balloonaloft
π§ Go cheese tasting for free! But you’ll definitely be walking away with some cheese purchases (get the tomato feta it was delicious and is the perfect addition on corn thins) with @highvalleycheeseco
ποΈ Go shopping for curated home wares and interior design things @whatevermudgee
π³ Go for brunch and try their delicious jaffles (toasties) @albyandesthers
π·Enjoy wine tastings
β¨ Go star gazing
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Mudgee is one of NSW’s hidden wine region gems, so you’d be missing out if you didn’t try some of the wines from the region, and with stunning views.
We visited @logan_wines where you can indulge in a reds, whites or both tasting from $10pp and if you buy a bottle (which you might as well treat yourself) the tasting will be free.
If it’s a sunny day and you don’t have a picnic blanket, don’t worry, ask the staff there to borrow one and take it out into the lawn with your newly bought bottles and potentially a cheese board. As we went on a long weekend, they had a specialty Vietnamese food truck so no cheese boards but still delicious food pairings with our wine.
I’d highly recommend this place from our experience, but a few other cellar doors we were recommended/we came across in our research are below. There are so many boutique wine estates as well, I don’t think you could go wrong with any!
1οΈβ£ @lowefamilywineco – $10pp for 1h
2οΈβ£ @thecellarbygilbert – $10pp for 45mins (and right next to @highvalleycheeseco !)
3οΈβ£ @moothiestate – $8pp for 45mins (add the lunch option to have 90mins)
