Across the Blue Mountains Northwest of Sydney
Mudgee, in country New South Wales, is some 280 kilometres northwest of Sydney across the scenic Blue Mountains.
It is a region of farms and vineyards and is fast becoming a source of fine wines with its robust reds and crisp whites, notably chardonnay and semillon.
A number of Mudgee wines have won awards at Australian wine shows in many parts of the country in competition with products from the more popular wine regions such as Hunter Valley north of Sydney, Barossa Valley in South Australia, Margaret River in Western Australia and Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
In NSW, the wine industry association makes an annual selection of the best wines from the state, and it's a poor year when Mudgee wines are not included in its list.
The Mudgee region has more than 50 wineries, and some 40 of them feature cellar doors, usually open on scheduled days and hours, for wine tasting and wine sales.
The town of Mudgee lies in the Cudgegong Valley with its fertile farmlands and pastoral environment. To the north of Mudgee is the historic town of Gulgong with 130 National Trust-listed buildings in one street.
Eurunderee, some eight kilometres north of Mudgee, is where Australian short story writer and poet Henry Lawson (1867-1922), was born and grew up, except for a short time in Gulgong. Lawson was educated at Eurunderee and Mudgee.
Northwest of Mudgee is the town of Dubbo, well known as the location of the vast open-range Western Plains Zoo.
Close by are some of New South Wales' national parks, including Wollemi and Blue Mountains National Parks which are part of the Blue Mountains World Heritage site.
The site of the Mudgee township was first reached by English-born New South Wales explorer William Lawson (1774-1850) in 1821. Lawson, together with Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth, discovered a passage from Sydney through the Blue Mountains in 1813. The towns of Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth in the Blue Mountains were named after these explorers.
Mudgee was reached by Lawson on a later journey from the new settlement of Bathurst west of the Blue Mountains, of which he had been appointed commander.
A number of buildings constructed in the mid-1800s, with early Australian architectural facades, still exist in Mudgee and are part of the town's historical heritage.
For today's visitor to Mudgee, a stroll through town, as well as a visit to the Colonial Inn Museum on Market St, can bring back the past not only in the town's heritage buildings but also in the items and artefacts in the museum.
Modern-day amenities include cafes and restaurants and various types of accommodation () in town.
Drop in at the Mudgee Visitor Centre on Market St for information, brochures, maps and advice.
For those who prefer to fly, there is a 40-minute Aeropelican flight from Sydney to Mudgee on weekdays and Sunday.
If you're taking the train, you'll need to disembark at Lithgow and catch the bus service to Mudgee.
If you prefer to drive, head to the Blue Mountains on the M4 freeway which joins the Great Western Highway on the climb up the mountain.
If you're not stopping over at Katoomba to, say, visit the Three Sisters, continue on the Great Western Highway past Mt Victoria and Lithgow. Watch out for the sign just after Lithgow and take the exit to Mudgee.
It's then all the way to Mudgee on the Castlereagh Highway.
It is a region of farms and vineyards and is fast becoming a source of fine wines with its robust reds and crisp whites, notably chardonnay and semillon.
A number of Mudgee wines have won awards at Australian wine shows in many parts of the country in competition with products from the more popular wine regions such as Hunter Valley north of Sydney, Barossa Valley in South Australia, Margaret River in Western Australia and Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
In NSW, the wine industry association makes an annual selection of the best wines from the state, and it's a poor year when Mudgee wines are not included in its list.
The Mudgee region has more than 50 wineries, and some 40 of them feature cellar doors, usually open on scheduled days and hours, for wine tasting and wine sales.
Mudgee region
The town of Mudgee lies in the Cudgegong Valley with its fertile farmlands and pastoral environment. To the north of Mudgee is the historic town of Gulgong with 130 National Trust-listed buildings in one street.
Eurunderee, some eight kilometres north of Mudgee, is where Australian short story writer and poet Henry Lawson (1867-1922), was born and grew up, except for a short time in Gulgong. Lawson was educated at Eurunderee and Mudgee.
Northwest of Mudgee is the town of Dubbo, well known as the location of the vast open-range Western Plains Zoo.
Close by are some of New South Wales' national parks, including Wollemi and Blue Mountains National Parks which are part of the Blue Mountains World Heritage site.
Mudgee town
The site of the Mudgee township was first reached by English-born New South Wales explorer William Lawson (1774-1850) in 1821. Lawson, together with Gregory Blaxland and William Wentworth, discovered a passage from Sydney through the Blue Mountains in 1813. The towns of Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth in the Blue Mountains were named after these explorers.
Mudgee was reached by Lawson on a later journey from the new settlement of Bathurst west of the Blue Mountains, of which he had been appointed commander.
A number of buildings constructed in the mid-1800s, with early Australian architectural facades, still exist in Mudgee and are part of the town's historical heritage.
For today's visitor to Mudgee, a stroll through town, as well as a visit to the Colonial Inn Museum on Market St, can bring back the past not only in the town's heritage buildings but also in the items and artefacts in the museum.
Modern-day amenities include cafes and restaurants and various types of accommodation () in town.
Drop in at the Mudgee Visitor Centre on Market St for information, brochures, maps and advice.
Getting to Mudgee
For those who prefer to fly, there is a 40-minute Aeropelican flight from Sydney to Mudgee on weekdays and Sunday.
If you're taking the train, you'll need to disembark at Lithgow and catch the bus service to Mudgee.
If you prefer to drive, head to the Blue Mountains on the M4 freeway which joins the Great Western Highway on the climb up the mountain.
If you're not stopping over at Katoomba to, say, visit the Three Sisters, continue on the Great Western Highway past Mt Victoria and Lithgow. Watch out for the sign just after Lithgow and take the exit to Mudgee.
It's then all the way to Mudgee on the Castlereagh Highway.
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