Mudgee

After months of planning our itinerary, the day has finally arrived for our girlies' weekend. I had to set two alarm clocks to wake up at 5.30am so that we could leave early to avoid the traffic. Thank goodness, there was not much traffic and we arrived in Blackheath by 8.30am in time for a cup of coffee and a pie. Alas, to our dismay, the bakery was not very well heated and our butts nearly froze!

Stomachs full, we headed off to Mudgee. The sun was trying to come out in parts and we were at one stage accompanied by a group of bikies. Quite intimidating seeing the bikies in their leather jackets, sunnies, and long beards! We made it to Mudgee in less than 4 hours - woo hoo! First stop was cellar door, Logan. Logan is a family owned and operated boutique wine producer with wines from both Mudgee and Orange. Logan had the most stunning tasting room, with wooden doors and wood panelling providing a warm feel. It has an expanse view of the vineyard. The carrot cake and the chocolate and beetroot cake were very moist and yummy. It was a good way to start our visit to Mudgee.

We had to leave the cellar door in a jiffy when we heard that the markets were on but would be closed around noon. Yikes, we only had an hour to spare! But, fret not... we made it there in good time to wander round both the Farmer and Church markets before they close. The Church Market held at the St John's Anglican church showcases local artists with their woollen handknitted gloves, scarfs, tea cosies, handbags, honey. The market was complemented with smells of sausage sizzle wafting in the air.

The Farmers market was next. Held at the St Mary's Catholic church there were stalls showcasing local produce which included cupcakes, home made tapenades and jams to taste, olive oils and spices to tickle the nostrils and test the tastebuds. There was lovely music in the background sung by a local singer which added to the relaxed atmosphere of the town. The main street of Mudgee, Church Street was full of cars, probably all the Sydneysiders coming out for the fresh air and for a bit of R & R.

This is a small town with about 8,700 people but large enough to have a Big W, Aldi, Coles, Woolworths, KFC and McDonald! It is a region which is fertile and a picturesque valley where grapes, stone fruits and olives grow in abundance. There were acres and acres of vineyards producing trademark varieties which this region is well known for.

We visited about 7 wineries and bought a selection of wines. The wineries we visited included Elliot Rocke estate (highly recommended for their Ice Wine and Sparkling Semillion and Chardonnay), Petersons (the Sparkling Moscato is divine!), Farmer's Daughter (again, we bought some Sparkling Moscatos), Robert Stein, Pieter van Gent (lovely cellar door with several old church pews), di Lusso Estate which had a great selection of Italian wines. We each bought a few bottles which tantalised our palates but I soon realised that there could be a closet alcoholic amongst us!

The restaurants in the region were ok. High Valley Wine and Cheese Co although small had a great country feel to it displaying some local potteries and art. It also had the biggest selection of cheeses which they are renowned for. Good place to stop for morning or afternoon tea.

We had dinner at Blue Wren on our first night but we were very disappointed. Blue Wren had a lovely decor with fireplaces warming up the chilly night. The entrees were lovely but mains were nothing much to shout about. Notwithstanding the most disappointing was the lack of service at this establishment to justify the price. We asked for additional bread and was told that there would be an additional charge. Only two of us took the offer for more bread but we were charged for 4 pieces at $1 per piece. It was only a small piece not enough to justify the $1 which was imposed! All disgruntled and felt greatly cheated we then had dinner at Cobb & Co the following night. Must say the dinner was a lot tastier than the night before as we headed there for breakfast the following morning! For more details on the food, would recommend a visit to Charmaine's blog... Overall, we found the food at the pubs of good value. The Oriental hotel filled out stomachs with their big but inexpensive serving of BLT burger. We were told the Red Heifer at the Lawson hotel is famous for its steaks but we did not have enough time to test it out. Given that we visited Mudgee on a public holiday, surcharges at these eateries were a norm.

Oh... apart from all these eating and drinking, we also visited and had an informative session at The Olive Nest learning how to taste olive oil and the dos and don'ts on using olive oil. The Olive Nest stocked a varieties of olive oils from the garlic infused to the lemon infused to salad dressings - take your pick!

We also visited Fairview Artspace which showcased some local artists with their beautiful paintings, jewellery, handicraft and glassware. While we were there some ladies spent their Saturday afternoon with a male instructor teaching them the art of knitting.

Adjacent to this gallery is a Woolshed displaying some hand knitted sweaters, scarfs and gloves. It also had some old machinery. The woolshed as the name implied was old and dark looking. However, as we browsed around we came across the "owner" (not quite sure?) sitting in front of a fireplace with a laptop! How ironic!

Mudgee is definitely less commercialised than the Hunter valley and a good relaxing town, and a bonus as it was not too far from Sydney.