A place full of scenic landscape, good food and wine, Mudgee is the perfect weekend getaway from Sydney and a winter wine weekend. We decided to go on a Winter Weekend in Mudgee after reading about it a while ago, and finding an Airbnb that looked so unique it could have been on Grand Designs.
Winter weekend in Mudgee
We did our first trip Mudgee in a winter weekend in July, with the intention of making the most of the cosy side of Mudgee, that they do so well! You canโt ask for a more well set up place for a winter wine weekend, with fireplaces roaring in all pubs and wineries! The sun still strong enough to sit outside during the day time if it is a sunny weekend! It is also such a picturesque area, it is a beautiful place to take some travel photography.
Accomodationfor the perfect Winter weekend
Our Airbnb called Strikes 2 was perfectly set up on the top of a hill, with an amazing viewing deck and floor to ceiling windows in the lounge. The only other house we could see was the other cottage that can be rented out. I would say that Strikes are are definitely in the luxury Airbnb business, and they do it so well! The accomodation is so unique and sticks out of the ground on stilts. It is the perfect place to have a chilled coffee in the morning whilst cooking sausages on the Weber grill on the veranda in the morning, and having a glass of wine watching the sunset in the evening. An alternative great place to stay for a winter weekend in Mudgee in the town centre is Perry Street hotel, within walking distance of many restaurants and pubs.
Mobility
Strikes is about a 15 minute drive from the centre, and therefore need to get a taxi to the centre and wineries if you are drinking. The taxi service is 24/7 and very efficient. You can just call 131008 at any point while you are in Mudgee to order.
The Weekend Itinerary
Friday
On the Friday night we were after pub grub and Kellyโs Irish bar in Mudgee city centre defiantly delivered on this, but it was time to leave when an Elvis impersonator turned up. We then made our way to Roths wine bar, which is the oldest wine bar in NSW! There was an amazing singer and guitarist, and we enjoyed the rest of the evening sitting in the indoor-outdoor garden, surrounded by fairy lights and next to the fire. Roth’s is an absolute must bar to visit during any Winter Weekend in Mudgee trip.
Saturday
On the Saturday we joined a half day tour by Mudgee Explorer Tours. They picked us up directly from Strikes and took us to three wineries. Our favourite of these was 1838 which also grow their own olives.
We then got dropped off at Lowes winery so we could spend the afternoon there. Lowes winery has great views and you can order a lunch time platter until 3pm. It seems like a very popular place to hang out, and you can definitely see why!
Sunday
On the Sunday we went to Pipeclay Pumphouse for lunch, wow the food was amazing! The view from Pipeclay Pumphouse was beautiful, and we could imagine a beautiful place to spend a lazy afternoon.
Travel is all about seeing and exploring new places. Having said that, staying in amazing accomodation can absolutely elevate a holiday to another level.
Since living on this side of the world we have stayed in some amazing accommodation around Australia and I wanted to share a list of places that have made a trip extra special and even become one of the best memories or experience from a trip.
The Daintree is amazing on all levels, and I don’t believe a trip to this area of Australia can go wrong. Daintree Eco lodge was a very special experience with the cutest lodges scattered around, luxury finishes inside the lodge, bathtub overlooking the forest (only in some rooms), and a restaurant and bar on site serving delicious dinner and a fabulous breakfast. We only had one night at this place, as part of a two week road trip around Queensland, but the memories of how special it is will last forever.
Highlights
Breakfast at Daintree Eco Lodge beautiful restaurant Julaymba in the rainforest
During a road trip between Narooma and Sydney, we stopped at Pebbly Beach Escape for 2 nights. This place is truly beautiful and the self catered beach hut accomodation is amazing. The owner told us this accomodation fortunately narrowly escaped the bush fires in early 2020. When we visited in late 2020 we could see the magical regeneration of the burnt trees in the surroundings.
You should be able to easily find the resident kangaroos on the property grounds and take lots of fun photos with them! Each house/cabin has its own balcony and fire pit near by. We stayed in Mara which has beautiful sea views and good privacy, I would definitely recommend this one for a couple.
Highlights
Pebbly beach to sunbathe, paddle board
Short trip to Bateban’s bay
Chill out in your beach hut and enjoy the surroundings
Everywhere on Hamilton island feels like an absolute paradise. Turning up to the balcony view in one of the Coral Sea Viewย rooms on Reef View hotel was one of those WOW moments. The expansive view of the reef and mountains is insane! The fact that Cockatoos visit the balconies makes this place have the perfect view of Hamilton Island!
Highlights
Day trip to Whitsundays island
Snorkelling or paddle-boarding in the reef just off the island
The Anchorage doesn’t feel well known and that is really surprising considering it is probably one of the best hotels in NSW.
Think boathouse meets luxury Hampton and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect. With two pools (one adult only infinity pool), two restaurants, a classic upscale bar, a beautiful sand beach nearby and a marine boardwalk, you really don’t need to leave this place.
When the days start with a fantastic breakfast served with mimosas then there can never be a bad day!
Highlights
Eating, drinking, chilling and sleeping at the Anchorage
Exploring the surrounding white sand beaches surrounding the hotel
Mimosa breakfast with a view
5. Chi Medicinal farm, Great Ocean Road, Victoria
Sometimes it’s about finding the random unknowns gems. During a 4 day road trip of the Great Ocean Road and Grampians, we stayed at Chi Medicinal Farm for one night in between Lorne and Warrnambool.
The view, the hosts, the relaxed atmosphere, the comfy bed and the food are all reasons to stay here!
Highlights
Great Ocean Road Drive
Breakfast and dinner both served at the accomodation
This is a gem of an accomodation in a gem of a location. Cradle Mountain is an iconic, rugged and wild National Park with tonnes of walks that will keep you going for weeks. It is only a 2 hour windy drive mostly amongst a beautiful forest from Launceston.
Cradle Mountain Lodgeis the perfect place to stay, it provides a luxury wooden ski lodge vibe in this incredible National Park.
Highlights
Sip mulled wine next to the fireplace at the Tavern Bar & Bistroย
Endless amounts of walks to choose from in Cradle Mountain National Park
Treat yourself to an hour relaxation at a large outdoor hot tub with views of the forest and river at The Spa Sanctuary
A modern, clean, stunning, self contained apartment in the best wine region in Australia (in my opinion!). Strikes 2 is the perfect place to ‘get away from it all’, with breathtaking views, the beautiful apartment has a fireplace, a modern bathroom with heated floors and a BBQ on the balcony.
Mudgee is a perfect area to stay in, with endless amounts to do, mainly involving wine and food :).
Highlights
Waking up to amazing view, and cooking breakfast on the BBQ outside.
Noosa is everything one could dream for, for a summers holiday, and staying at Tingirana Noosa is the icing on the cake for a beautiful stay. Situated in the middle of Hastings Street, on the beach, you can’t be any closer to all of the restaurants. Add an infinity pool and beautifully designed studios, need I say anything more?
Highlights
Laze around the Infinity pool and jacuzzi at Tingirana Noosa
Day tour to Fraser island
National Park walk straight from Noosa main beach (Koalas can be spotted here)
Lazy brunches and people watching on Hasting street cafes
We did a campervan trip around Tasmania, and it was epic. We had been researching the trip when we stumbled across Domescapes. This place looked so unique we knew we had to stay there and forfeit a night in the Campervan. A bubble tent on a working vineyard with an outdoor bath, this is what dreams are made of!
On the property are 3 bubble tents, we stayed in the Amarone tent which is the furthest away and felt very private. The hosts of Domescapes are The Swinging Gate vineyard, and as part of the stay you can go wine tasting at the cellar door, only a short walk from the tent!
Highlights
Wine tasting at the cellar door and choose your own bottle of wine, included in the stay!
Eating and drinking on Dome deck
Having an outdoor private bath amongst the vineyard!
What is your favourite accomodation you have stayed in? Leave your answer in the comments below!
It was about time we saw the red Australian desert of the Red Centre and we loved every minute! Carry on reading for our perfect itinerary exploring Uluru driving the Red Centre Way from Alice Springs to Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia.
Time of year
We visited the Red Centre early April, during Easter period (so that we only had to take 2 annual leave days). The temperature was still very hot during the day, and warm in the evenings. The flies were out during the day but as long as you buy a fly net (they sell them everywhere in the Ayers Rock Resort local shops), then it is better. I would recommend this time of year (autumn), or more into winter period.
Itinerary
Day1 – Fly into Alice Springs
Day2 – Drive Alice Springs to Uluru
Day3 – Uluru
Day4 – Uluru
Day5 – Fly home from Uluru
Day 1 – Driving the Red Centre way around Alice Springs
We flew into Alice Springs on the morning Qantas flight from Sydney. Arriving at the airport at around 11:30am we then picked up the car from from the airport. We used Avis for the car hire and we had absolutely no issues. We hired a 2wd car to drive the red centre way and there wasn’t any places that we wanted to go that we couldn’t, so I don’t think a 4wd is a necessity.
After picking up the car we wasted no time. Grabbed some picnic food from the local IGA and drove straight to the West MacDonald Ranges. There are tonnes to see here but we choose two places. These were:
Ellery Creek Big Hole
Our first stop was the famous Ellery Creek Big Hole (Ellery Creek is a Billabong)! This is about an hours drive from Alice Springs airport, but the roads are so easy to drive. So empty and smooth, a very stress free drive and gives you a good taste of driving the Red Centre Way. There is about 5km from the main road to the Ellery Creek Big Hole car park. It is not on a dirt track, but it is still smooth enough for 2WD (we had 2WD and just drove slower down this part).
Once you get there the creek is just a very short walk to the car park. It is just as stunning as all of the photos. It is definitely worth spending a bit of time here and going for a refreshing dip! We also had some lovely chats with other travellers, a lot of people were on long Campervan trips, and they had the most interesting stories!
Simpsons Gap
We left Ellery Big Hole and started to driving back on the Red Centre roads towards Alice Springs. On the way back we saw a sign for Simpsons Gap and without knowing much about this one, we decided to make the turning. Boy, we are glad we did, this place is so stunning. I actually am so surprised that there is somewhere this beautiful so close to Alice Springs. Simpsons Gap is an amazing red rock gorge, with beautiful water hole that reflects the surrounding rocks. We got here at late afternoon and the sun was quite low. This made the area look such an amazing orange-red colour. Wow!
Evening
We were staying one night at the Hilton Doubletree Alice Springs. This was a nice hotel in a good location. Don’t expect any super luxury hotels in Alice Springs. Personally I think the place is about the surrounding areas not the accomodation. For dinner we asked the hotel reception staff where to go, they recommended the hotel restaurant as its the best in the city. Obviously we thought they were bluffing until we looked it up and Tripadvisor and yep the Hilton has the best rated restaurant in Alice Springs! It is called Hanuman Alice Springs, and yes the food was great! It is a mixture of Indian and Thai, so if you like both of those then this restaurant is for you! The hotel bar is also nice and we stayed there for a few drinks before night time!
Day 2 – Driving the Red Centre Way Alice to Uluru
For brunch we decided to check out the Bean Tree Cafe which is located in the Olive Pink Botanic Garden. We walked from the Hilton Doubletree and it took about 15 minutes, mostly pavement and then into the garden botanical which was really nice to see. The food there is great, and I highly recommend to come here for breakfast. Unfortunately we had to then leave Alice Springs to drive to Uluru. I would definitely come back to Alice Springs to visit the Kangaroo Sanctuary and Alice Springs Desert Park.
Journey from Alice Springs to Uluru
The journey from Alice Springs to Uluแนu-Kata Tjuแนฏa National Park takes around 5 hours. Honestly, there is not much going on in the journey (apart from seeing a 130km sign for the first time in Australia!), but it is almost worth driving the Red Centre way just be able to comprehend the mind-blowing emptiness of the Northern Territory Red Centre. The only signs that you see really are to Adelaide and WA Border! Seeing the red soil is really an iconic moment. Arriving into Uluแนu-Kata Tjuแนฏa National Park, we were first fooled by one rock that we wondered if it was Uluru which apparently many people do, but once we had arrived we saw Uluru from a distance and it was a wow moment!
Accomodation
There is a main town near Uluru which I believe is called Ayers Rock Resort. This is made up of hotels and a few cafes, restaurants, tourist shops and an IGA. We had 3 nights at Sails in the Desert, which we had booked during a 50% off boxing day sale 4 months before. Sails in the Desert is a nice, clean, modern choice of places to stay in the Ayers Rock Resort.
National Park Pass
It is advisable to buy the Uluแนu-Kata Tjuแนฏa National Park pass before you arrive. To get to the hotel area (Red Rock) you do not need the pass, but on route to Uluru or Kata Tjuta, you will need to scan your pass at the entrance barrier, or buy one from the staff at the entrance office. If you buy it ahead of time (just go to the website) you can download it on your phone into your wallet, and it is very easy to scan it at the barriers. We bought one 3 day pass each and the money goes the national park.
Sunset at Uluru
We then headed straight to the sunset carpark for some wow moments! I’m sure there are other great places to watch the sunset other than Sunset car park, but in a way it is a really beautiful moment to experience the sunset with a crowd of people watching it. It almost makes it more special to know how many people had travelled so far to see this phenomenon. The changes in the colours of the rock and the sky are spectacular, and you cannot go to Uluru without watching it at sunset!
Day 3 – Driving around the Red Centre National Park
Kata Tjuta
We used this day to check out the other rock, less famous but equally stunning, Kata Tjuta. Even in early April, day time is HOT! We arrived at Kata Tjuta at midday after a leisurely brunch at the Academy Cafe in the Red Rock Resort area. Then we drove to the end of the road to get to Kata Tjuta.
I can’t explain how nice driving the Red Centre Way is, empty smooth roads with amazing views, perfect. However, be prepared as soon as you exit your car, you will be attacked with hot air and flies! A fly net is a must at this time of the year.
There were some people arriving who were heading to the Valley of the Winds walk. As much as we would have loved to do it, I have learned to feel very content with not doing everything possible. Also at the time of the day we visited Kata Tjuta (midday), it was far too hot to enjoy the walk. We were shocked some people were attempting it!
We admired Kata Tjuta from a few different view points. I have to say even though the view from the distance is amazing, I felt that the closer the better as you really got the sense of the odd shapes and colour of this amazing monolith.
Evening at the Field of Lights
After an afternoon at the pool and a meal at Sails in the Desert, we got on the bus to see the Field of Lights.
We had pre-booked this trip, and at the time of writing it was $39 per person including transport. If you come to the Red Centre you need to come here, it is mind blowing! Making use of the pitch black darkness of the Red Centre Desert, there are more than 50,000 solar powered lights making up this magical field. No words can describe it, no photos can properly capture it, so you need to see it for yourself.
Day 4 – Exploring Uluru – Sunrise and Sunset activities
Today was the day we watched the spectacular sunrise. So we got up early and got to the Sunrise car park 30 minutes before sunrise. You can check the time sunrise will be for you on timeanddate.com/uluru. As we were there early April for us sunrise was at around 6:50am. However, you need to get there before this time to see all of the colours changing even before the sun comes up.
Uluru Base walk
After the amazing sunrise, we drove to Mala car park and completed the Uluru base walk. This is a really good walk to be able to see Uluru up close, each angle is so different!! There is also amazing aboriginal artwork in some spots, this walk is really worth doing. Make sure to do this walk early before it gets too hot, and take plenty of water.
Time to Chill
There are four hotels in Ayers Rock Resort that have swimming pools. Staying at Sails in the Desert allows you to use Pira swimming pool which also has a bar/cafe. This is a great way to spend an afternoon if you want to get some chill time in (in between all of the activities)!
Sunset camel ride
I really didn’t know what to expect from the Sunset camel ride, but it ended up being our favourite activity whilst exploring Uluru. You get picked up from your resort accomodation and taken to the Camel farm, which is only a 5-10 min drive away. Arriving at the farm is like arriving at the set of a Wild Western film, so cool!
The camels are really well looked after here, and the guides are full of amazing facts. It is another really wow moment, being on a camel during the red sunset and Uluru in the background.
After the camel ride there are sunset drinks and homemade bread, included in the cost. This is at their super cool bar called Old Tom’s Waterhole. We actually ended up stay until about 11pm. This because we were enjoying the setting, cheap drinks and they had sausage sizzle BBQ! It really was the perfect last night in the red centre. The Ayers rock resort shuttle also comes to the camel farm as one of the stops very regularly, so this is easy to then get back to the hotels.
After a chilled morning we flew out of the tiny yet extremely convenient airport at Uluru (called Ayers Rock airport). This airport is less than 10 minutes from Ayers Rock Resort! We dropped our car at Avis desk and no issues at all. Unfortunately, we were on the ‘wrong’ side of the plane. This meant we did not get the view of Uluru like the lucky people on the other side did! However, instead we got a spectacular view of seeing the full vast red centre way desert beneath. Flying out of Ayers Rock Airport is amazing, and much cheaper than getting a scenic flight :D.
Overall – Driving the Red Centre Way
Overall it is very worth visiting and driving the Red Centre Way. It is truly the typical Australia everyone dreams of visiting and really exceeded our expectations.
If you have extra time you can also add Kings Canyon onto this itinerary. We would have loved to do a couple of days there. Maybe this gives us an excuse to go back one day :).
