BROKE FORDWICH

The trail less travelled! That little bit more remote, with a microclimate all its own, this pretty little valley punches well above its weight for multi-award winning wines. Stay on an olive grove or working farm and relax into village living, where good times and great wines bring people together. You’ll be warmly welcomed at family-run cellar doors and eateries down quiet country roads. Taste the biodynamically-farmed flavour difference in hatted dining, cooking classes, and catering that comes to you, and be completely won over by festivals in the park, caves with ancient paintings, and more stars than you can count in our clear night skies.

A scenic drive

Forget the freeway! Travelling North from Sydney, exit the F3 toward Calga/Peats Ridge to find yourself in scenic countryside all the way into tranquil Broke Fordwich. Tour the backroads through Bucketty, tracing winding Wollombi Brook, to arrive in just over 2 hours. From Pokolbin, just 15 minutes to the West, along Broke Road. 

An outlying gem

So close to Sydney, a village experience like Broke is something special. With around 650 locals, and even less in nearby Fordwich, this premium-producing sub-region truly is the tranquil side of the Hunter Valley. Breathtakingly beautiful, its olive groves and vineyards hug the sandy banks of Wollombi Brook and Wollemi Forest Foothills.

Family growers here have a heart for leaving the fertile, former dairy lands in even better shape than they found it, and the care they invest bears fruit of exceptional quality. Our seasoned local winemakers win a lion’s share of trophies and awards for their artfully crafted, single-estate wines. Get to know the nuances to be appreciated in each individual style, talking night harvests and open ferments at intimate cellar door sessions.

Expect world class Semillon, Shiraz with real finesse, delightfully fragrant Verdelho, full-bodied Chardonnay, seriously good Cabernet and Merlot, adventurous Barbera, Sangiovese and Tempranilla, and even Pinot Noir. Should you feel so inspired, you can get hands-on with the action, from vine to wine lending a hand at vintage, or paddock to plate with a chef session to spice-up your home cooking repertoire.

You won’t know yourself after a few days winding down in these wide-open spaces. It’s the simple pleasures, like twilight aperitivo, waking to birdsongs at your cosy vineyard cottage, pulling on the gumboots at a fun farm stay, or foraging farmgates for a poughmans board to devour by the open fire of your chic contemporary homestead.

Browse galleries, sculpture walks and handmade finds, take a bush walk to majestic Yellow Rock and heritage listed caves rich in Aboriginal art. Be as laid-back as you like and take back the stories of your special time in Broke Fordwich.

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