Our first full day on the cruise was a wonderful 30 degrees with some clouds to offer a bit of shade when it was needed. The ship was moored in Newcastle. In the last census the population of the region was 680,000 but is expected to reach over 1,000,000 people by 2031.
We decided to take a wine and cheese tour of Hunter Valley. Hunter Valley is a region of New South Wales, that extends approximately 120 km to 310 km north of Sydney. It runs along the Hunter River and is bordered by mountainous to the north and south.
The Hunter wine region is one of Australia's best known wine regions. It played a pivotal role in the history of Australian wine, as it was one of the first location to grow grapes suitable for wine. The first vineyards were planted in the early 19th century. With the growth of wine in other areas of Australia it now only accounts for around 3% of Australia's total wine production
For over 30,000 years the Wonnarua people of Aboriginal Australians inhabited the land. Along with the Worimi to the north and the Awabakal to the south, the Wonnarua developed a trading route connecting the Hunter Valley to the harbour now known as Sydney harbour.
The Hunter River itself was discovered, by accident, in 1797 by British Lieutenant John Shortland as he searched for escaped convicts. The region soon became the major source for timber and coal that provided fuel to the steamships out of Sydney.
The first road from Sydney to the area was surveyed in 1820. The main highway in the area follows the same path and is a major thoroughfare for wine tourists coming into the Hunter Valley from Sydney. On our bus ride to the wineries, we passed many large estates with expensive looking homes. I guess the wine business is a good place to make your fortune.
We stopped at two wineries. The first stop was Tulloch Winery. Established in 1985, it is one of the oldest wineries in Australia. Here we performed a taste test challenge. We were given 3 samples of white wine and 3 samples of red wine, and we were supposed to guess the type of wine. To help us, there was a placemat that showed what wines had certain colours, had different tastes and aromas. Marg scored a 2 out of six and I had a perfect score of 0 out of six. We all knew she had better taste than me and today she proved it.
We did stop at a cheese factor and an attached winery, but to be honest the cheese was fine, but the wine was very average.
On the way back to the boat, we stopped to view some kangaroos. Listening to the people on the bus reminded me of how excited I was in 2020, when I saw my first kangaroo.
As soon as we left Newcastle harbour on our way to Norfolk Island, the seas turned very rough. We were told it was due to a cyclone about 600 km to the north of us. The cyclone will not hit us, but it sure has made for a rocky ride tonight. Marg was hit particularly hard by the rough seas and missed dinner. Thankfully she is feeling much better.
After dinner we went to see the evening's entertainment. Tonight they had a "rat pack" review call Debonair. The six singers and dancers were the best I've seen on board a cruise ship. Usually a cruise ship's resident troop is average at best. This group was energetic, imaginative and had wonderful voices and smooth dance moves. I'd give it a 10 out of 10.
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