Sydney and Hunter Valley retreat escape

What is on in Sydney?

1. Vivid Sydney: This annual festival of light, music, and ideas takes place in late May and early June, and features spectacular light installations and projections on buildings throughout the city, as well as live music and talks by international thought leaders. Vivid Sydney 2024 will take place from Friday 24 May. It will feature dedicated food programming too – Vivid Food – which will sit alongside Light, Music and Ideas. All the details on the Vivid Sydney website here
2. Sydney Festival: This month-long festival of arts and culture takes place in January, and features a wide range of performances, exhibitions, and events, including theatre, dance, music, and visual arts.
3. Sydney Worldpride Mardi Gras: This annual celebration of LGBTQI+ culture takes place in February or March, and features a colourful parade, parties, and cultural events.
4. Royal Easter Show: This annual agricultural show takes place in April, and features a wide range of exhibits and competitions, including livestock, farm produce, and handicrafts, as well as rides and games for all ages.
5. SXSW Sydney 15 – 22 October 2023. For the first time since 1987, the iconic SXSW is heading out of Austin TX and making its way to Sydney in 2023. The harbour city will play host to a collision of creativity and culture, forming the centre-point for change-makers over a week-long celebration. Connecting the world’s most awe-inspiring thinkers, creators and innovators, SXSW Sydney will showcase diverse topics, people and free-roaming ideas across Music, Screen, Gaming, Technology, Innovation and culture. Full details here. 
6. Christmas in the City: During the festive season, Sydney transforms with a range of Christmas events such as Carols in the Domain, Christmas markets and light displays throughout the city.

Wineries:
Hunter Valley icon, Tyrrell’s, is a much loved Australian wine brand, family-owned since 1858.
Headed up by fourth generation family member Bruce Tyrrell, Tyrrell’s is home to some of Australia’s most awarded wines including the iconic Vat 1 Semillon. Since 1971, Tyrrell’s has been awarded over 5,000 trophies and medals and in 2010 was named “Winery of the Year” in James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion. Discover 160 years of winemaking experience with a trip to Tyrrell’s Hunter Valley winery. Visit the cellar door and taste some  award winning wines, take a tour and experience first hand the old oak vats and historic red cellar still in full operation. You will also see the original iron bark hut that Edward Tyrrell lived in and the Short Flat Vineyard, home of Australia’s most awarded white wine, Vat 1 Semillon, with its vines first planted in 1923.
Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard and Cellar Door is one of the oldest wineries in the Hunter Valley wine region. The 270-acre vineyard is named after one of Australia’s early wine pioneers.
Audrey Wilkinson planted the first vines in Pokolbin in 1866 and was an early innovator in the production of fine wine. Audrey’s legacy of ‘It’s all about the taste’ is at the centre of everything the winery continues to do. Located in the foothills of the scenic Brokenback ranges in the Hunter Valley, 165 km north of Sydney, the family-run business produces award-winning Semillon. It is rated a 5-star winery by Australian wine critic and vigneron James Halliday and has been named in the top 10 wineries to visit in Australia by Gourmet Traveller.

Brokenwood was founded by three Sydney based lawyers, John Beeston, Tony Albert and James Halliday, who paid a then record price of $970 per acre for a 10-acre block in the foothills of the Brokenback Ranges. The original block was destined to be a cricket ground for the local community but was instead planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Its first Vintage won Gold at The Sydney Royal Wine Show. Brokenwood’s single vineyard philosophy has grown to capture the essence of its premium sites throughout Australia. The first single vineyard selection for the Graveyard Vineyard was in 1983. Since then the Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz has gained considerable international recognition year after year. The new and much-lauded cellar door opened in 2018 offering guided wine tastings and a selection of immersive beyond-the-cellar-door experiences.

Sydney: the capital city of New South Wales, is a city with a rich history that spans back to the arrival of the first European settlers in 1788. Here are a few historical highlights –

1. The Sydney Opera House: This iconic building, designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, was opened in 1973 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is known for its distinctive sail-like design and is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world.
2. The Sydney Harbour Bridge: This steel-arch bridge, completed in 1932, connects the city centre with the North Shore and offers spectacular views of the harbor. Visitors can take a guided tour of the bridge or climb to the top for panoramic views of the city.
3. The Rocks: This historic neighbourhood, located on the western side of Sydney Harbour, is one of the oldest areas of the city and was the site of the first European settlement in Australia. The area is now home to a variety of shops, restaurants and museums, and offers a glimpse into Sydney’s past.
4. Darling Harbour: This waterfront area, located on the western side of the city centre, is home to a variety of attractions including the Australian National Maritime Museum, the Chinese Garden of Friendship, and the Powerhouse Museum.
5. The Australian Museum: This museum, founded in 1827, is the oldest in Australia and is dedicated to the natural and cultural history of the country. It features a wide range of exhibits, including the history of the First Nations peoples, the natural environment and the country’s fauna and flora.
6. The Queen Victoria Building: This historic building, located in the heart of the city, was built in the late 19th century and is now a popular shopping and dining destination. It features a variety of shops, restaurants, and cafes, and is known for its ornate architecture and grand design.
7. The Art Gallery of New South Wales: This gallery, founded in 1871, is home to an impressive collection of Australian and international art and is one of the most visited art museums in the country.
8. The Sydney Town Hall: This historic building, located in the heart of the city, was built in the late 19th century and is now a popular venue for concerts, conferences and events. It is known for its grand architecture and is an important symbol of Sydney’s history.

The Hunter Valley is home to over 130 wineries producing a wide array of exceptional wines. It is recognised as a world leader in dry white wines made from Semillon. Hunter Valley Semillon is regarded as Australia’s unique white wine. We have a multitude of bookable experiences for you to enjoy in the area:

Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard:

Fortified and Fromage, barrel and cheese tasting
This is a truly unique and memorable experience for discerning wine and food connoisseurs. Guided by the in-house wine expert, your seated tasting experience will take place in the heritage listed museum space. Alongside sampling a range of premium wines, your host will deliver three generous tastings direct from the barrel where their fortified wines are maturing – an experience exclusive to this package. Wine will be delicately matched to Fromage, sourced from renowned local producers.

Tyrrells Winery:

Sacred Sites Experience
The Hunter Valley is home to some of the oldest vineyards in the world. Their Sacred Sites wines are made only from dry-grown vines that are more than 100 years old and on their own roots. The origins of most of these vines lie in the Busby Collection – cuttings brought to Australia from Europe by James Busby and planted in the Hunter Valley in 1832. These sacred sites are some of the most distinguished pockets of vineyard land in Australia, having survived the test of time and consistently making exceptional wines that have their own distinct character and unique qualities. In 2004, Tyrrell’s decided to bottle these wines on their own and today they’re among the rarest in the wine world, often available only on allocation. Among these wines is Old Patch Shiraz, which has been awarded a perfect 100-point score for the last four consecutive releases by influential wine journalist James Suckling. The Sacred Sites Experience is one of the most unique winery experiences available, and the only time the Sacred Sites wine collection is available for tasting.
Over 3 hours you will enjoy a private and personalised tour of Tyrrells Sacred Sites vineyards, located on the Ashmans property, followed by an in-depth winery tour and barrel tasting.
Finish the afternoon with a tutored tasting of the Sacred Sites collection, accompanied by a charcuterie board with locally sourced fresh produce.