Three Fun Things to do in the Hunter Valley
Lake @ Hunter Valley Gardens
As part of my recent holiday my partner and I took the opportunity to enjoy a three day escape to the Hunter Valley. The plan was always to relax and to have some down time, but as always my adventurous side got the better of me and spent most of the time checking out all of the fun things to do in Hunter. Below are some of the key places that we visited:
Hunter Valley Zoo
While cruising along Wine Country Drive on the first day of our visit a sign caught our eye with the words '
Hunter Valley Zoo' on it. Being a bit of sucker to see something new, especially a zoo we paid the small entrance fee and popped in for a look around. Once inside I was surprised at the amount of different animals that were there. There was everything from monkeys, to snakes, alligators, emus, deers, kangaroos, wombats and a whole lot more. I don't want to spoil all the surprises.
While at the zoo I noticed there were lots of families with children, looking around, compared to a lot of other zoos I had been too, there were wide open spaces not only for children to run around in, but for plenty of the animals as well. All in all a great environment for both.
Some friends also walking around
More friends
As part of the activities through out the day, kids had the opportunity to pat koalas and kangaroos as well as feed many of the farm animals. I noticed plenty of adults were getting involved as well and having a load of fun.
Koala Patting
Albino Kangaroo
The animals looked relaxed and content in the environment and looked to be fit and receive plenty of exercise.
Wombat
Tasmanian Devil
Being a private establishment, I found the zoo well maintained and enclosures safe and secure. While there I had a great time watching the animals being feed, while I didn't feed them myself I still enjoyed watching other doing so. I'm keen to visit the zoo again as we had a great time.
Billy the Goat
Having been to
Tatler Wines previously, while in the Hunter area this time round and feeling hungry I couldn't help myself but visit
Tatler Wines again. Located in the suburb of Lovedale the winery can easily be found by taking the Lovedale turn off on Wine Country Drive close to the Crown Plaza resort. Once we arrived we spent some time wine tasting and ended up purchasing a couple of bottles. For lunch my partner and I decided to dine at the attached restaurant. The restaurant was named Harry's at Tatler, I found that it was famously know for "food for sharing" and that's how the dishes are served, for two people, so if your visiting on your own and are a bit hungry, then this is the place for you.
Tatler Wines
We ordered a couple of dishes, firstly we ordered a Caramelised Onion, Potato and Blue Cheese Frittata with Homemade Pumpkin and Quince Chutney. The dish was professionally presented and after taking a bite, found the dish to be tasty and to really some it up absolutely 'mouth watering'.
Caramelised Onion, Potato and Blue Cheese Frittata with Homemade Pumpkin and Quince Chutney
The Potato Gnocchi, Veal and Pork Meatballs, Fresh Tomato, Basil and Parmesan was equally as impressive with the tomato sauce being rich in flavour and meat balls cooked to perfection. While the gnocchi added that extra little something to the dish. I could have easily eaten another helping but thought I'd better behaved myself.
Potato Gnocchi, Veal and Pork Meatballs, Fresh Tomato, Basil and Parmesan
The meal overall was equally as good as the previous time I visited and I'd happy recommend it to anyone who is after a relaxing lunch on a Sunday afternoon while driving around the Hunter Valley.
Potter's Brewery
While on holiday for two nights in the Hunter we decided to stay at
Potters Brewery. The pricing looked attractive, the villas looked inviting and they have beer, how could I go wrong.
Potter's Brewery Resort
Our stay at the brewery was exactly what we needed, nothing over the top as we were to busy visiting different places to spent to much time in the villa. The staff were friendly and hospitable, and the venue clean and tidy. Free WiFi was a bonus, and it helped me write some of the notes up for this article in fact.
As part of the package we also enjoyed a pleasant continental breakfast each morning. They put on a great buffet spread with everything you could wish for to start the day.
Being a small brewery who specialize in signature beers, we had the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour through the brewery where I actually learnt a fair bit about how beer is made and the ingredients used to make it. Did I mention that we also had a couple of sneaky beers as part of the tour? It was of course essential to taste each one of them to gain a full understand about how the different brews tasted. Visiting Potter's Resort is now looking to become an annual event for me.
