![The Mercure Hunter Valley.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170618121049im_/http://www.traveller.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/d/3/0/p/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gud2z7.png/1491263394140.jpg)
"I'm not sure what you said just now," Siri screeches. Sometimes, it's easier to follow your nose than take directions from a computer.
After arriving at Sydney's Central Railway Station, I decided that instead of using my phone's map app, I would find my hotel the old-fashioned way: by looking up at the skyline.
With its 517 rooms and suites and view of the Central Railway Station clock tower, the world's largest Mercure hotel is hard to miss. After making my way through the busy lobby – which looks straight down George Street – I head to Le Club room for a breakfast of fresh fruit, cereals, pastries and juices. It's just the right start before hitting the road for the two-hour drive to the Hunter Valley and its meditative Hunter Valley Gardens.
![Fine dining at the Mercure Hunter Valley.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170618121049im_/http://www.traveller.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/d/3/0/o/image.related.articleLeadwide.520x294.gud2z7.png/1491263394140.jpg)
There, we join everyone from senior day-trippers wielding umbrellas to children tootling around on the miniature train that weaves its way around the 24-hectare display garden.
There are more manicured gardens about five kilometres away at the Two Fat Blokes' Gourmet Kitchen, on the grounds of De Iuliis Wines.
The kitchen serves down-home treats such as pulled pork burgers with slaw and beer-battered fries, as well as European deli treats like prosciutto and salami for packing into a picnic hamper.
We finish lunch at the adjacent cellar door, with a wine and cheese tasting led by chief winemaker Mike De Iuliis (he taught us to pronounce his last name – "doolius" – and to better appreciate the complexities of everything from his "elegant and delicate" chardonnay to his "fruit-driven verdelho". This isn't the end of the line for wine, we move on for a tasting at Thomas Allen Wines and Audrey Wilkinson.
There is no hitting the snooze button at the buttery light of dawn the next day; we are into a giant wicker basket with Balloon Aloft for some glorious valley views. As the gas burners unleash their fiery fury, we watch the colour tease out of the sky in wisps of orange and yellow.
We are travelling, according to the current women's world champion balloonist, Nicola Scaife, at a gentle speed of about 8km/h. That allows for plenty of time to enjoy the scenes being played out on the worn-out carpet of green below. After a glass of bubbles and a big breakfast at Peterson House Winery, we leave for the ruggedly charming port city of Newcastle and lunch at The Landing Bar & Kitchen. There, head chef Andrew Wickham (ex-Bacchus) distracts us from the harbour views with share plates such as bruschetta and barbecued corn or lamb shoulder with green goddess hummus.
We are joined by Lisa Margan, owner of the Hunter Valley's award-winning Margan Restaurant, who has plenty to say about the local scene. "Newcastle has come such a long way," she says. "While The Landing reflects the city's industrial heritage – it lays claim to being Australia's first port – the bar-style menu and drinks list also celebrates that laid-back Novocastrian feel."
A cycle tour of the city on a Spinway bike helps burn off the calories, before we follow the Esplanade along the city's stunning eastern coastal precinct.
Dinner is at The Bowery Boys, a cool New York-style restaurant that also demonstrates the city's grit-meets-glam vibe. Local flavours are the focus, in imaginative tapas, showcasing the smoking, curing and pickling talents of the chefs, matched by a well-rounded list of wines from the Hunter. Try the pickle-brined fried chicken, spring greens salad with Murray Valley pork belly and pickled kohlrabi lemon shiso.
![Hot air ballooning in the Hunter Valley.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170618121049im_/http://www.traveller.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/d/3/0/v/image.related.articleLeadwide.520x294.gud2z7.png/1491263394140.jpg)
Moving on from The Bowery Boys, we saw how the city has been reimagined with a craft cocktail crawl from The Hop Factory, to Coal and Cedar Bar and finally Central, by Matilda Bay.
The sand dunes near Stockton prove a great place to satisfy a wanderlust while being girt by sea. I was cynical about quad biking until I don my high-vis vest and helmet and go full throttle through the ridged sand mountains like a demonic production assistant on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road. The Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council is behind the not-for-profit tourism enterprise that takes visitors in and around Stockton Bight on quad bike tours.
Leading the charge around the hulking white dunes is Andrew Smith, a prominent member of the Indigenous Worimi LALC, who has a deep knowledge of the landscape and a real commitment to empowering his community.
Smith's links to the land are evident as he points out middens and sacred sites. "We are on the land of the Worimi people."
Screeching tyres and fist-pumping aside, hearing Smith tell stories about the area is shiver-down-the-spine in its spirituality; making it feel as other-worldly and intimate as it was adventurous. It might have been tempting to cool off in the sea, but Smith warns that "marine biologists have come here and declared this the largest nesting ground for great white sharks in the world".
As the sand gives way to tarmac, we finish our 72-hour road trip with lunch at the Mercure Newcastle Airport, another conveniently located launching point for a road trip dedicated to food, fun and adventure.
TRIP NOTES
MORE
traveller.com.au/new-south-wales
FLY
Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Tigerair all have frequent flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Newcastle.
STAY
Mercure Hotel Sydney, 818-820 George Street, is a short stroll from Central Railway Station. Rooms from $229 a night. Phone (02) 9217 6666. See mercuresydney.com.au
Mercure Hunter Valley Gardens, 2090 Broke Rood, Pokolbin, is byo Hunter Valley Gardens (hvg.com.au). Rooms from $152 a night. Phone (02) 4998 2000. See mercure.com/hunter_valley
Mercure Newcastle Airport, 2 Williamtown Drive, Williamtown. Rooms from $161 a night. Phone (02) 4033 8900. See mercurenewcastleairport.com.au
TOUR
Balloon Aloft is weather-dependent; one-hour sunrise flights start at $269. Phone (02) 4990 9242. See balloonaloft.com
Swipe your credit card near a Spinway bike ($11 an hour or $33 a day, see interbike.com.au) and take it for a burn around Newcastle, helmets are available from the Crowne Plaza reception desk. Enjoy a quad tour with Sand Dune Adventures around the coastal dunes, from $110 adults for one hour. Phone (02) 4033 8808. See sandduneadventures.com.au
EAT
Two Fat Blokes, 1616 Broke Road, Pokolbin, (02) 4998 6699, see twofatblokes; Elements Bar & Dining, 2090 Broke Rd, Pokolbin (02) 4998 2000, see mercurehuntervalley.com.au; The Landing Bar & Kitchen, 1 Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle, (02) 4927 1722, thelanding.com.au; The Bowery Boys, 5/107 Darby Street, Newcastle, (02) 4929 6471, see theboweryboys.com.au
Carla Grossetti travelled as a guest of Accor Hotels group.
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