We love all the wine regions close to Sydney, but Mudgee has to be the most beautiful of all, even pipping the Hunter Valley! The scenery is stunning and the drives between wineries are like an activity in themselves. As well as the fabulous vineyards, there are a whole raft of other things to do, from exploring old Wild West gold mining towns, to Aboriginal rock art sites, wild swimming spots and walking trails with glorious view points.
If you’re looking for a varied weekend away where you can indulge in incredible food and wine, but also get out and do a few activities, Mudgee is the place for you.
It is one of the best all-rounder getaways from Sydney.
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These are the 17 activities you must do in Mudgee:
1: Go wine tasting
2: Visit the local Farmers Market
3: Indulge in dinner at a vineyard
4: Take a dip at the Drip
5: Venture into the magical Ferntree Gully
6: Look for wildlife at Pucca Wetlands
7: Go kayaking at Dunns Swamp
8: Explore the pagoda labyrinth
9: Picnic among the vines
10: Admire the Aboriginal Rock Art
11: Find the unique Babyfoot Cave
12: Catch a sunset at Moothi Estate
13: Wander the historic buildings at Mudgee & Rylstone
14: Head to the gold mining town of Gulgong
15: Take a walk to Castle Rocks for an epic view
16: Get you caffeine fix at Alby & Esther’s
17: Star gaze at the Mudgee Observatory
- Where to stay
The 17 best things to do in Mudgee
1. Taste Mudgee’s finest wines
Of course the top thing to do in Mudgee has to be the wine tasting and with dozens of vineyards to choose from, you are spoilt for choice.
To help narrow it down for you, here are the top three you shouldn’t leave Mudgee without visiting.
Logan Wines
If you were going to twist our arm and ask for our favourite vineyard of them all, it’s Logan. For starters, the view from the cellar door is outstanding and celebrated with floor to ceiling windows. There’s also a lovely terrace, which even has a fire for chilly days.
But beyond the view, the tasting was also top notch. For starters you get to choose from four different ‘menus’ and if you travelling with others you can all choose a different one.
I couldn’t go past the ‘adventure’ tasting which was a mix of five white and red options which are made with experimental techniques. You also start with a touch of sparkling, which was the best we had in Mudgee.
The whole atmosphere at Logan was fun but informative and the fabulous wines are by far the most reasonably priced we tried in the area.
Tastings are $10 per person at time of writing, and are refunded on the purchase of a bottle. With some great bottles starting at $20 it would be rude not to…..
Pieter van Gent Winery & Vineyard
We’ve visited countless wineries around Australia and none have a cellar door like this one. I couldn’t believe it when we stepped inside and were suddenly walking through a low lit room, lined on both sides with original wine barrels from the 1800’s - it’s incredibly atmospheric!
You’ll try 6 wines: a mix of white, red and port (it is one of the few wineries we visited with a focus on port if that’s your thing), and you’ll get a little bowl of nibbles, which is always a winner in our books! The wines are good, and we even left with a bottle of the Durif red wine, which is apparently pretty polarising!
Tastings at time of writing are $5 per person, and the fee is not refunded on the purchase of a bottle.
The Cellar by Gilbert
The Cellar by Gilbert had our overall favourite wines, tied with Logan. You can choose from two different tasting menus. I went for the Gilbert Range and Joe for the Small Batch (the reserves).
The wines were excellent, especially the award winning rieslings which convinced us to buy a bottle of riesling for the first time ever! The service is very friendly and informative and the tasting room is beautifully done.
We saw people getting delicious looking platters but we’d just been to Alby and Esthers so we sadly didn’t get to try them for ourselves!
Tastings are $10 per person, which is refundable on the purchase of six bottles plus. Incidentally Gilbert Wines are right next to the cheese shop, which is well worth popping in to.
If you’d like more suggestions, we have a whole guide with more of our favourites wineries.
2. Pick up great local produce Mudgee Farmers Market
Mudgee is well known for it’s produce and if you’re lucky enough to be visiting when the Mudgee Farmers Market is on (3rd Saturday of every month) then it’s not to be missed. Mudgee’s best produce is all in one place, which just so happens to be the beautiful Robertson Park, a lovely location to sample your way round the various stalls.
I did notice one company selling soaps but it’s predominantly a food market, with a variety of delicious jams, chutneys, oils & vinegars, honey, bread… I could go on.
If you have self catering accommodation definitely stop by the fruit and veg stall, the produce looked amazing and was reasonably priced.
There are also a few stands selling bacon and eggs rolls, and coffee and cake.
It has a lovely relaxed feel with a good buzz, and as it’s only a small market, it doesn’t take long to get round.
3. Indulge in dinner on a vineyard
If you want to treat yourself to something special on your weekend away, then dinner at one of the award winning wineries is the way to go. We chose the Pipeclay Pumphouse which is at the Robert Stein vineyard. The menu has a paddock to plate philosophy, with food grown on their own farm or locally and everything was fresh and delicious.
We chose to do the wine pairings which were also fantastic, and all this whilst overlooking the gorgeous vineyard. We even saw kangaroos hopping amongst the vines.
Our visit was a few years ago with my parents, we all loved both the food and the relaxed atmosphere and I still think about going back!
The other restaurant we’re keen to try but haven’t yet is the Zin House, which is famous for its long leisurely lunches.
4. Cool off at The Drip Gorge
The Drip is an absolute delight. In fact, we think the walk to get to the gorge is one of the best short walks in the whole of NSW! It’s beautiful from the very first step to the last.
It’s so peaceful that it’s easy to think you’re out in the wilds when in fact the walk is just 1.4km each way and almost entirely flat!
The Gorge at the end of the walk is a beauty, it’s not deep enough to actually swim, but there’s enough water to sit and cool off, which is exactly what we did on a hot November afternoon.
Even if you’re not usually in to walking, trust us, you don’t want to miss this one! You can read more about the trail in our detailed guide.
5. Venture into the magical Ferntree Gully
Ferntree Gully is a magical place. As you descend from the dry bushland above it’s like you’re entering another world. One where tall tree ferns shelter beneath swirling gully walls, gnarled tree roots make a bid to take over the forest and lyrebirds serenade you from the undergrowth. At times it felt like an Indiana Jones movie set, but one we had all to ourselves.
Scenery this special is often a little trickier to access, but at Ferntree Gully - minus a very short section or two - the 2.8km circuit walk is very easy.
You can read more about the trail in our detailed guide.
6. Look out for wildlife at the Putta Bucca Wetlands
The Putta Bucca Wetlands are the place to come for a gentle stroll in peaceful surrounds. There are a couple of different paths you can take, we took the Wetland Walk to check out the main lake to look for birds.
Whilst we didn’t see a huge array, we enjoyed just spending some time by the water, and we got it all to ourselves too!
Other wildlife in the area include wallabies and platypus, but my guess is you’d have to be lucky to see them. For us it was more about spending a bit of time in nature and taking a break from over indulging in wine!
7. Go kayaking at Ganguddy - Dunns Swamp
Dunns Swamp might not sound very appealing, but don’t go on the name! It’s a gorgeous river surrounded by towering rock formations and pretty bushland, in Wollemi National Park.
There are some great hiking trails (we love the Weir Walk and Long Cave Circuit) as well as swimming opportunities, but the best way to explore the river is by kayak.
We hired one for two hours which was enough time to explore the whole river. It’s easy paddling and incredibly serene to stare up at the tall sandstone rock formations as you glide past.
If you’re lucky you might see some wildlife, we saw long necked turtles, lizards and birds. We hired the kayak close to sunset because we wanted to look out for platypus, whilst we didn’t get lucky, it was still a lovely time to be out on the water.
You can hire kayaks from the picnic area with Southern Cross Kayaking, which we’d highly recommend. The owners are lovely and all the equipment was great. We rented a double kayak for $60 for two hours.
8. Explore the pagoda labyrinth
The Pagoda Lookout Walking Track is spectacular. The views and incredible rock formations are reminiscent of places like the Gardens of Stone, but without the challenging hikes or gnarly 4WD tracks to get there.
If you only want to go to the main lookout the 2.1km return walk is easy, but for a few hundred metres walking up a grippy rock shelf. To explore further does require going off track - it's basically an adults adventure playground! Scrambling up and down the pagodas does require care, but the rock is very grippy.
It completely blew us away; so much so, that we ended up doing it twice in one day - once to see it for the first time and once to watch the sunset.
It’s hard to believe that a place this special seems to fly under the radar, we didn’t see another soul all day, despite the fact it’s only an hour’s drive from Mudgee. You can read more details on the walk in our Pagoda Lookout guide.
9. Treat yourself to a gourmet vineyard picnic
When we arrived at Lowe Wines we weren’t planning to have a picnic; but as soon as we saw the location and heard that the produce comes from the famous Zin House restaurant that we’d wanted to try for ages, we couldn’t resist.
The winery provides cushions and blankets which you can lay out wherever you like in the grounds, which are some of the most beautiful in Mudgee. It’s about as idyllic a setting for a picnic as you can get.
You can then order wine by the glass (starting from $8) and a selection of nibbles to go with it. The produce is not cheap, but it’s delicious and you’re paying both for local produce and the location. They even offer freshly baked sourdough loaves (ours was still warm!).
The whole thing was so relaxing we took an unexpected nap in the vineyard afterwards! That’s the lovely thing about this place, it’s really laid back and welcoming and you can start to feel a little too at home!!
If you want less expensive option, both Lawson and Robertson Parks in Mudgee town centre are great picnic spots. You can grab some cheese from the cheese factory (which is what they use at Lowe Wines) and some bits from Coles and you have yourself a gourmet picnic in a lovely spot, on the cheap!
10. Admire the ancient Aboriginal art at Hands on Rock
Hands on Rock is a series of over 100 hand stencils from women and children of the Wiradjuri nation printed on the underside of a large cave. Whilst many of the ochre paintings have sadly faded away, some have survived in remarkably good condition.
We love Aboriginal rock art and will look out for it wherever we go, and Hands on Rock is a particularly accessible site. The walk to get there is only 600m each way and flat right up until the very last few metres.
There’s a bench to sit on beside the cave and admire the art, and it’s a peaceful spot for quiet contemplation. Just bring mossie spray if you’re visiting in the warmer months!
The car park for Hands on Rock is just a few minutes from The Drip Gorge, so it makes sense to do both together. Note that a short section of the dirt road to get to Hands on Rock has a few bad potholes and craters.
11. Find the unique Babyfoot Cave
Babyfoot Cave is one of the more unique Indigenous rock art sites we've visited in NSW. While hand stencils are relatively common, baby feet stencils definitely aren't! The baby feet stencils, as well as many beautifully preserved hand stencils, made by the people of the Wiradjuri nation, can be seen on the underside of a large overhang just a five minute walk from the nearest parking area.
The walk is not difficult, but does have one short eroded section and a few stairs. Though the site used to be well known and even has an NSW National Park signpost by the cave, it now seems to be somewhat forgotten and is not signposted from the road (a 50 minute drive from Mudgee).
For this reason we don't want to put exact location details online, but please email us and we will share the directions with you. As with all Indigenous sites, please remember never to touch the artwork and leave the site exactly as you found it.
12. Catch a sunset at Moothi Estate Winery
This one is a winter only suggestion, as you need the earlier sunset time to coincide with the winery opening hours - which is something we failed to factor in on our recent visit!
We’d heard about sunset sipping from their gorgeous terrace and quickly realised our mistake when everything was closed!
Despite the fact we didn’t get to try any wine, the lovely person working there still let us watch the sunset from their grounds, which was lucky, because it was a real beauty!
Even if you’re not visiting when the sunset timing works out, we’d still recommend heading over to the estate, because the view from their terrace would be wonderful at any time of day!
13. Wander around the historic buildings of Mudgee and Rylstone
If you love old heritage buildings, then taking the time to wander the main streets of Mudgee is a must. Many of the buildings along Market Street are beautifully preserved and some are quite grand.
We also enjoyed taking a look at the heritage buildings in Rylstone, most of which were constructed between 1865 and 1895. Rylstone is a 45 minute drive from Mudgee and easily combined with a visit to Dunns Swamp.
Rylstone’s buildings feel a little more crumbling away than those in Mudgee but we liked them equally, sometimes the less grand ones have more charm. This website shows you the main buildings to look out for in Rylstone.
14. Head to the Wild West at Gulgong gold mining town
We love visiting all the little historic towns around NSW and Gulgong is one of the best we’ve been to. It really does have Wild West vibes! All the buildings along the main street have kept their heritage and it’s definitely the coolest Comm bank and IGA we’ve ever seen!
Don’t miss the The Fiddlers Hame which is full of an eclectic mix of wares from vintage coke bottles to old school guitars and everything in-between!
If you’re interested in learning more of the towns gold mining history (it was one of the richest gold fields in NSW, with over 20,000 people living there in its heyday), then we’d recommend a visit to the Gulgong Gold Experience. It’s a small museum on the site of the old Red Hill Mining Precinct where gold was first found in the area.
Whilst you can only look into the old mine shaft from above, there’s a lot of interesting info inside the museum about the history of the area during the gold mining days, as well as some individual miners stories.
If you have kids, they will love the gold panning which comes with a little certificate at the end.
If you’re keen to visit the museum you need to time it right because it’s only open for two hours a day, between 1-3pm, Wednesday to Sunday.
15. Explore the ‘lost city’ at Castle Rocks
We had no real expectations for Castle Rocks. I’d seen a couple of pictures of what looked like small rocks overlooking a pretty view.
What we actually got was a huge rocky outcrop with a vast view of dozens and dozens of pagodas scattered amongst the dense forest. It had the feeling of arriving in a lost city, a series of ruins long since forgotten.
It was an absolutely incredible sight, and a lot of fun to scramble around the rocks.
The walk to get there is just over 4km each way, but it’s completely flat and mainly shaded by the forest. We visited for sunset, which was absolutely jaw dropping from this spot. If you don’t mind walking back in the dark, we’d highly recommend it.
You can learn more about this spot, including how not to get lost amongst the rocks in this post!
16. Relax in the courtyard with Mudgee’s best coffee
We’ve tried quite a few cafes in Mudgee, and none compare to Alby and Esthers, both for atmosphere and the food and coffee.
Pull up a chair in the shady courtyard and relax with one of their famous toasties (the tomato relish is the best I’ve ever tried, and it’s homemade!) or brekkie bowls. The coffee’s great, the atmosphere’s great and it’s a lovely, friendly place.
It’s also open as a wine bar in the evenings which I’d love to try one day. The courtyard felt quite European and would be glorious on a summers night.
17. Go starry eyed at the Mudgee Observatory
Mudgee is known for its incredible night skies and we were lucky enough to see the Milky Way on our visit, which is always magical.
To get an up close look at the constellations and planets you’ll need to head to the Mudgee Observatory which has telescopes and binoculars, and John will guide you through the whole experience.
This is the only thing on this list that we sadly didn’t manage to do ourselves. We were in Mudgee for several nights but it was fully booked every day. Book in advance if you’re visiting on a weekend, that’s what we’ll be doing next time!
At time of writing it is $15 for adults and $10 for children, and timings vary according to time of year.
Where to stay in Mudgee
Mudgee has a lot of excellent accommodation options for all budgets. Here are a couple of great options.
Perry Street Hotel
The Perry Street Hotel is a beautiful boutique accommodation in a two storey Victorian building. Whilst the exterior maintains it’s historic feel, the interior is very much modern, and it’s a stylish and relaxing place to retreat to after a day exploring. It’s very central and only a 5 minute walk from the cafes and restaurants in Mudgee.
All the rooms have private kitchenettes with a stovetop, which means you have the option to make yourself a meal rather than eating out all the time.
You check their current rates and availability on:
Soldiers Motel
If you’re looking for a good budget option, then the Soldiers Motel is a great choice. This motel is centrally located, has quiet and comfortable rooms and even a pool on site. It’s the perfect option if you’re visiting Mudgee on a tight budget, but don’t want to compromise on having a comfortable place to rest up.
Check the latest reviews and prices on:
Getting there
Sydney is 265km and roughly a 3 hours 45 minute drive from Mudgee. Public transport is not a good option for Mudgee, it would take hours longer and you would be quite stuck when you got there.
You can fly in from Sydney on Fly Pelican Airlines and hire a car if you’re tight on time.
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