Fast facts
- The district is renowned for its award-winning wines
- Lovedale is in the lower Hunter Valley, east of Pokolbin
- 160 km north-west of Sydney, population 50
Why go there
It’s an interesting community of boutique wineries, quality guesthouses and B&B accommodation, good restaurants and some fun activities, such as ballooning and horse-riding.
Only a couple of hours from Sydney, Lovedale is a pleasant base for touring the local wineries, where you can buy direct from the cellar door.
History
As a major wine-producing area, Lovedale dates back to the early 1800s when local wheat and general produce farmers turned to grape growing.
The name Lovedale combines the name of one of the early families of the district, the Loves, with the memory of the dales of Yorkshire in England.
Before the 1920s there were more wineries in the area than there are today. The Love’s Winery in Lovedale Road processed grapes from other vineyards as well as their own and had 363,687 litres of wine in their cellars when they closed in 1927.
Most of the Lovedale vineyards ceased operations in the 1920s because of the impact of the Depression and a widespread outbreak of downy mildew.
In the late 1960s, the vineyards started to re-emerge and produce again.
Things to do
- Make a date to attend the Lovedale Long Lunch in May each year.
- Stay in one of the quality homestays and experience Hunter Valley hospitality.
- Visit historic St Paul’s Rothbury cemetery in Wilderness Road and see where the famous winemaking families have been laid to rest.
Events
- The Lovedale Long Lunch, the signature event of Lovedale’s social calendar, held on the third weekend of May each year.
- Jazz in the Winery, in November.
- Harvest Festival, in March and April.
Don’t miss
- Visiting the many boutique wineries.
- Enjoying a meal in one of the fine restaurants serving local produce, accompanied by a great local wine.
- A hot-air balloon flight over the district.
- Horse-riding on one of the countryside trails.
- Admiring the heritage bridge, constructed in 1901–2, over Black Creek; it’s one of the few remaining examples of a De Burgh’s timber truss bridge.
