Set in the heart of Pokolbin, NSW, Hunter Valley Gardens has established itself as a diverse tourist attraction, complementing Australia’s oldest wine producing region.
2090 Broke Road, Pokolbin
Hunter Valley Gardens is an all year round oasis of colour on a scale not seen before in other areas of Australia, offering a unique mix of activities suitable for all age groups, short or long stay visits, special interest and casual groups.
Hunter Valley Gardens is set on 225 hectares, with the main attractions being the 60 acres of international display gardens. Located adjacently and also owned by Roche Group is the boutique shopping village, picnic ground and barbecue area and village green. Also on site are Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens (4½ star), Harrigan’s Irish Pub and Accommodation (4 star), and Roche wines.The village is an intimate series of boutique retailers and outlets (all owner occupied) promoting the best of local produce, artistic talent, contemporary café dining and of course, cellar door wine tasting. The village square overlooks the beautiful Chapel holding many weddings each week and regular non-denominational services of worship.
All this before the visitor has discovered the international display gardens incorporating 10 amazingly themed gardens with influences from around the world. Over 8km of pathways, more than 100 kilometres of underground irrigation, 6000 trees, 600 000 shrubs and 1 000 000 ground covers have been planted and nurtured to create a legacy for generations to come – an exciting experience of sight, colour and fragrance to delight visitors of all ages and nationalities!
EVENTS
An “in-house” Event Manager manages the events in the Gardens. Their charter is to produce and manage the events in the gardens, which includes school holiday programs, outdoor concerts. Hunter Valley Gardens newest event is Snow Time in the Gardens, a very unique concept. The Christmas Lights Spectacular, an event where Christmas lights were put throughout 5 of the display gardens with entertainment and Santa. This event was so popular we have spent considerable time and money improving it to make it even bigger with each successive year. Check the Festivals and Events page for more details.
For the family…
A diverse range of activities are developed each School Holidays including reptile displays and demonstrations, circus workshops and themed shows such as Ice Age 4 and Despicable ME2. The opportunity for a picnic day with gift shopping, family dining at Oscars and a scoop of ice cream in a beautiful rural location with sporting and fun activities (the unusual Aqua Golf Driving Range), golf putting course, playground and village green, with a stroll to the ‘Storybook Gardens’ makes for a great day out.
For the garden lover…
This is truly the most unique experience in the Southern Hemisphere – the beautifully landscaped village introduces and sets the scene for a day strolling the 10 themed gardens within the display area. Opportunities to ‘Meet the Horticultural staff’ at garden talks which vary by season in The Rose Garden, The Formal Garden, The Oriental Garden, The Border Garden, and on subjects such as History of the Gardens, Rose pruning, Pests and Diseases and Topiary pruning. Break the day with a lunch, some wine appreciation, cooking demonstration classes or browsing Garden Gate Gift Gallery.
For the romantic…
Couples may take a romantic afternoon stroll through the Gardens and perhaps choose to stop at the Chapel, do some wine tasting in the atmospheric underground sandstone cellars, lunch at The Cellar restaurant, indulge in fine coffee at Bliss, liqueurs at Flaschengeist or hand crafted chocolates from the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company.
For the more mature…
A Devonshire Tea in front of the fire on cooler days at Taste of the Country or lunch at The Garden Terrace overlooking the Oriental Garden. Visitors generally enjoy a gentle stroll to the Italian Grotto or perhaps a guided train tour around the entire Gardens.
As a result of the customer-focused attitude, the atmosphere created at Hunter Valley Gardens is friendly and comfortable. We believe this attitude allied with the range of products sets us apart from our competitors.
OPENING HOURS: Daily 9:00am – 5:00pm
4th November to 26th January: 9:00am – 400pm & 6:30pm – 10:00pm
