Bring your favourite person and The Hunter Valley will handle the rest. There are cellar doors to linger in, gorgeous views to absorb and restaurants that serve some of the best food around. Add a proposal, honeymoon or just a few days away together and you’ve got a pretty good recipe for romance over here in the valley. Here’s where to eat, stay and make the most of a couple of days in New South Wales’ most beautiful wine country.
Credit: Destination NSW / Two Fat Blokes in Pokolbin offer unique wine & cheese tasting experiences at Hunter Valley winery’s outstanding venues. A couple enjoys a walk through one of the luxury venues.
Proposals, Honeymoons, and Romance in the Hunter Valley
Two hours north of Sydney, the Hunter Valley has been Australia’s favourite wine country since the 1820s, which means it’s had nearly two centuries to get good at all that makes it wonderful (the food, the wine, the experiences, the romance…).
The maturity of the region, with its old sandstone cellar doors, the family-run vineyards passed down for generations, and priceless, hill-backed views just can’t be found anywhere else. So, it’s no wonder so many couples end up here for the biggest moments in their relationship (or just to remember why they liked each other in the first place).
Plenty of people end up in the Hunter Valley for romance; whether they’re planning a proposal against the backdrop of the vineyards, celebrating an engagement or honeymoon, or just carving out a weekend to properly reconnect.
Whatever the occasion, or lack of one, the region has spent decades building itself around this kind of trip. Below are the very best ways to make the most of it.
Credit: Destination NSW / A couple enjoys amazing views over Camden during a hot air balloon flight with Balloon Aloft, Camden
The Most Romantic Things to Do in the Hunter Valley
The Hunter Valley makes it remarkably easy to have a good day together, with beautiful places to explore, plenty of good food and wine, and no shortage of reasons to linger.
A Romantic Hot air ballooning at sunrise
There are few better ways to start a romantic day in the Hunter Valley than watching the sunrise from a hot air balloon. Balloon Aloft takes you over the vineyards as the valley slowly lights up, with the Brokenback Range in the distance and breakfast with sparkling wine waiting when you land.
Your flight will last around an hour, so you’ll have plenty of time to take it all in, and the setting has become a popular choice for proposals too. By the way, if you’re planning to ask the question, you’ll have a pretty spectacular backdrop!
Wine tasting and cellar door hopping
Wine tasting is the obvious Hunter Valley date, but the setting can make all the difference. Audrey Wilkinson is the standout for panoramic views, perched above the vineyards with the Brokenback Range behind it. Petersons Mount View has a beautiful hilltop position looking towards Mount Sugarloaf and the Watagan Mountains, while Peterson House brings the romance with its sandstone cellar door, vineyard views and plenty of sparkling wine.
Pick two or three, take your time, and make an afternoon of wandering between the vines and tasting rooms!
Credit: Destination NSW / Couple enjoying a picnic at Audrey Wilkinson, Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley region.
A lovely picnic among the vines
Speaking of Audrey Wilkinson, their Picnic Among the Vines experience is made for a romantic afternoon. You’ll start with a self-guided tour of the winery museum and a premium wine tasting before picking up a bottle of handpicked wine and your picnic hamper. Then you choose your own spot somewhere across the 270-acre property, with those huge views across the vineyards and Brokenback Range.
For something extra special, upgrade to the premium picnic, which includes a pre-set picnic spot, flowers, chocolates, a bottle signed by the winemaker and a take-home bouquet. What a way to spend an afternoon with someone you love!
Horse riding through the countryside
Picture the two of you trotting through the vineyards with the afternoon sun dropping behind the Brokenback Range. Dreamy!
Hunter Valley Horses takes riders through bushland, farmland and vineyard country around Pokolbin, with rides ranging from shorter outings to longer adventures. Their 90-minute sunset ride makes the most of the golden evening light, while the private Vineyard Horse Ride and Picnic for Two adds a picnic to the experience, with a ride through the vines and bush trails followed by time to enjoy the scenery together. That particular experience takes around 2.5 hours, so it’s a pretty lovely way to spend an afternoon somewhere far removed from everyday life, just the two of you.
A couples’ spa treatments
After a few days of wine tasting, long lunches and exploring the valley, a couples’ spa treatment is a pretty good way to slow the pace right down. Château Élan Spa at Hunter Valley Gardens has couples’ treatments where you can have your massage side by side, with options including hot stone massages and facials.
The spa itself is surrounded by gardens and vineyards, so you can make a proper afternoon of it rather than rushing straight back to the car afterwards. Book a treatment, take a wander through the gardens together and let someone else worry about what time dinner is.
Credit: Destination NSW / Couple enjoying food and drink at COQUUN, Maitland.
A romantic candlelit or fireside dinner
Nothing says romance quite like a dinner that starts with candlelight and ends with you realising you’ve been talking for three hours. The Hunter Valley has plenty of restaurants that know how to set the scene, with Bistro Molinesin Mount View offering cosy French dining and Muse Kitchen at Hungerford Hill pairing seasonal food and local wine with beautiful vineyard views.
Add a bottle of Hunter Valley wine, order dessert for two (with one spoon) and let the evening carry on to a nearby cocktail or wine bar.
A peaceful stroll through Hunter Valley Gardens
A garden full of roses, hidden paths and little corners to disappear into together is a pretty good setting for a romantic afternoon. Hunter Valley Gardens covers more than 14 hectares, with ten themed gardens to wander through, including the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden and a waterfall walk.
Take your time exploring the paths, stop for a coffee or glass of wine along the way and make an afternoon of having nowhere else to be. Come December, the Christmas Lights Spectacular turns the gardens into an evening of illuminated displays, which makes a post-dinner wander particularly special.
Where to stay in the Hunter Valley
Estate Tuscany brings a generous slice of Italy to the Hunter Valley, with terracotta rooftops, Tuscan-style buildings and vineyards stretching out towards the Brokenback Range. Stay here and you’re right in the middle of wine country, with cellar doors, restaurants and some of the Hunter’s best-known sights all within easy reach.
Head to the onsite Brokenback Bar for a glass of local wine and settle in with those mountain views.
