52 | GO CAMPING AUSTRALIA GO CAMPING AUSTRALIA | 53

winelands and wilderness

Words: Julie Ihle

With gold rush history, national parks and small town charm, it doesn’t take long to slip into ‘Mudgee time’ – just add wine.

We’ve broken the law already. ‘Excuse me, have you paid?’ we hear someone calling as we saunter without a care in the

world from Mudgee’s large service club. Two wait staff are chasing us and, with a jolt, we realise we haven’t actually paid for our lamb shanks and local wine. Thankfully, it is laughs all round as we go back inside to pay; proof that we have well and truly slipped into ‘Mudgee time’.

We are in Mudgee for a reunion with old friends (the best kind of friends!) We were here together more than 20 years ago; way before Mudgee leapt onto the tourist radar. Since then I’ve been back for a few days here and there and seen it come of age over the years. When my friends and I were scouting around for a weekend away destination, it seemed to fit the bill.

The criteria? Close to Sydney, but far away enough, a dash of wine, a bit of adventure and most importantly, a place where we can be ourselves.

We arrived late afternoon, just in time to slip in a little wine tasting. We headed to Vinifera Wines, which does a nice line in Spanish varietals, as Mudgee’s climate is very similar to that of Spain. The winery was about to close, but the cellar door manager kindly ushered us in and poured us

generous tastings of Gran Tinto and Graciano, and we tasted local relishes. Mudgee is like that. It unleashes a charm offensive in quite an understated way.

It’s easy to see how Mudgee regularly wins plaudits for being one of Australia’s best small towns. There’s a sense of prosperity, evident as you stroll (don’t rush!) through town. Elegant wine bars sit cheek by jowl with old-school pubs. Mudgee’s parks are well maintained with park benches under lovely old English trees. It offers wide, spacious streets (thank heavens for those colonial town planners), the stately buildings lend an air of dignity to town and the people seem, well, just plain nice. No wonder the tourist information centre proudly calls Mudgee ‘hype-free’.

If you are lucky enough to be around on the third Saturday of the month, the farmer’s markets are on. Mudgee has one of country New South Wales’ most picturesque markets, framed by two magnificent churches, St Mary’s and St John’s, diagonally opposite each other. It’s the best place to pick up local olive oils, honey, wine jellies, cheese, sourdough and art or just have fun photographing the hustle and bustle of the market with the towering churches as backdrop.

It is not market day the day we are there, but a wander down Market Street is nearly as good.

It is lined with sun-drenched eateries and a row of majestic colonial buildings.

Mudgee’s colonial architecture is a legacy of the gold rush days when Mudgee was the administrative centre for the nearby riotous goldfields of Gulgong and Hill End. Settled by Europeans in 1822, it wasn’t until the 1850s, when the gold rush took off, that Mudgee’s grandiose public buildings were erected. The National Trust describes them as ‘one of the finest groups of townscape in a country area’.

The area’s history goes back much further, of course. The Wiradjuri people roamed the area making use of the natural cave system in what are now some of the state’s most popular national parks.

We plan on tackling the national parks later, but at the moment we want to sample one of Mudgee’s key attractions – wine.

There has been a wine industry in Mudgee since the gold rush days and in the 1970s it re-established itself but was derided as ‘Mudgee Mud’. Today, Mudgee is regarded as a serious winemaking region and produces 14 million bottles a year. Its Mediterranean-style climate produces a range of shiraz and chardonnay, as well as Spanish-style wines and a new kid on the block, zinfandel.

Mudgee Tourist Information Centre offers a

free winery ‘mud map’ and then it’s a matter of choosing a mode of transport: car, tour bus or bicycle to get around. In keeping with its traditional old-fashioned feel, Mudgee is proud to be a bike hub and hosts a family-friendly Bike Muster at Easter. There is a dedicated bike trail from town to the start of wine country and, once you are in the midst of the vineyards, the roads are peaceful and relaxed.

Mudgee cellar doors are an altogether different experience from the larger wine regions. Here you are more likely to talk directly with the winemaker and wineries usually allow generous tastings of their wines. It’s interactive and fun, none more so than the lauded small cellar door, Lowe Wines.

When we arrive, the cellar door manager greets us cheerily, ‘Do you fancy a wine walk? There’ll be tastings when you finish!’ she enthuses. Furnished with big colour maps of their new Wine Walk & Cycle Trail we are off to follow the well-marked path.

We make our way past cork trees to raspberry plantations where we pick fruit straight from the tree (remembering the instructions to leave some raspberries for the kids!), meandering past the stone fruit orchard and the fig plantation. In the interests of allowing enough time for wine tasting, we bypass the olive groves, donkeys and the chook palace and return to enjoy the organic wine back at the rustic cellar door.

With more than forty cellar doors in the area, you’re spoilt for choice but, if you’ve packed a picnic, Bunnamagoo has hands-down the best picnic grounds. Di Lusso’s is one of the most popular wineries cum eateries, it feels so Italian that you want to break out in a verse of Amore.

If you are a little wined out, there’s alcohol of a different kind at Mudgee Brewing Company, and Baker Williams Distillery, next to Vinifera Wines, is a vodka and spirits distillery. Don’t miss Mudgee Mead & Honey Haven, the premises are a little dated, but the mead and honey products are as lip-smacking as ever and the product range is huge.

Once you’re done with the vineyards there’s always the great outdoors. Mudgee delivers on this front too, blessed with elegant town parks and lashings of nature. We mosey through Lawson Park past the well-maintained exercise stations and barbeque facilities and watch a family feeding the ducks. Robertson Park, opposite the tourist office, feels like old England, its band rotunda a legacy of another, more graceful, era.

For pure unadulterated nature, a thirty-minute drive north of town is Munghorn Gap Nature Reserve, worth visiting for the name alone. Of course there are other reasons to be there; it is a birdwatcher’s paradise with more than 160 different species recorded, and it has picnic areas and walking trails.

If the weather’s good, there are several outstanding national parks nearby. The rugged Gardens of Stone, south of Mudgee is an expansive wilderness with rock pagodas and wraparound views. The granddaddy of them all is Wollemi National Park; the state’s largest wilderness area, which has World Heritage status thanks to the ancient Wollemi Pine tree.

Magnificent Mudgee –

Clockwise from far left: Enjoy walking and canoeing at Dunns Swamp Camping Ground. Photo: Evolving Images; Destination NSW Mudgee’s stately buildings weather the storm. Photo: Julie Ihle On ya bike – Mudgee is a cycling hub and at Easter hosts the family-friendly Bike Muster. Photo: Julie Ihle Organic wine tasting at Lowe Wines after taking the new Wine Walk. Photo: Julie Ihle Historic Rylstone is a stone’s throw from Mudgee. Photo: Julie Ihle

GO CAMPING AUSTRALIA | 55 54 | GO CAMPING AUSTRALIA

FACT FILEGetting there Mudgee is 270 km north-west from Sydney. Take the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains or follow the Bells Line of Road to Lithgow. The turnoff for Mudgee is just past Lithgow.

Where to campDunns Swamp – Ganguddy Campground

The closest bush camping site to Mudgee, with caravan site, camper trailer and tent sites. It has non-flush toilets, wood BBQs and picnic areas, but you need to BYO drinking water and there is limited firewood so it’s a good idea to bring your own supply. Fees by self-registration and no bookings can be made. Conventional vehicles towing caravans and heavy trailers are not recommended due to a section of steep dirt road on the way. It is best to avoid long weekends when it is extremely busy.

For more information contact National Parks Mudgee on 02 6370 9000 or visit www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

There are several holiday parks in Mudgee with a full range of campsites, caravans and cabins.

Mudgee Riverside Caravan & Tourist Park www.mudgeeriverside.com.au02 6372 2531

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Mudgee

Mudgee Tourist & Van Resort www.mudgeecaravanpark.com.au02 6372 1090

Mudgee Valley Tourist Park www.mudgeevalleytp.com.au02 6372 1236

When to goMudgee has a continental climate and spring and autumn are the best times to visit, especially mid-September to early October when the Mudgee Wine & Food Festival is on. Winters are bracing, but still a popular time to come and mid-summer is often very hot.

Further informationMudgee Visitor Information Centrewww.visitmudgeeregion.com.au02 6372 1020

Vinifera Wineswww.viniferawines.com.au02 6372 2461

Lowe Wineswww.lowewine.com.au02 6372 0800

Mudgee Bike Musterwww.bikemuster.com0419 227 152

Mudgee Honey Havenwww.mudgeehoneyhaven.com.au02 6372 7911

Henry Lawson Centrewww.henrylawsongulgong.org.au02 6374 2049

Baker Williams Distillerywww.bakerwilliams.com.au 02 6372 9332

MUDGEE ADS

MUDGEE ADS

MUDGEE ADS MUDGEE ADS

Dunns Swamp (or more lyrically, Ganguddy to the local Aboriginals), east of Rylstone, is the most easily accessed part of the park from Mudgee and a good place to pitch the tent. Set amongst stunning sandstone pagoda rock formations, it’s a haven for canoeing, swimming and walking.

But if history is your thing, Mudgee’s satellite towns dish out heritage and good food in equal measure.

About a 45-minute drive away is tiny Rylstone, which is like Mudgee in miniature, lined with sandstone buildings and some good eateries. In neighbouring Kandos, limestone, coal and shale were discovered in the late 1800s, forming the basis of the cement industry. At its peak Kandos had the largest cement works in the Southern Hemisphere, and provided cement for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

However, the most impressive drawcard is Gulgong. Normally a thirty-minute drive, our trip was slowed down as we stopped and waited for an echidna to cross the road; surely one of the cutest reasons ever to slow down. Once we arrive, Gulgong is a revelation. The houses with their wide verandas and ornate facades look like a film set, with more than 130 buildings that have National Trust classification. At the heart of the gold rush, 20,000 people flocked to the area and its narrow streets follow where the original tent lines were.

Gulgong’s most famous son is Henry Lawson, who spent his early days in the area, while his goldminer father pursued his fortune.

The life and works of Australia’s great balladeer are displayed at the Henry Lawson Centre and he is further celebrated every June long weekend at the Henry Lawson Heritage Festival. If that doesn’t appeal, come in March for the Rabbit Races!

Make sure you are back in Mudgee for beer or wine o’clock. The colonial pubs oblige on both fronts or there are two eclectic wine bars in town: The Wineglass Bar and Grill, and Roths. Historic Roths, on the lesser-trod side of Market Street, is my fave for its weekend music.

As for dinner, The Oriental does a good old-fashioned pub meal as does Club Mudgee. If you want to splurge, Blue Wren, set in a vineyard, offers a courtesy bus service.

Our Mudgee reunion ends all too soon and unfortunately it’s time to return to the big smoke. We are already planning a return trip, there’s still more wine to sample and more bushwalking trails to explore. We hightail it back to Sydney, our city souls replenished, old friendships renewed and feeling twenty years younger – Mudgee will do that to you!

Savour the good life in Mudgee. Photo: Julie Ihle