Reset search
Hunter Valley
  • Spydah
  • Spydah

Hunter Valley

Travelling with the Kenmore Millennium Probus Club Read more
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarPhotosPhotosShareShareBucket list
InsightsCalendarPhotos
  • Trip start
    April 16, 2026
    SpydahHunter ValleySpydah
    PDFCredit: Bob YenchBHP museum display. Photo: Bob Yench

    The journey begins

    April 16 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Airports are never a heap of fun, especially with early starts, but daughter Helen very kindly drove me to the airport in time for the 7.15am rendezvous with the other 18 members, plus guide, who were heading to Newcastle. I didn’t want to be “that person” who was late and who would be ribbed thereafter by the other group members - and Helen delivered me on time.

    It all went smoothly, and there was a large and comfortable bus, our intended transport for the next five days, waiting for us at the other end.

    First stop was the aviation museum, most interesting with a comprehensive range of displays including various military aircraft dating from a WWI Sopwith Camel through to a comparatively modern Sabre. For me the highlight was the long chat with one of the volunteers, a former RAAF electronics technician who showed me and explained much about the instrumentation and electronic screens, not to mention the dozens of switches and knobs, all crammed into the Sabre cockpit. How a pilot could handle all of that is well beyond me.

    The immersive experience continued during our excellent sandwich at the cafe adjoining the museum which overlooks the combined civil and military runway. There was a continual stream of F-35A Lightning fighters, along with various training military aircraft taking off and landing just a few hundred metres from where we sat. Talk about deafening. Even at that distance, the noise from those F-35As on takeoff makes ones internal organs shake.

    Next stop was the Newcastle Museum. We’re off to a flying start because that too was a worthwhile visit. We arrived just in time to see an automated display sponsored by BHP using a real ladle and overhead crane which simulated. with steam and sound effects, the pouring of molten iron from the ladle.

    There were many other interesting displays there, but I was particularly taken by a whole series of simple ones which demonstrated basic principles in mathematics, magnetism optical illusions, the power of levers in a fascinating fashion. For example, one of these hands-on displays allows a child to lift a real car clear off the ground simply by applying a suitably long lever, A great way to get young people interested in science.

    From there it was an hour’s bus trip, much of it through unspoiled bushland to Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley where we’ll be staying for the next four nights. A very pleasant buffet dinner with a nice merlot successfully capped off a pleasant event-filled day.    Read more

  • SpydahHunter ValleySpydah
    PDF
    On the HawkesburyCredit: Bob YenchPhoto: Bob Yench1Brian and the chocolate factory

    Delivering the mail

    April 17 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Our accommodation at the Mercure Resort , adjacent to the Hunter Valley Gardens (more on that tomorrow) is certainly spacious. My huge room contains a king-sized bed the size of a tennis court. I can barely find myself among the bedclothes. The resort too is on a grand scale, several hundred metres from end to end. I’m not sure of the logic of putting a group of elderly guests, none with cars and many with mobility issues at the furthest distance from the restaurant and Reception, but who am I to query such things?

    We knew that we’d be on an unavoidably tight schedule this morning since the kitchen inflexibly wouldn’t open until 7am sharp while we had to be ready and on the bus by 7.45am in order to get to Brooklyn in time to catch the Postman’s Ferry for our next adventure. Given that there was a large and very comprehensive hot and cold breakfast buffet, and given also those long-distance treks to and from our rooms I was firmly convinced that we’d either be travelling with only half the bus passengers or we’d be standing on the wharf at Brooklyn while watching the ferry disappear up the river. In fact neither of these things happened and, after a pleasant 1.5 hour bus trip through picturesque countryside we got there in good time. Everyone in our group had risen to the occasion.

    Nowadays, delivery of mail to isolated settlements with no road access along the river is more of a sideline compared to the two ferries, each bigger than a Brisbane CityCat, carrying tourists on the three-hour return journey. I couldn’t help remarking that the postal service to those tiny riverfront communities is far better than we receive in suburban Brisbane. It’s also interesting to observe how full these mail sacks seemed to be. Are the residents so bored that they spend their waking hours writing to penpals all round the world? Unlikely. Instead, I was trying to promote my conspiracy theory, possibly true, that these sacks contain piles of blank paper which constantly travel up and down the river, between Brooklyn and the settlements.

    All that aside, it was a very enjoyable trip in perfect weather, enlivened by an interesting and entertaining running commentary from the skipper. From there it was a long but scenic drive back to base, where I went for a nice long exploratory walk. Passing through Cessnock, an attractive historic town I noticed a Greek restaurant called Tatziki. So far, so good, but painted on the window under the restaurant name it said: "A taste of Greece." (Say it out loud). For the next few minutes I could think of nothing else. Did the owner have his tongue in his cheek when he adopted the slogan or did he really not know what he was doing? I wish I knew the answer.

    I almost omitted mentioning the tourist trap, the chocolate factory on the outskirts of Pokolbin. Huge varieties of chocolate in every size, style and flavour one can think of, all at outrageous prices. Admittedly, there was a bigger variety of chocolate in every size, shape and flavour than one could poke the proverbial stick at, and I largely resisted temptation, buying just one packet of (overpriced) chocolate coconut balls. I was slightly disappointed to see that while all their chocolate is made in Australia, it's all from imported ingredients. Can’t they at least use Australian sugar and dairy products? Then it was back to base at Mercure Resort. The resort, gardens and general scenery are great. Tomorrow promises to be a relaxing day, with a gardens tour, a winery tour and a generally flexible program. Looking forward to it..    Read more

  • SpydahHunter ValleySpydah
    1The parkland adjacent to the resortParkland adjacent to the resort2Our group. I'm in the front row, just to the right of centrePhoto: Bob YenchWelcome to the animatronicsSome history of the gardens and Bill Roche's generous contributionBill Roche and Chris, an admirer from our grou[Feeding the voracious carp and other fishImelda Roche with her 14 grandchildrenOur Group Leader, Lyndall, having fun aboard the caterpillarScaryGiant animatronics butterflyAnimatronics butterfly. The waterfall in the backgroundImelda Roche and grandchildren in the rose gardenI was happy to perch in the Big Red Chair...1...until I decided to lean back. It wasn't easy to extricate myselfChased by a monster - a dangerous placeFigs forming a huge hedge, but with an interesting archwayCredit: Bob Yench

    A day of wine and roses - and cheese

    April 18 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    After yesterday’s rushed breakfast, it was good to be able to enjoy the vast breakfast buffet selection in an unhurried manner this morning. Today’s program was centred around Pokolbin with none of the bus rides exceeding ten minutes.

    Our resort adjoins the Hunter Valley Gardens, so it’s a very short walk between the two. This privately owned and run facility is really quite something. Our very knowledgable guide was one of the site managers who has worked at the gardens for some 20 years. To quote from the website: “Spread across 14 hectares encompassing 10 internationally themed gardens to explore, there is something for everyone, including the ever-popular Storybook Garden. 8km of pathways will lead you to spectacular vistas including a 10m high waterfall, topiary displays, man-made ponds, statues, murals, beautiful architectural structures and much more. In the Gardens there are 6,000 trees, 600,000 shrubs and over 1 million ground covers.” It was founded and established by the Roche family in 2003 it is the largest public display garden in the Southern Hemisphere.

    Adding to the interest there is currently a large temporary display containing numerous animatronic dinosaurs and mythical fearsome beasts spread throughout the gardens. This display, coinciding with school holidays, meant there were some areas which were infested with ankle-biters of various shapes, sizes and colours. Fortunately there were also plenty of quiet uninhabited spaces in the vast gardens where one could enjoy nature. While some members of our group were unimpressed by the roaring, moving fearsome creatures I admit that secretly I was impressed by the smart technology and the realism of it all.

    Next stop from there was the local cheese factory, As with yesterday’s chocolate factory there was a very large retail area with hundreds of delicatessen-style products on display. Some quick mental arithmetic indicated that all the cheeses were selling for around $120/kg, so it was easy for me to resist the temptation to buy any. By then, a pattern was forming in my mind. All these artisanal places sell their particular specialties at high touristy prices, but alongside those is always a huge array of other food delicacies - jams, pickles, sauces and so much more. It’s all tempting and beautiful, but it ain’t cheap! Confirming this pattern, the winery we visited afterwards also sold far more than just its own products - see below. As long as tourists understand the rules of the game there’s nothing wrong with what they’re doing.

    After that it was lunch at Ronnie’s, a restaurant in the village adjacent to the resort. Even though the food was delicious and it was an excellent setting none of our group was really hungry, and the portions turned out to be really generous. Quite a challenge.

    The previous afternoon I had spotted a British sweet shop, also in the village, but at that time it was closing for the day, so I’d already decided on a return visit during opening hours. Several others in our group obviously had similar plans, so several of us, me very much included, walked away with large lolly purchases.

    Our final appointment for the day was a 2.15pm visit to Ben Ean winery for a wine tasting. There we were sat at a long table in their tasting room with several glasses placed in front of each of us. We were treated to samples of three whites and three reds plus two sparkling wines to try. Apart from the moscato, which was way too sweet for my taste, the wines were pleasant enough, though I wasn’t tempted to spend the $30 to $40 per bottle for any of the range. It would have been wasted on me. From the tasting room we moved downstairs to the shop and restaurant - not that any of us were there for the food. The pizzas there looked most appealing, and under other circumstances I would be delighted to go there for a meal and plenty of wine - with a designated driver, of course. As with the two earlier factory visits there were plenty of other food- and drink-related items also available for sale. Several of our group purchased wine to take home with them, which was good.

    What was especially pleasing was that all four of these places, including the lolly shop, were really quite busy, so it seems that there are still plenty of people willing to spend money while supporting local industry.    Read more

  • SpydahHunter ValleySpydah
    The marina at Nelson Bay
    Nelson BayA hairy job, working at the top of a mast(Other) Brian supporting the ensignDolphin proof. A very rare glimpseAnother rare glimpseCrazy. It was much too cold, but they seemed to enjoy itOne of the shacks of Tin CityTin City shackWhite-breasted sea eagle in flightSand surfing. Filmed under challenging circumstances.Interesting sand dune patterns2Beautiful sand dune patterns in all directions

    Sand and some dolphins

    April 19 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    After breakfast, a 90 minute drive took us to beautiful Nelson Bay on Port Stephens, where we boarded a boat, the Moonshadow to go dolphin spotting. In the first 15 minutes or so we saw a couple of dolphins, though glimpses were so brief it is difficult to provide any worthwhile photographic evidence. After that brief encounter, the dolphins made themselves truly scarce and were nowhere to be seen, but the trip was still very enjoyable.

    In contrast to the previous days, the weather was slightly on the cool side with a rather fresh breeze blowing, but that didn’t stop half a dozen intrepid souls ( certainly none of them from our group of ancients) who chose to be towed along in a big net attached to the stern of the boat. I was shivering with cold just watching them.

    After a light lunch (I chose to have just a pie from a gourmet pie shop which I discovered up a side street) we boarded the bus for a bit of a sightseeing tour around the coastal area. Port Stephens is very scenic, with some attractive-looking beaches, and it’s easy to see why it is such a popular holiday destination. We then drove on to Anna Bay, 11km away where the 20 of us boarded a type of 4WD minibus for a drive along the beach. We were told to look out for dolphins, but the sea there was quite rough and the dolphins were a definite no-show.

    This stretch of beach, accessible only to four-wheel drive vehicles, is well-known for its huge area of continuous sand dunes which average about 2km in width. It is certainly most interesting to see, and we could see a variety of different sea birds, including a couple of spectacular white-breasted sea eagles with their giant 2m wingspan.

    Our destination, some 10km along the beach, was a place called Tin City which quite literally is a collection of tin shacks, some of which are still inhabited. The place’s history goes back to the 1890s. At its peak there were about 36 structures there, but today there are only about 8-10. Built on the sand-dunes, the buildings are a couple of hundred metres from the shoreline and are in the middle of nowhere. I spent what little time we had there - this trip was more rushed than I would have liked - trying to get worthwhile photos of the shacks and of the interesting sand dune formations nearby. Being late in the afternoon with the sun low in the sky there were interesting perspectives of light, shade and texture in every direction. A true photographer’s paradise, though I fear that I had only limited success with my creative endeavours. Tin City itself is fascinating and it has a long and interesting history.

    En route back to Anna Bay our vehicle diverted to go up some very steep dunes to an area where enthusiasts are able to ride sand surfers down a very steep sand dune slope. We got the chance to see only a couple of them in action as it was quite late and the business was closing for the day. From what little I saw, it looks like great fun. We then jumped on our bus for the 90 minute drive back to Pokolbin, sadly for the final night of our trip.    Read more

  • SpydahHunter ValleySpydah
    The house looks impressive from the outside, but evidently less so insideIn the old hay barnOne of the magnificent old treesThe bull stalls(The other) Brian with Lyndall our excellent tour guideSome horse-powered machineryThunderbolt's cottage

    A trip back in time

    April 20 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The last day of our very pleasant holiday, and a fairly easy schedule. It was a 90 minute drive to our destination, the Tocal historic homestead. Our guide, Phil, who met us there was very knowledgeable and gave us an hour-long talk about the many twists and turns in the property’s formation and ownership. Suffice to say, its history dates back to the 1830s.

    It’s a beautiful property, often used nowadays for weddings and other such gatherings. Many of the surrounding trees are over 200 years old, and there is one specimen which is an estimated 500 years old.

    After Phil’s talk he took us on a guided tour of the surrounding buildings. The main house, while looking impressive from the outside is apparently quite small and uninteresting inside. Unfortunately some major maintenance work was taking place inside so we were unable to see the interior for ourselves. The surrounding buildings - barn, hay loft, bull pens and so on - were interesting in themselves, so we didn’t feel at all short-changed.

    From there it was a short ten minute drive to the adjacent Tocal Agricultural college, originally part of the Tocal estate, where we were served lunch. From there, Gabe, our excellent and very personable coach driver for the entire trip, delivered us to Newcastle Airport in good time for our 3.30pm scheduled flight. Up till then our entire trip had been going swimmingly, maybe too good to be true. Departure time came and went, with the scheduled time pushed back by 4.5 hours due to an engineering problem with our aircraft. Fortunately Newcastle has a modern comfortable terminal, so there were plenty of food choices for dinner. Between chatting to my fellow Probus travellers and catching up with reading the time passed reasonably quickly. All the same, it was good to finally land in Brisbane where Helen very kindly was waiting to collect me.    Read more

    Trip end
    April 20, 2026
  • 2026© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice