Just over 260km north west of Sydney lies the town of Mudgee. We had been wanting to visit for a while, but the 3 and a half hour drive meant it was always surpassed by the likes of the Hunter Valley, Berry, and the Blue Mountains for day trips.
But this weekend, we booked a night away, and set off first thing. As we drove along the sprawl of the city gave way to the beautiful Blue Mountains:
The blue-hued view turning to golden brown fields. And here, amongst the rather scorched landscape, a few miles before Mudgee, lies Lake Windermere:
We had had a quick search on the internet the previous evening for vineyards, and due to no particular reason other than they had won a few awards, we opted for the Robert Stein Winery and Vineyard. After checking into the hotel it was a few more minutes in the car and we were winding along a dusty track through beautifully kept vineyards.
Greeted by an old friendly dog (which is quite the norm - if you ever fancy a coffee table book, this Wine Dogs of Australia would be a great one. I've linked you to book 4 in the series, as there are two golden retrievers from one of our favourite vineyards in the Hunter Valley in this particular volume. There are also Wine Cats books, and Wine Dogs from all over the world, not just Australia).
Slight detour there, where was I...back to the wine...
We sampled a couple of wines we had never heard of before: a Rose Saignee and a White, Gewürztraminer (Gewürztraminer is a variety of grape, with a pink-red skin, but which makes white wine), plucked from the producers extensive list after being recommended by a lady who had sampled them over lunch at the vineyards restaurant and was enthusing over them.
Slight detour there, where was I...back to the wine...
We sampled a couple of wines we had never heard of before: a Rose Saignee and a White, Gewürztraminer (Gewürztraminer is a variety of grape, with a pink-red skin, but which makes white wine), plucked from the producers extensive list after being recommended by a lady who had sampled them over lunch at the vineyards restaurant and was enthusing over them.
A couple of bottles lying in the boot, we drove back in the direction of Mudgee town centre, turning off the main road onto open country lanes, the view reminding us somewhat of France. The next cellar door was purely down to whose sign and surrounding landscapes looked nice: Pieter Van Gent Winery and Vineyard. Opening the big wooden door, our eyes adjusted to the dark light as we walked along the centre of the room, huge barrels lining each side.
As we were sampling one of their delicious Shiraz, a guy came out holding a glass of something red, and said, "If you're sampling Shiraz, try this."
On first sip, it was so sickly sweet, reminding me of roasted grapes (which I thought was a great idea, until I tried it, and it was far too sweet for my palate. I shudder just thinking about it), but once swallowed it left an incredibly sharp, lemon-sour taste. It was a Shiraz, but the grapes had only been picked 10 days beforehand, so still had some time to go before mellowing and becoming more palatable.
On first sip, it was so sickly sweet, reminding me of roasted grapes (which I thought was a great idea, until I tried it, and it was far too sweet for my palate. I shudder just thinking about it), but once swallowed it left an incredibly sharp, lemon-sour taste. It was a Shiraz, but the grapes had only been picked 10 days beforehand, so still had some time to go before mellowing and becoming more palatable.
Two cellar doors were more than enough to try, and we drove back to the hotel, where we sat having a glass of the complimentary red on the upstairs balcony watching Mudgee life. We had never seen so many 4x4s and utes before - by the look of the them they were certainly not Chelsea tractors, and far more for use rather than ornament and going over speed bumps.
The days in Mudgee are pretty hot at the moment - mid thirty degrees all the way - but unlike Sydney, the nights are deliciously cool. in the mid teens. At 5pm it was still very hot and muggy, and we were thankful of the breeze which took the edge off the heat.
After a somewhat disappointing meal at one of the very few restaurants open on a Sunday evening (which included three screaming children, many flies, and pretty poor food), we returned to the hotel and enjoyed the air-conditioned room (having been relying heavily on numerous fans back at home).
The next morning we got up and hit the road.
On the drive back to Sydney we pulled off the road at a viewpoint to take more photos of the Blue Mountains. I had taken a couple, then looked down at the ground and, top my horror, saw the most enormous ants crawling over the stones, the more I stared, the more I saw...so it was rather a point and shoot affair after that...
The next morning we got up and hit the road.
On the drive back to Sydney we pulled off the road at a viewpoint to take more photos of the Blue Mountains. I had taken a couple, then looked down at the ground and, top my horror, saw the most enormous ants crawling over the stones, the more I stared, the more I saw...so it was rather a point and shoot affair after that...
As for other Australian wildlife; as much as we looked out for them, the only kangaroos we saw were these metal ones at Robert Stein: