New South Wales (Sydney Region)
Upper Hunter Valley
The upper end of Hunter Valley is Australia’s main horse-breeding and thoroughbred area – indeed it claims to deal in as much horseflesh as anywhere in the world, with at least thirty stud farms. There are cattle- and sheep-breeding stations up here, too, while the fertile soils of the Upper Hunter also yield a harvest of cereals and fruits including, of course, grapes.

The pretty township of SCONE is at the centre of the Hunter Valley horse trade, and you can get further details of the business from the tourist information centre on the corner of Susan and Kelly streets (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat & Sun 10am–3.30pm; tel 02/6545 2907). The best time to visit, when everything’s open, is during Scone Horse Week – ten days in the middle of May – which features local prize specimens in horse shows, rodeos and races, along with more general cultural and artistic events.

Glenbawn Dam, 15km east of Scone, makes a pleasant excursion. The dam holds back the waters of the Upper Hunter, storing up to 750,000 million litres for irrigation purposes. Recreation facilities at the reserve here include accommodation and boat rental: the lake is great for water-skiing, canoeing, sailing and fishing. 

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Despite all the emphasis on horses, this is one of the few places where horse-riding is actually offered, departing on Sunday only from Lake Glenbawn Resort Village (tel 02/6543 7752). Next to the kiosk, a small museum (Sun and holidays only) exhibits relics from early pioneering days in the Hunter Valley. For a fine day-trip you can continue past the dam and climb to the plateau of the Barrington Tops to the national park of the same name, or you can go on towards the coast via Gloucester (about 150km from Scone).

Northeast of Scone is polo country, the haunt of mega-rich Australians such as the media mogul Kerry Packer. If you fancy watching the elitist sport in action, there are polo grounds at GUNDY and at ELLERSTON. At Gundy, you can have a drink at the classic green-tin-roofed Linga Longa Hotel. In between Gundy and Ellerston, Belltrees is the family estate of the White family, who gave the world the Nobel prize-winning novelist Patrick White. 

Belltrees Station is a collection of buildings, including the 1832 Semphill Cottage, set among pepper trees; there’s even a small school established in 1879. Further along is the White mansion where the family still live, and if you can afford it you can stay at the country house next door, or in the mountain retreat where in later life Patrick White used to escape when he returned home to visit (country house $165 per person per night, including breakfast, dinner and tour of the property; mountain retreat $195 per person per night, including all meals and 4WD transfers; tel 02/6545 1688 or fax 6546 1122 for bookings); polo tuition can be arranged as part of your stay.

Heading on towards the heart of the New England Plateau, you pass Burning Mountain about 20km north of Scone, near the village of Wingen. The smoking vents do not indicate volcanic activity but rather a seam of coal burning 30m under the surface: the fire was ignited naturally, perhaps by a lightning strike or spontaneous combustion, over a thousand years ago. The area, protected as a nature reserve, can be reached via a signposted walking trail that starts at the picnic grounds at the foot of the hill, just off the New England Highway; pick up the informative NPWS guide to the area’s walking tracks from any NPWS office. Fourteen kilometres north of Wingen, MURRURUNDI marks the end of the Upper Hunter Valley. It’s a pretty spot, enclosed by the Liverpool Ranges, and the Café Telegraph here makes a good refreshment stop, with seats outside in the garden with the creek flowing past.

Practicalities
Trains from Sydney (four daily) and Newcastle (one daily) stop at Scone. Greyhound Pioneer and McCafferty’s buses pass through Scone, while a Countrylink bus runs daily to Moree.

Places to stay in this area are widely scattered. Right in Scone the Royal Hotel-Motel, 119 Kelly St, offers simple pub accommodation or fancier motel units – it also serves good counter meals. About halfway to Glenbawn Dam, on Segenhoe Road, right at the lake, the Lake Glenbawn Resort Village, which has camping and three-bedroom cottages. Heading north, Ethel Cottage in Wingen offers farmstay-style B&B lodgings in a self-contained heritage cottage. 

In Murrurundi, Creative Escapes, an artist-run B&B guesthouse in a former bank on the New England Highway, offers the chance to make pottery or paint in studios set in a large garden with views of the Liverpool Ranges; the rooms are all painted in beautiful colours and furnished with works of art, and an excellent dinner ($25) is available. There’s also the basic Murrurundi Motel, right on the highway in Murrurundi. 

For something to eat in Scone, head for The Station Gallery and Café in the old station waiting room, where Italian-style food is served; best of all are the chunky cakes with lashings of cream, and naturally enough scones. For entertainment, Scone’s Civic Theatre (tel 02/6541 1569) is an Art Deco movie palace with displays of memorabilia in the foyer.

Wineries
  • Cruikshank Callatoota Estate Wybong Rd, Wybong, 18km north of Denman tel 6547 8149. Daily 9am-5pm. Winemaker John Cruikshank is a real character who unapologetically only makes his favourite, red wine.
  • Reynolds Yarraman Yarraman Road, Wybong tel 6547 8127. Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-4pm. Tucked away in the upper valley, but worth seeking out for the beautiful location and the excellent, prize-winning wines. Constructed of convict hewn sandstone in 1837, this unique small modern winery owned by Jon and Jane Reynolds, is situated in a picturesque valley overlooking the Yarraman Vineyard. Jon, a winemaker with many years experience Australia wide, now uses his expertise to produce small parcels of distinctive and consistently excellent wines.
  • Rosemount Estate Rosemount Rd, Denman tel 6547 2467. Mon-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm. Producer of some of Australia's best-known, award-winning wines, and with an excellent vineyard brasserie (closed Mon).

Events
  • Hunter Valley Polo Cross Championships (July) in Scone
  • Singleton Show (October)
  • Singleton Rose Festival (October)
  • Upper Hunter Spring Festival (October) in Denman