Relax And Unwind In Beautiful Lovedale area of the Hunter Valley, Australia

When east coast Australians think of wine, they think of the Hunter Valley. Located just 2 hours drive north-west of Sydney, the Hunter Valley region is Australia's oldest wine growing region. It's not uncommon for Sydneysiders to finish work on Friday and head straight for Lovedale, Hunter Valley, NSW to enjoy a weekend of leisure and wine tasting in and around Lovedale. While it is not as well-known even to the average Australian as nearby Pokolbin, those in the know head straight for their favorite Lovedale accommodation and make that the base for their weekend exploration of all of the Hunter Valley's many attractions.

Wine tasting weekends in the Lovedale area include visits to Australia's largest wineries and also the many smaller boutique wineries that are found throughout the area. In fact, it would be impossible to even visit all of them in only a single weekend, much less taste all of their wines. There are over a hundred and twenty wineries within the Hunter area. The problem is compounded by the fact that many of these wineries also offer excellent dining, so a quick stop at a winery often ends up being a lengthy treat in culinary delights.

While wine attracts a lot of first time visitors to Lovedale and the Hunter Valley, once they have discovered the area, they come back again and again for the region's many other attractions. There's a sense of "wide open spaces" throughout the region and often tourists find themselves just exploring the region, using the wineries as "pit stops" along the way.

Other tourists go to Lovedale as it is home to the Hunter Valley Golf and Country Club. What could possibly be better than a weekend of wine tasting and golfing? The Hunter Valley Golf and Country Club is just one of four golf clubs within a stone's throw of Lovedale. Some others include Cypress Lakes, just outside of Pokolbin, The Oaks, near Cessnock and the Vintage Golf Club, on Wine Country Drive, next to Rothbury.

As small as it is, Lovedale is big on entertainment. On any particular weekend, it seems like one or more internationally renowned entertainers are in town. Slated for the first three months of 2011 alone are big international names in music like Neil Diamond, Joe Cocker, Lionel Ritchie and Santana. Due to region's popularity and close proximity to Sydney, the bigger wineries are able to attract stars of this caliber to a small, out of the way town in the Hunter Valley.

The beauty of Lovedale is that while it is at the epicenter of activity in the area, it isn't a large, busy town. Lovedale prides itself on being a "green" city and you can see it in its superbly maintained city center and unique shops, restaurants and unique crafts centers.

If you happen to be touring Australia from overseas and do not have a car (or don't want to learn how to drive on the left side of the street!), you can still easily see everything Lovedale, Hunter Valley, NSW has to offer. Regular airline and bus services are available from Sydney and when you're there, you can take bus tours of all of the area's wineries. You can stay in a charming bed and breakfast or make a luxurious spa and resort your Lovedale accommodation. The choice is yours!

Take a few days off, find accommodation lovedale hunter valley, things to do and other travel related information about the area on bookitnow.com.au. Or visit our Australia blog for more Australian holiday ideas.