Huntervalley

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday April 27, 2006

John Saxby

Food in the kitchen, a king-size bed and more wine than you can poke a corkscrew at. John Saxby visits the Hunter Valley.

There are five houses to rent at Billabong Moon but only one is on a lake. I'd be lying if I said that when I booked I didn't want the lake house but it was taken. Repeatedly booked out. In the end I take the one with trees. The one with trees has its own charms but, come morning, I still find myself loitering outside the one with a lake, watching its happy occupants eat breakfast on my balcony, share my laughter and feed my fish.

On closer inspection, it's actually more of a dam and, while the geese on its surface are bucolic, further consolation comes once back at the tree house. Surrounded by a tall, dense stand of whispering casuarinas and elevated three metres off the ground, what Treetops lacks in water views it more than makes up for in privacy. One can walk practically half-naked around its timber balcony without fear of turning fellow guests off their cereal.

A corrugated iron, steel-framed studio, it's also a comfortable base from which to explore (or recover from) your pick of the Hunter's 100-plus wineries and numerous attractions. The tariff includes breakfast provisions - bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, cereal, juices and bread.

A bottle of local wine, chocolates, local cheeses and olives are a welcome sight after the two-hour drive from Sydney.

The interior is decorated simply but comfortably. There are timber floorboards, a king-size bed, fireplace and a soft couch from which to watch the too-small television. An

apple green feature wall adds a splash of cheerful colour. A spa bath in one corner is a sign that Treetops - and Billabong Moon's entire 10 hectares - is a haven for couples.

Downstairs are a barbecue and outdoor seating area.

A short walk through the property delivers you to the lake, on which any guest can row or fish, a shared 15-metre saltwater pool and reception, which boasts a small library of books and DVDs. "We will not disturb you," cheerful hosts Andy and Jenny Birtchnell promise, highlighting one of the advantages self-contained accommodation has over a B&B.

It is seven years since I visited the Hunter Valley. That visit predated Pokolbin's Hunter Valley Gardens, with its 8000 roses, 10-metre waterfall and Irish pub. Promises of resort-style living, golf and some strikingly unlovely winery buildings appear more prevalent this time around. But while the natural beauty of the valley may be diminished in parts, elsewhere it cannot be denied.

The tasting-room balcony of fourth-generation Hunter winemaker Keith Tulloch on Hermitage Road boasts postcard views of vine-covered hillsides and the Brokenback Range beyond. The tastings themselves are also a drawcard, conducted as they are at tables - or on the balcony itself - rather than three-deep at a counter. So civilised is this approach it seems rude not to at least buy the merlot. And a bottle of sticky.

Further along Hermitage Road lies the modern tasting room of award-winning cheesemaker Binnorie Dairy and soon Tulloch's wines are sharing boot space with a couple of jars of marinated labna. A short time later they make room for semillon from the De Iuliis and Allandale wineries, Meerea Park shiraz from the Boutique Wine Centre and the Pokolbin Chocolate Company's honeycomb. A pattern to the weekend is emerging - eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow I drive back to Sydney.

needtoknow

Billabong Moon, 393 Hermitage Road, Pokolbin.

Phone: 6574 7290.

www.billabongmoon.com.au.

info@billabongmoon.com.au.

cost

Treetops

Weekend $530 (two nights), extra night $170.

Mid-week $190 (one night), extra night $170.

distance from Sydney

About 2 hours. 160 kilometres.

kids welcome?

Yes.

things to do

where to eat

The Brokenback Bar

Tuscany Wine Estate, cnr Hermitage Road and Mistletoe Lane, Pokolbin.

Phone: 4998 7288.

Barbecue your own lunch or dinner with great views to Brokenback Range.

Terroir

Hungerford Hill Winery, 1 Broke Road, Pokolbin.

Phone: 4990 0711.

Darren Ho's wide-ranging menu is matched by showcase wines.

where to shop

The New England Highway town of Branxton is 10 minutes by car from Billabong Moon. There's a supermarket, ATM and butcher. Victoria House

Cafe (72 Maitland Road, Branxton, 4938 3225) sells good coffee and sourdough bread from the Morpeth Bakery, saving you a further 35-minute drive to the bakery itself.

attractions

Blue Tongue Brewery

Hunter Resort, Hermitage Road, Pokolbin. Phone: 4998 7777.

Buzzing brewery and restaurant complex.

Hunter Valley Gardens

Broke Road, Pokolbin. Phone: 4998 4000.

A bit Disney but green thumbs and families will find themselves in a

25-hectare herbaceous heaven.

Binnorie Dairy

Cnr Hermitage Road and Mistletoe Lane, Pokolbin. Phone: 4998 6660.

Award-winning cheeses.

Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism 455 Wine Country Drive, Pokolbin. Phone: 4990 0900.

Essential first stop for brochures, winery maps and information.

where to drive

Hunter Olive Trail

Had enough wine? Sample olives, olive oil and tapenades from some of the region's olive growers. www.hunterolives.asn.au.

Wollombi

Return to Sydney via this scenic 19th-century village.

any complaints?

The small television.

don't miss...

Lovedale Long Lunch

Lovedale region. Phone: 4990 4526.

Eat and drink your way around seven participating wineries over the weekend of May 20-21.

© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald

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