Nature at its finest

The Hunter Region is much more than just wine. It's some of Australia's oldest towns, showcasing graceful colonial architecture. It's long stretches of rugged coastline and beautiful beaches such as Nobbys,
Merewether and Dixon Park. And it's the emerging cosmopolitan charms of Newcastle,
shaking off its industrial past to reveal a hip and happening new character.

Conference & convention venues in >> Hunter Valley & Newcastle, NSW.

The second largest city in New South Wales, Newcastle was also the second city to be established in Australia. In 1797, while hunting escaped convicts, Lieutenant John Shortland landed in the area. On returning to Sydney, his reports of abundant coal deposits spurred settlement. Through the early years of the nineteenth century, Newcastle was a penal colony but free settlers soon arrived to take advantage of the verdant agricultural land.

By the 1850s, Newcastle was well established as an industrial powerhouse. The legacy of BHP's move into Newcastle in 1911 for steel making continued until recently.

A five-kilometre coastal walk called Bathers Way is a great activity for becoming familiar with Newcastle's natural beauty before wandering down to the harbour's edge to relax on a grassy knoll or spend a couple of hours at one of its many fine eating places.

Novocastrians make great use of the foreshore area and on the weekend it's alive with bike riders, joggers and roller-bladers.

To the south is the Lake Macquarie region, a huge aquatic playground centred around towns such as Swansea, Belmont and Toronto. To the north-west are the historic areas of Morpeth, Maitland and Singleton.

Newcastle is easily accessed from Sydney via the F3 Freeway. Newcastle Airport at Williamstown, 30 minutes from the city centre, is the main regional airport. Commuter flights to Sydney also depart from Belmont Airport.

It's a short drive on to the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's best-known wine areas. Viticulture is said to have started in the area with James Busby, who planted European vine cuttings at the family estate near Greta in the early 1830s. Vineyards were also established by the Drayton and Tyrrell families in the late 1850s and these names continue to be associated with fine Hunter wine. In the 1960s, wine production really got underway and in the last two decades, the Hunter Valley has emerged as a boutique and upmarket tourist destination.

The Hunter Valley is a compelling combination of small boutique and major wine labels, most of which offer cellar door tastings and sales. Superb fine-dining restaurants and laid-back cafes charm the hordes of weekend visitors.

Accommodation ranges from upmarket retreats to small, out-of-the-way cottages perfect for a romantic escape. There are farm stays, sunrise hot-air balloon rides, horse-drawn carriages and bicycle tours.

During the week, corporate groups take over. Small to medium-sized conferences and corporate retreats draw participants from throughout the state.

And for a complete break of pace, the nearby Barrington Tops feature the most rugged landscape imaginable, complete with owering mountains, deep gorges and dense forest. Explore by 4WD, horse or hike. It's nature at the very best.