Hunter Valley: Wildlife Sanctuary & Wine Tasting Day Trip

4.91

(650 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The morning started with me missing my second coffee because I couldn’t find my left shoe (it was under the minibus seat — don’t ask). But our guide, Steve, just grinned and said it happens more than I’d think. He’s been running these Hunter Valley wine tours from Sydney for years, apparently knows every back road and vineyard owner by name. The drive out felt easy — windows down, eucalyptus smell drifting in, everyone half-awake but already joking about kangaroo spotting. I didn’t expect to actually see so many.

Our first stop was the wildlife sanctuary. It wasn’t one of those big zoos — more like a quiet place where you could hear birds fussing in the trees and wallabies shuffling around. Steve introduced us to a ranger named Mel who told us about koalas (you can’t hold them here — it’s illegal in NSW), but we got close enough to see their claws gripping the branches. One of them blinked at me so slowly it felt like time stretched out. There was this earthy smell — gum leaves and something sweet I couldn’t place. We all tried to take photos without waking them up.

After that came cheese tasting at a little spot with windows facing rows of grapevines. The cheeses were made from local cows — creamy, salty, nothing like supermarket stuff. Someone spilled olive oil on their shirt (not me this time), and the woman behind the counter just laughed and handed over napkins. Then came the main event: wine tasting at two boutique vineyards. The first one poured a semillon so crisp it tasted almost green; at the second place, we sat outside under a gum tree while Steve explained why Hunter Valley reds are lighter than most Aussies expect. I’m still thinking about that view — sunlight flickering through leaves onto our glasses.

Lunch was simple but good: fresh bread, salad, something grilled I can’t remember because we were all talking about how many kangaroos we’d seen (I counted six). By afternoon everyone was relaxed in that slightly sleepy way you get after a few tastings. On the way back to Sydney, someone played old Aussie pop songs on their phone and nobody complained. So yeah — not everything went perfectly (my shoe still smells like bus carpet), but honestly? That made it feel more real.