Friday 1st December- Sunday 3rd December - Hunter Valley

Pie in the Sky, Cowan
Nobby's Head Lighthouse
 

Air BnB, Mereweather, suburb of Newcastle
This weekend we all went to the Hunter Valley, staying in an AirBnB at Mereweather, a suburb of Newcastle. We headed out of Sydney taking the Pacific Highway, and very soon it was leafy suburbs such as Pymble where Jacaranda trees were in flower. How refreshing to be in the countryside. We stopped at Pie in The Sky on route, a noteable landmark which is a frequent stop for day trippers and bikers. Everything here is about pies: meat, veg or fruit or both! Duly refreshed we were on our way again and arrived at Mereweather at 1.30pm. After lunching in town we headed off to find the AirBnB - a well appointed property, complete with hot tub and soon we were in there relaxing. The air temperature was 31deg. We ate out at The Mary Ellen Hotel which looked to be more of a club with a dining area. Bed at 11.50. Another great day.
Newcastle
We were up early on Saturday morning ready for our day in the Hunter Valley and to visit some of the vinyards.

The day was dull and overcast in parts and we saw a little rain, which was quite a rarity. The roadside trees had black bark and in the distance we could see the Broken Back Mountains. We began by visiting Pepper Tree vineyard and this was our first ever foray into the art of tasting. After lunch at The Brewery we visited Two Fat Blokes and then it was on to De Iuliis Vineyard. Each one has it's own "persona" and we found this to be rather aloof and not as welcoming, it did however have great sculptures. The final stop was to be at the Constable Estate, a small vineyard and very welcoming. We spent time here chatting to the owners and we left feeling as though they had the perfect recipe for hospitality; welcoming and not made to feel that they "must make a sale". Matilda the cow is their logo.
The Hunter Valley plays host to well known artists throughout the year and that particular evening Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens was performing, we were told that because of his Muslim religious beliefs that the stage had to be turned around to face away from the vineyards.
A very interesting and informative day.
We left the AirBnB on Sunday morning and headed to Newcastle, the day was sunny, bright and 22deg. We walked along the vibrant waterfront and up to Nobby's Head Lighthouse, the views were spectacular and different again.  Once back in the town we ate at MoMo's Wholefood Restaurant. A welcoming place serving healthy option foods. Quite a  bit of the city centre was undergoing construction of a light railway and so not perhaps the best of places to negotiate at times, although the several pieces of street art and sculptures seemed largely  undisturbed. On returning to Sydney it was out to the Indian Restaurant in the village for our evening meal.


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