The Hunter Resort – Hunter Valley story

The Hunter Valley Resort is located in the very heart of the Hunter Valley Wine Country on 70 secluded acres, and is an easy 2 hours drive north of Sydney .

The resort offers the complete Wine Country Experience. Nowhere in Australia is there a family owned lodge being operated and marketed as one facility with an all day restaurant offering fabulous food, 4 star accommodation, their own great wines from the Wine Tasting Cellars, also the Hunter Valley's largest winery where guests can see how the wine is made. All nestled within its own 40 year old vineyards.

• New facilities include - The Hunter Wine Theatre
• Hunter Valley Horse riding and Wine & Dine Horse Carriages
• Bluetongue Brewery & Cafe
• Phillip Collis' Hunter Valley Cooking School
• Sally Margan’s Heavenly Hunter Massage Centre

Hunter Valley Resort is owned and managed by the Helé family. They saw the tremendous opportunity and in August 1991 purchased the freehold property. 

It’s also a family tradition... The Hele’s come from a long line of Innkeepers - father, grandfather, and great grandfather before were all hoteliers!

So what makes Hunter Valley Resort so different to all other properties in the Wine Country?

The Bluetongue Brewery Cafe opened in January 2004 and makes six boutique beers. All that separates you from the brewery is a glass wall behind the contemporary bar where guests enjoy the relaxed atmosphere including a pool table. There is a full flavoured Premium Lager, a traditional Pilsner and traditional Black Ale, a Premium Light, a malty Draught and a  truly unique alcoholic Ginger Beer. All Beers are available on tap at the brewery, with bottled product from the Cellar Door.
We are excited to announce the Hunter Valley Cooking School has now opened in the Wine Country. Executive Chef Phillip Collis  conducts the “Hands On” Cooking Schools, where he teaches in his own purpose built cooking school kitchen. The day starts with a vineyard inspection followed by a tasting then it’s down to business. With a minimum of 8 and maximum of 24 people, (Larger groups catered by special arrangement) it is a great experience including a fabulous lunch or dinner, cooked by their own hands. From $120 per person - please see the website for the latest information
The Hermitage Function Centre features a huge open fireplace and bar with club leather lounges. There are a total of 7 different meeting rooms. Be it a meeting for just 5 delegates, to a banquet or wedding for 200 people. All handled by our experienced professional staff. Please see the website to download a copy of our wedding or conference packages.
Daily Vineyard Inspection : 9am daily. Hunter Valley Resort offers the total “ Wine Experience.” The on site winery is by far the largest, and most advanced in the Hunter Valley . The Wine Tasting Cellars are open everyday. Crushing some 6.500 tonnes of grapes each year, the winery produces around 6 million litres of wine.
The Hunter Wine Theatre - a new experience for visitors to the Hunter Wine Country. The fun side of seeing a winery in action is when the grapes are being picked and put through the crusher at the winery - which for the Hunter Valley only happens in January & February. For the rest of the year action at the winery is pretty quiet.
Not so with the new Hunter Wine Theatre - this brand new experience takes just over half an hour in our dedicated theatre running several times every day. Up on the big screen learn a little of the Hunter's wine heritage, Australia's oldest wine growing area. See the grapes being harvested and being crushed at the on-site winery. The winemaking lesson continues watching how a wine press actually works, the winemaker adding the yeast, seeing the juice start to ferment into alcohol, learn the art of wine blending and finally the wine being bottled. And that is just for the whites - making reds is a whole different process ...
After the show the lights come up and its down to the serious business of wine tasting. In front of each visitor is a bracket of the Hunter's best wines. The Cellarmaster takes visitors through the "structure" of wine. Why is colour important? Smell the many bouquets of wine, and of course what one should look for in the taste of wine. From just $30 per person, Hunter Wine Theatre is a true sensory overload...
The onsite Hunter Valley Wine School promises an education of wine daily at 9am . The course starts with a walk through the vineyard to learn how and why a grapevine grows.  Then it's followed by a comprehensive winemaking tutorial with our Cellarmaster. We then take guests through a structured tasting of wines. What are the grape varieties? How are they different? What does one look for, the bouquet, taste, and colour? The objective - we want all our guests to walk away with a newfound knowledge of winemaking. At the conclusion of the 2-hour Wine School guests are presented with a personalised Wine Appreciation Certificate. $50pp.

Guest rooms are 4 star rated by AAA. There are only 35 rooms. They are all both quiet and spacious. The Hunter Room has a queen-sized bed with sofa double. The Vineyard Rooms overlook the resort’s vineyard and have a King bed. Spa Rooms have a king bed, kitchenette, and double spa bath. Finally, the 2 Bedroom Cottage has two bedrooms each with their own ensuite bathroom, kitchenette and living / dining room. All feature exposed timber cathedral ceilings, solid timber country style furniture, full size bathtub and shower, flat screen TV and DVD player, individually air-conditioned/heated, and big double glass doors open out onto their own balcony overlooking the surrounding countryside, vineyards and the Brokenback Ranges. Rates range from $150 to $440. See here for details

San Martino (St. Martin ) is the Patron Saint of Churchgoers, Innkeepers, Grape growers, Winemakers and the protector of all drinkers. The multi award winning  San Martino Restaurant + Wine Bar is open for dinner 7 days and has been serving discerning diners for over 30 years.  Using only the freshest of local produce, our acclaimed chef Phillip Collis has designed a menu reflecting what makes Australian Cuisine famous the world over.  There is also a glass fronted air-conditioned wine cellar, which has been recognised as the best in the Hunter.  Wines available by the glass, bottle, or magnum – with vintages going back to the 1940’s.

The wine list is also one of the Hunter’s most extensive with the resort having been awarded the following: Restaurant & Caterers Hunter Region Wine List of the Year Winner in 2000-2001, 2001-2002 & 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008. These wines are from all over the world and include some rare wine from local private cellars. Of course, the resort’s own beers are on tap.

Adjacent to The Hermitage is our exclusive Riedel Private Dining Room.  The room is named after the famous Austrian glassware company "Riedel". The room is upstairs and has fabulous views over the Wine Country. Downstairs it has its own private entrance with a pre-dinner drinks area. The private dining room upstairs seats 12 people. Special menus can be arranged to complement your own choice of wines. Our Cellarmaster can host Wine Dinners in either the Riedel Room or in our larger Winemakers Room.

Hunter Valley Wine Country Horse Riding Our horse riding and Horse & Carriage Winery Tours run from the base of the spectacular Brokenback Ranges of Pokolbin in the heart of Hunter Valley Wine Country.

One hour rides are available on the hour between 8am and 5pm. Trail rides suit the timid beginner through to the seasoned rider. Half hour, two-hour  and full day rides also available.

We have several carriages to suit many applications including weddings, Corporate Events, Wine Tours, Romantic Charters and much more. 

• 1 hour trail ride, available 7 days a week, on the hour between 8am and 5pm. Fully guided, all necessary equipment supplied. Suited from beginners to experienced riders, children must be over 8yo to participate. $55pp.
• 2 hour trail ride, available Monday to Friday. Fully guided, all necessary equipment supplied. Some experience recommended, children must be over 10yo to participate. Times subject to availability, bookings essential. $75pp
• ½ hour trail ride, available Monday to Friday. Fully guided, all necessary equipment supplied. No experience required, children must be over 8yo to participate. Times subject to availability, bookings essential. $45pp
• 10 minute lead pony ride, available 7 days a week between 8am and 5pm. Children must be under 10yo to participate. $15 per child.
• Full day horse ride, available Monday to Friday. Fully guided, all necessary equipment supplied. Includes transfer from local accommodation, restaurant lunch, wine tasting at up to 4 cellar doors, pick up and delivery of all purchases back to Hunter Resort. $195pp.

For the energetic: enjoy a game of tennis, or there is a 3km and 5km walking/jogging track. Go for a swim in our huge pool. Put the fleet of Mountain Bikes to the test. Cook your own lunch on the BBQ. Or just sit back and unwind in our Heated Spa. And for children, a playground, child minding service, and special dinner menu.

As the resort is located in the heart of the Wine Country. Across the road is Binnorie Dairy - one of the best cheesemakers in the Hunter. Nearby is hot air ballooning, skydiving, Cypress Lakes and Greg Norman’s Vintage golf courses, the Hunter Valley Gardens + Shopping Village, cheese & chocolate factories, horse & carriage tours, galleries, antique stores, cafes & restaurants, and over 150 wineries to explore...

Getting to the Wine Country is easy too. We can arrange transfers to meet guests when they arrive into Sydney Airport or maybe drop off at Sydney Airport .

For a downloadable copy of this page in PDF format, please click here.