Minibus Hire Across Australia

Hunter Valley Winery Minibus Hire with a Driver

The Hunter Valley has more than 150 cellar doors spread around Pokolbin, Lovedale, Broke and beyond, and they're best enjoyed when nobody has to drive between them. A minibus or people mover with a driver is how most small groups do it.

Planning a winery day

Semillon and Shiraz are the region's signature wines, and three or four cellar doors in a day is a comfortable pace with lunch in the middle. Large groups must book cellar doors before they arrive, and tours of the winemaking side need booking too. For help, the Pokolbin visitor centre on Wine Country Drive will book cellar doors for you free of charge and help shape a group itinerary.

A people mover suits up to six or seven people, perfect for a birthday or a hens weekend. A minibus takes up to 19, which covers most wedding parties.

Minibus with side door open for boarding
Minibus with side door open for boarding

Flying into Hunter Valley

Places your group will want to see

  • Wollombi — Historic village on Tourist Route 33, about 28 km from Cessnock
  • Hunter Valley Visitor Information Centre — 455 Wine Country Drive, Pokolbin; free booking service and group itinerary help
  • Christmas Lights Spectacular (Hunter Valley Gardens) — Evening light show held each year from late October to late January
  • Hunter Valley Gardens — 25-hectare display gardens in Pokolbin with about 8 km of paths; group rates for 12 or more adults booked in advance
  • Pokolbin cellar doors — More than 150 cellar doors across the region; Semillon and Shiraz are the signature wines

Where groups usually stay

  • Rothbury and Branxton (Hunter Expressway)
  • Cessnock
  • Lovedale
  • Pokolbin (Broke Road, McDonalds Road, Hermitage Road)

Getting there

From Sydney it's about 160 km, roughly two hours: north on the M1, then the Hunter Expressway, taking whichever exit (Hermitage Road, Lovedale Road or Wine Country Drive) is nearest your accommodation; Cessnock is reached via Freemans Drive. Tourist Route 33 through Wollombi is slower and prettier, a nice choice for the trip home if you have time.

Flying in? Newcastle Airport is about an hour from Cessnock, some 54 km away, and Newcastle itself is about the same. Coaches over 12.5 m in length or 2.8 m in height leaving Sydney must use the NorthConnex tunnel, a cashless toll road.

Weddings, concerts and Christmas lights

Summer concerts at the winery venues, Bimbadgen, Hope Estate, Dashville and Roche Estate among them, fill the roads through Pokolbin on show days. Book your transfers early and check each venue's bus arrangements, since they differ.

At Hunter Valley Gardens the Christmas Lights Spectacular runs nightly from late October to the end of January and gets busy in the evenings. For weddings, a minibus shuttle between the ceremony, reception and accommodation in Pokolbin or Lovedale saves everyone the question of who's driving.

Side trips

Wollombi, a historic village on Tourist Route 33, is about half an hour from Cessnock, and Broke is 25 minutes from Pokolbin. Port Stephens is an hour and a half away if you'd like a beach day on the way home.

Your questions

Do we need to book the wineries ahead?

Yes. For larger groups it's expected, and it's wise even for smaller ones on weekends. The Visitor Information Centre can help build the day.

How long does it take to reach the Hunter Valley from Sydney?

About two hours for the 160 km, longer in weekend traffic.

Can we fit Newcastle and the vineyards into one weekend?

Easily. Newcastle is about an hour from Pokolbin, so a day on the coast and a day among the vines works well.

More trips we can arrange

Vehicles