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Hunter Valley

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The Great Southern– all 711 metres of it.

If you love train travel, this Australian journey ticks all boxes

For most of the year, this train is the Ghan, travelling the historic route between Darwin and Adelaide. Come summer, there’s a change of scenery.

  • Justine Costigan

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The dining room at Harkham Restaurant.

The Good Food Guide to a road trip in the Hunter Valley

Stop for a dry-aged cheeseburger or steak Diane pie – or settle in for a long, wine-matched lunch at these Good Food-approved Hunter Valley venues.

  • David Matthews
Balloon flights depart at sunrise when the wind is calmest.

My trip to the Hunter cured my greatest fear

This short-trip itinerary showcased the best of the Hunter Valley and Newcastle’s wine and dining, with some thrill-seeking on the side.

  • Jessica McSweeney
Pan-fried murray cod, charred leek and shellfish cream at Muse Restaurant.

SMH Good Food Guide 2026: Best places to eat and drink in the Hunter Valley

The Valley is known for big-name wineries and big-ticket dining, but a crop of up-and-comers is shifting the narrative.

  • David Matthews
Police in Kearsley on Saturday.

Man arrested after mother found dead in suspected domestic violence incident

Police have arrested a 37-year-old man after a woman’s body was found in a home on Friday night. 

  • Kate Aubusson and Cindy Yin
Rescuers at the crash site on Mount View Road.

Groom on way to wedding trapped for 45 minutes after minibus rolls

The 56-year-old was seriously injured when the bus transporting the groom’s party to a Hunter Valley venue rolled seven times down an embankment.

  • Josefine Ganko and Penry Buckley
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Tremors from a 4.6 magnitude earthquake were felt in Sydney high-rise buildings.

Sydney high-rises rattled by Hunter Valley earthquake

Dozens of residents in Sydney towers reported feeling the quake which struck just before 3am. People as far south as Wollongong also reported tremors.

  • Riley Walter
Dan Repacholi

How a weight loss drug inspired ‘big unit’ Dan Repacholi’s ‘ministry for men’ idea

The Labor MP from the Hunter – with a bushranger-style beard, an imposing two-metre physique and a love of hamburgers – says he has seen first-hand how many men don’t speak about their troubles.

  • Matthew Knott
Dugald Saunders and Jo Haylen have both fallen foul of the rules around using public-funded transport.

NSW Nationals leader jetted to the wineries. He took ministerial car too

Documents released via freedom of information show then-agriculture minister Dugald Saunders took a ministerial vehicle with him on a controversial Hunter Valley trip.

  • Michael McGowan
NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders

Jetting to the wineries: NSW Nationals leader took RFS plane to Hunter Valley

NSW Nationals leader Dugald Saunders was the only passenger on a 34-minute taxpayer-funded flight from Dubbo to the Hunter region for a two-day trip which included a wine tour and tasting.

  • Michael McGowan, Alexandra Smith and Max Maddison