Helen and Tom's excellent bike adventures

I think you get the gist by now that this missive is very much about relaying the exciting times we’ve had in the Hunter Valley wine district over the last few weeks. We’re now back in Sydney at Lane Cove site and already enjoying be back ‘home’. But before I start with all our lovely adventures, I feel it would be a bit remiss of me to not acknowledge the very tragic loss of innocent life with the knife attacks at the shopping centre at Bondi Junction which I’m sure you’ll have seen on the news.. Thank goodness our loved ones and all their friends were safe, but all hearts are with those who were less fortunate. I have to say that it really shook us up as it seemed so incongruous with the place and (for the majority at least) its people. We have spent many hours both within the shopping precinct at Bondi Junction and in Sydney city centre, and we always comment on the same thing; just how safe and laid back it always feels which is probably why it all felt so shocking.

Anyway, back to those 10 green bottles and things beginning with the letter B.

10 green bottles…. Beautiful scenery

So our foray into the gorgeousness that is the Hunter Valley started with a family weekend in a fabulous AirBnB with Will, Nicky and Caden. I have a real soft spot for traditional Aussie farmhouse buildings with the wrap around verandahs, and that’s just what we got! Right off the beaten track with lovely gardens and overlooking the valley beyond it certainly ticked all the boxes. Although nicely off the beaten track, it was close enough to a decent cafe and pub (with a playground) so let’s not get carried away with it being too remote! It certainly served as a great base to explore from but was also great for an early morning sunrise walk with the mist still hugging the valley and also a beautiful sunset on the verandah with a wine or beer.

9 green bottles. … Bunnies, bunnies, bunnies!

Being Easter and all, it’s no surprise that there were bunnies a plenty. The fact that they were events held at Wineries is just a massive co-incidence (ahem). First up was Tatler Wines. The day started with an Easter trail and little area full of cute fluffy things: lambs, rabbits (one not so small and cute that could have been a stunt double for the Wallace & Grommit Curse of the Were-rabbit film it was so big), chicks, a calf, goats and, less fluffy, piglets. Caden was quite taken with the little fluffy rabbits and chicks and even gave the calf a little stroke, but was rightly wary of the piglets. Good insight me thinks since, as cute as they look, they’ve got attitude and after an hour or so being chased round by over excited small people, they started getting a bit nippy and squeal a bit so best to leave them well alone. Mind you, I swear one less polite little boy was whispering apple sauce in their ear which can’t have helped. Anyway, much petting and an almost-sit-on-a-pony later, Caden was getting tired so we took him for a walk in his pushchair to get him off to sleep whilst mum and dad had a quiet coffee. Once asleep, it was time for wine tasting and, as a non-wine drinker, Timmo generously agreed to keep the pushchair on the move whilst we did the hard work of trying several wines. Honestly you’ve no idea how tough life can be. Very nice they were too (this is a common comment you will see throughout this blog) and once completed, we all had some lunch before launching back into more animal petting and trail fun.

8 green bottles…. er, just bottles

…and considerably more than eight, but just to keep stocks up you understand.

After our gentle introduction into the wines of the region and our indulgence with soft cute furry things as befits an Easter type celebration, the next day was all about wine tasting. Absolutely no cuddly animals thanks. Just to make it a bit more sport, we hired bicycles from a very likely lad – Glen – at Grapemobile. Now, he could talk the hind legs off a donkey, but then he hadn’t met Timmo. Bring into the equation that Glen was also into motorbikes and I think you get the picture. Thankfully, Caden had opted to have an early snooze (or was that just having heard the start of the conversation?) as it was some time before bikes and instructions were issued, but issued they were and team photos duly taken, so off we set.

First stop was Horner Wines with a very comprehensive tasting . ‘Very nice they were too’. So much so that W&N signed up to their wine club and procured a goodly box of their faves. Excellent start. Indeed, it was such a good experience, that we returned for a repeat fixture the following weekend with John and Jane and, on the later visit, there was a ‘do’ going on for Naked Wines (Australia)who had supported their early endeavours. As a Naked Wines member myself, it was great to hear what a difference their support had made to the winery and, in turn, illustrated how my ‘efforts’ in buying wines from similar vineyards around the world through Naked Wines (UK) actually does some good. Made me feel pretty good too – who says wine isn’t good for you?

This was then followed by a short cycle ride to the Calais Estate – this time not for a tasting but for lunch at Restaurant Kawul. That’s not to say that wine was off the agenda as I had a very nice Chardonnay with my delicious meal. Mind you the biggest thumbs up was from Caden who woofed down his pasta. The view from our table on the terrace was stunning with food and drink to match, the staff were fantastic and without doubt a good time was had by all. So much so, that we also returned there with John and Jane the following week and it was just as good and very well reviewed by them too. Two excellent finds by Will and Nicky. Thanks team!

Once lunch was over, we were on the bicycles again and literally over the road for one to Moorebank Vineyard which, although a nice spot, wasn’t a favourite drop for any of us, so we didn’t dally there but instead, headed out on the bikes again to Scarborough Wines. Quite a strenuous ride this time, but well worth it and another glorious location with an Easter Trail and games on the lawn for Caden. Wine tasting with a cheese platter was a nice touch and ‘very nice they were too’. Sadly for me, the bottle of wine I wanted to purchase was only available as a magnum. Told you it was tough…it was certainly heavy in the old rucksack but when you must, you must, and all that. Then it was back to the bike hire place and a short hop back to the farmstead after a very lovely day indeed.

7 green bottles….Barbecues

Now, although the Aussies may not have invented the infamous Barbie, I think it fair to say that Aussies have embraced it with a passion and dedication that’s unparalleled. Although the term barbecue has its origins in central America and ‘discovered’ by Spanish invaders, it refers to the wooden frame, or ‘barbacoa’ that was used for drying and smoking various types of fish and game. In Australia, the type of cooking referred to as barbecue, was little used until the mid 1800s and the first use of the term was reported to be that of the Waverley Bowls Club’s ‘Leg O’ Mutton Barbecue’ in 1903. They began as public events with whole beasts being cooked, and it took some considerable time before they transformed to being a private event at home with chops and sausages. By the 1950s the idea of the barbecue had taken hold and soon became part of the national psyche. In my mind at least, it has always been a ‘man’s thing’ but hilariously it was an article in the outdoor living section of the Australian Women’s Weekly (why do I immediately think of Victoria Wood?!) of 1953 where detailed instructions could be found on how to build your own brick barbecue! Australia’s first barbecue cookbook The burnt offering; (how not to barbecue) appeared in 1958. Well, there you are.

Now, being true to this tradition we enjoyed two very lovely barbecues whilst in the Hunter region – one with Will, Nicky and Caden at the homestead, and one with John and Jane at our campsite in Cessnock. I think the real reason why I like a barbie is not just the food, but the copious wine and beer and chat that comes with it. Never ceases to be the case. It just seems that the style of eating is immediately informal and sociable and so it’s easy to see why it has become such a favourite with the outdoor loving Aussies. Long may it continue. Mind you, that wasn’t the sentiment when we decided it would be a good idea for us to get a small gas Barbie for Bob. We love the Cadac one we have at home in Taff and so when we saw it was available here in Australia (albeit now under the ownership of Dometic, let’s face it, what isn’t these days – sorry Tim, no offence), we thought that it would be a great and straightforward purchase for the Bob-mobile. Well, great yes. Straightforward no. There’s a different connector and gas bottle needed for the ones over here and finding the right bits in the right size in the right place was proving taxing. Tim was quickly losing the plot to be honest as everywhere he went, it seems some, but not all, the required components could be found and one without the other was a complete waste of time. Many, many forays to, usually, his favourite haunts of BCF and Bunnings came to a dead end and just at the point where he was ready to launch the bbq set into the nearest bush, we made one more outing – quite a big outing actually – and finally manage to get the right conclusion. Hurrah! The food might have tasted good on it, but the wine and beer tasted better. All good thing come to those who wait? Anyway, it has been used several times since and is a welcome addition to Bob’s set up.

6 green bottles…. Balloons

Now, you might have wondered why I’d come up with the little ditty at the start of this missive. Well, here we are. As a treat from Will, Nicky and Caden, we were bought a balloon flight over the Hunter! Not something we would probably have done for ourselves – given our dislike of high things as previously documented – but something they had done previously and had enjoyed. WHAT A TREAT it was too. From start to finish, it was fantastic. Well, the very first bit of actually getting to the meeting point was a bit of a challenge as it involved us cycling along a busy road in the pitch black at 5am!!! There wasn’t a cycle way as such, just a bit of a shoulder that had to do. I have never cycled so quickly I can tell you and would easily have given Sir Chris a run for his money. But no dramas and we arrived at the meeting point having a) not been run into by a skippy trying to cross the road, or b) been wiped out by a rather large truck who, to be fair, would not be expecting two Poms on bicycles at 5 in the morning. Once we arrived though, all was good with a very lovely welcome, briefing with our pilot Blake, and secure storage for the bicycles.

After the briefing, off we set in the bus to the launch site. Even the thought of a launch site made me feel like an astronaut. It was still pitch black when we arrived, but the skies were clear, there was no wind, and the stars were twinkling. Magic. Soon the skies became a rosy glow and the shape of the balloons filling with air began to fill the sky. Now I know that I keep mentioning northern most, southern most, highest points, oldest blah, blah, blah, but folks, this was not just any old balloon. This was the largest balloon in Australia!!!!! I tell you, we know how to live. After about an hour, the balloon was up and into the basket we climbed – all 22 of us – and within minutes we were up, up and away. I can hardly put into words how magical it all was. Just drifting with the breeze, no noise except for the burners filling the absolutely huge envelope (see, even got the technical lingo) and watching the beauty of the Hunter Valley unfold beneath us. Skippies a-plenty and lots of other balloons too which made it all the more exciting and gave a real sense of perspective. At no point did you get any sense of the height you were at and thus no fear. Should have tried it years ago and, although I know lots of you will have tried it, I urge you to do so it if you get the chance. We were very fortunate not only with the beautiful location but with the near perfect conditions. Clear skies, little wind and a fantastic sunrise. Sorry, but I could wax lyrical all day. We were even given bubble wands to waft into the ether whilst we were up there – what a hoot – and Blake was a fantastic pilot who was not only supremely competent but had a great sense of humour too. The landing was really straightforward (except for the confused cows below and ensuing cow pats) and we helped to fold up the envelope and put all back into the truck before heading back to the pick up point for a superb brekkie and glass of fizz. Do you get the impression it was one of my most favourite things ever? Hope so because it was!

5 green bottles…Beastly hills

Having done a little foray into cycling around the Hunter with the kids, once we were on our own in the camp site, it seemed rude not to extend our exploration further. So we decided to do a couple of cycles out. The first seemed bad enough since, as lovely as the landscape is, it is very hilly and hence cycling on non-electric bikes is a challenge. We only did a relatively short one, but at least got our heads around the lay of the land and what to expect. All good training.

The second jaunt involved a much earlier start so that we could fit in a coffee stop, a brewery, lunch, wine sampling and general hilarity after all of the above. Our first stop was the Ben Ean Restaurant for coffee (where we had had lunch the day before as our furthest point), then onwards and, literally, upwards to our next stop (eventually) at the Ironbark Brewery for beers and a pizza lunch. Now it was a bit of a trudge, but a must do for Timmo who had valiantly taken it for the team when we were doing wine tastings and driven, when driving was required, as he doesn’t do wine. Thank you Timmo, your service is greatly appreciated. Lovely beer, great pizza and lovely outlook. Worth the effort.

Next was Piggs Peak Winery for more beer wine and nibbles. A great, fun vibe here and lots of play on the pig theme including their merchandise. A pair of boxers with Pork Sword printed on the fly was genius in my opinion but I couldn’t be sure any potential recipient would find it as hilarious as me so I refrained from purchasing any and bought some Chardonnay instead. Then onwards to Keith Tulloch winery for a lovely glass of wine for me and a spectacular gin and tonic from local distillery FAR for Timmo. We sat on the very grand balcony terrace overlooking the vineyard just as the sun was approaching the yardarm and all was very lovely. Very disappointing wasvto remember that we had to get on bicycles and ride up and down several hills before it got dark…. Anyway 30 miles later, we were back a base nursing our sore backsides, but all was well with the world.

4 green bottles….Big engines

After our fun in the wine country, we headed just a little further east to Maitland. Maitland was first settled by Europeans in 1818 and has been a place central to the growth of the Hunter region. It has clearly held a place of high standing in the past which is still seen in the remnants of many of the fine original buildings above today’s modern shop fronts. However, today, the main thing that you notice is the number of coal trains passing through Maitland Station. As a stark contrast to the idyllic scenes of the Hunter vineyards landscape, there is still a significant amount of coal mining in the region. Even when we were in Cessnock, you noticed the neighbouring settlements of Aberdare, Neath, Swansea and Abermain, which eluded to their past and to the immigration of miners from Wales (as well as other areas in the UK). Almost all coal from the Hunter Valley Region is transported by rail. It’s mind boggling to be honest. Every 8 minutes or so, I counted (yes, nerdy I know) 96 trucks in one train alone all full of coal to be taken to…yes, you guessed it, Newcastle! These trains are part of the Hunter Valley Coal Chain which is reportedly the largest coal export operation in the world. It all heads to terminals at Port Waratah and Koorgang and apparently, the sight of the coal ships is one to behold (if you like that sort of thing). One of the terminals has capacity for 120 million tonnes per annum with 70-80% of the coal exported to China.

Anyway, enough of that. The main reason we were in Maitland was for the annual Hunter Valley Steam Fest. Yes, you guessed it, all things steam which made Timmo very excited indeed. One of the major events in the NSW steam locomotive season no less. We were up nice and early on the Saturday for a ride on a steam train which was very lovely indeed. Just about an hour’s ride, but the whole train gleamed, the steam was billowing out and the tooting to the many observers at bridges along the route was a delight. Lots of trains to look at but, as if that wasn’t enough, there was a whole field of old tractors and other historic farm machinery, diggers, traction engines – I thought Timmo would burst. Actually, I have to confess to being more than a little bit in awe at the size of some of these massive pieces of metal engineering. The highlight of the weekend, though, is a race between two steam locomotives and a Tiger Moth plane. Actually the format is that the carriages are pulled one way by the diesel and the return by steam. We couldn’t get tickets to ride on one of the race trains – they’d been snapped up in a matter of minutes apparently – but we could see all three coming to the finish line at Maitland station which was a fantastic sight it has to be said. For those of you nerdy – sorry, interested – enough the trains were a 6029 (largest operating steam locomotive in the Southern Hemisphere), a 3526 which is the one we rode on (originally known as an NN class – or Nanny – built in 1917), a CPH1, 3, 7 1923 diesel loco nicknamed the Tin Hare in reference to its speed) and a Rail Motor 402 diesel built in 1938 primarily for use on regional lines throughout NSW. Well, now you know.

3 green bottles…. by gone days

As if travelling by balloon and steam train wasn’t enough living history for one weekend. Two other little nuggets are also worth a quick mention. Firstly, the town on Morpeth – no, not that one – which is a gloriously little-changed town just east of Maitland that really does transport you back in time. Lovely quaint shops full of lovely clothes and trinkets (didn’t purchase anything, but enjoyed a goodly mooch), nice cafes and a very impressive timber trestle bridge opened in 1898. By the 1830s Morpeth had evolved from a riverside forest to a frontier town and busy river port and the need to replace a hand-powered punt with a bridge to ‘afford access to the town of Morpeth from the low lying lands of Phoenix Park’ was realised.

The second little nugget was the car show at Steam Fest. A generous sprinkling of fancy Ford and Holden Utes plus other old-time models were nice enough, but it was the old British cars (especially a smattering of Minis) that were particularly appealing. As were two Bultaco bikes restored by one of three old boys sat under a tree in the shade who, once we got talking to them, were absolute gems. Not surprisingly, Tim conversed mostly with the guy who had restored the bikes, but chatting to the two others was really interesting as they could certainly have worn a t-shirt with ‘been there, done that’ with absolute pride. Especially one the the guys who revealed he had done a track day at Mallory Park in the 70s. Talk about a small world. He was delighted to know that I’d grown up just a mile or so down the road!

2 green bottles…. bouncy things (steady)

Just to report that unlike most of our travels around this amazing continent, in the Hunter Region we have been delighted with the amount of skippies witnessed during daylight hours!!!! Woo Hoo.

I think they, like me, clearly have a penchant for the landscapes, fauna and flora of wine country and that this, together with a goodly supply of water, makes their gaff very pleasant and easy going. Not many squashed ones either due to the relative lack of mahoosive trucks, but lots of them to be espied on golf courses, in vineyards, on the hill sides and so on. One group of marsupials made a haul up a hill on the bicycle infinitely easier as they hopped off along side. Definitely took your mind off the burning thighs. Mind you, some of them are big fellas up close, so I was mightily relieved when they hopped off away from view, not towards. Just to say that we did ask if their real motive was to gobble up the grapes and therefore be well chilled as a result of fermentation in the tummy area. Not so. Apparently they are purely interested in the well curated grass surrounding the vines. It’s the mice and birds that are rather keen that you need to watch it seems.

1 green bottle…. at a time

Well, that’s it for now. Heading back to Sydney and Lane Cove for a bit and to give us chance to catch up with the family again. Lots of excitement planned for the next month before we have to start the wind up process and put Bob to bed so keep a look out for the next instalment. Cheers me dears!