Nestled in the lee of Australia’s Great Dividing Range, the gently undulating Hunter Valley is the No.1 weekend getaway for Sydney workers – and what a winning weekender it is. Traditionally, most international tourists have sampled the Hunter as a day trip, but it really does deserve to be explored over a few days. Besides, there’s over 150 wineries to swill your way through.

One of the best to visit is Tyrrell’s, which has remained family owned and operated ever since its foundation in `1858. Based in Pokolbin, the fifth generation of Tyrrell’s are now working the grapes, with many of the vines originating from James Busby’s collection of French and Spanish grapevine cuttings. Tyrrell’s is a very familiar label on our shelves, its wines are exported to over 30 countries and their winery tour is a class act. Given the Hunter Valley has been wreathed in vineyards for one hundred and 80 years, most wine buffs consider the valley as the birthplace of Australian wine.  But interestingly it produces less than 2% of Australia’s wine.

The Hunter is recognised as the world’s leading producer of dry white Semillion wine. For a complete palette change, I highly recommend tasting some of the Hunter’s sensational sticky wines, too. Beyond the pleasures of the grape, the valley is peppered with all manner of food artisans and providores. Pop into the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company, where you can watch the chocolatiers weave their magic, before succumbing to a tasting or three.

Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shops offer a staggering selection of cheeses, some sourced locally, and others from far-flung European producers. Complement your taste buds with a sensory treat for the eyes at the Hunter Valley Gardens. Set over 60 acres, this multi-award winning oasis comprises 10 sensational feature gardens, radiant in colour, scent and creativity. If you have children in toe, they will absolutely adore the Storybook Garden with a roll call of all-time favourite characters. 

The Hunter is tailor-made for a self drive holiday, because the valley is sprinkled with antique towns and villages. Wollombi is one of the best, with quintessential colonial pubs and shops. It looks like a movie set and it’s has been revitalised with creative types setting up art studios and galleries. With a Royal Tour awaiting the Antipodes in April, a truly quirky attraction can be found in the snug village of Nulkaba. It’s home to the world's largest privately owned collection of British royal memorabilia. Plates, thimbles, teaspoons, figurines, teacups….you name it. Jan Hugo has collected so much British royal memorabilia over the last 33 years she now has over 10,000 pieces in her home, which is open daily for tours.

When you’ve had your fill of swilling your way through the Hunter Valley’s plethora of wineries and charming towns, why not complement your mini-break with a divine dose of unwinding in the wilderness ? Just north of Maitland, and in the shadow of the Barrington Tops National Park, Eaglereach Wilderness Resort is a quintessentially Australian nature-based experience with world-class facilities. 

Encompassing over 1000 acres of private mountain bush and rainforest, Eaglereach was the brainchild of the former head of Gold Coast Tourism, Paul Miley, who has tirelessly spent over two decades developing the expansive resort into the awe-inspiring encounter, you can enjoy today. Over a sizzling Aussie barbeque and some fine Hunter Semillon, Paul told me how a Chilean family recently stayed for six nights. They jetted into Sydney from Santiago, drove up to Eaglereach and then flew back home, enraptured with their singular Australian wilderness experience.

After a quick taster of the resort for one night, I can fully appreciate how fulfilling the Chilean family’s adventure would have been. The surround sound, multi-sensory feast of nature at play is what makes the striking first impression. After threading your way up the side of Mt. George and through verdant forest to reach the reception area, you’re lustily serenaded into this unplugged pocket of the world by a veritable menagerie of playful bird life and inquisitive marsupials.  Within hours I had become a glorified twitcher, excited at identifying a vast assortment of birds, as they glided by or perched on a branch, while checking out the latest camera-toting arrival to descend on their patch of paradise.

From the custom-built Observation Deck, I spotted king parrots, those carnival-coloured eastern and crimson rosellas, bush doves and the resort’s namesake, the gracious Wedge-tailed Eagle. I revelled in the around-the-clock pursuit of wildlife spotting, delighting in the grazing kangaroos, wallaroos, wallabies, echidnas and goannas. But what makes this resort so novel is the 30km’s of private walking and mountain bike trails that criss-cross this natural adventure land. On one side of the mountain you can enchant yourself in the lush rainforest, while the other side is clad in gum trees and bush. Goonarook Lagoon is just the place for a spot of fishing, kayaking or swimming, if that hinterland heat starts getting the better of you.  www.eaglereach.com.au

Paterson is a pint-sized village just minutes from Eaglereach, with a cracking country pub. Heading south back to Sydney , why not stop by Maitland, peppered with grand stone buildings, and its infamous maximum security prison. Reputedly haunted, the decommissioned prison is now open for tours-  and even sleepovers.

Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s Travel Correspondent on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame. 11.20am