2015 May - Day 4 (Blue Mountains -> Featherdale Wildlife Park -> Hunter Valley)

TODAY'S ITINERARY

DAY 4: PLACES VISITED

1.      Featherdale Wildlife Park       2.      Hunter Valley

3.      Pokolbin Village       4.      Tempus Two       5.      First Creek Wines       6.      H Boutique Hotel

Woke up early and had breakfast in the house before heading out for another long drive.

Featherdale Wildlife Park

Address: 217-229 Kildare Road, Doonside, NSW 

Phone: +61 2 9622 1644 

Opening hours: 9am to 5pm 

Featherdale Wildlife Park is an inconspicuous establishment nestled in the township of Doonside. It would be easy to miss if you weren't looking for it. On arrival at the car park, it is easy to dismiss the place as nothing much however once you walk through the entrance, a world of Australian wildlife opens up for you especially when they allows the animals to roam around with the humans, providing an up-close experience with the animals. 

Will definitely recommend this place to go to, especially if you have kids!

From it's website:

"Established on 7 acres of land originally purchased by Charles and Marjorie Wigg in 1953, Featherdale has evolved from a poultry farm into one of the best privately own wildlife parks in Australia. The Wigg’s son-in-law, Bruce Kubbere studied Australian fauna from early childhood and with his vision and encouragement, Featherdale opened to the public as a wildlife park in 1972."

Each one of us were given a "Passport" after we purchased the tickets. The "Passport" includes a map on the left and a "Stamp Page" which you can look out for the stamps all over the park at the various area for the animals.

With the "Passport", it allows us to mark down which area we went and also serves a "goal" for us to complete.

The highlight of the Park, a photo with the Koala! Even though some zoo or wildlife parks in Australia allows the visitors to carry Koala, you won't be able to do so in Featherdale. However, there is a special corner which you can queue to have a photo with the Koala that happens to be on duty and awake! 

Here are some snapshots of the animals we took in the park. Noticed the ice cream cone  of grass on the left hand side with the Kangaroo? Yes, you can buy the Kangaroo Food to entice Kangaroos to take a photo with you!

To purchase the Kangaroo Food, it is totally self-service. You just need to look for the fridge-looking machine, drop a dollar in the black box and grab a cone. Off you go to find a Kangaroo or two who are hungry! 

Here we are each having a cone of Kangaroo Food, trying to entice the Kangaroos to take a shot with us. But as you can see, most of them are purely interested in the food and not the camera, so get the photographer to find a spot that can capture a great shot! 

The Kangaroos are actually quite strong and they do bite the cone away. So hold on to it if you want the cone to last, if not, it will be on the floor soon. 

Do take note that there is actually fenced up area where the animals can choose to hide from humans, so do not disturb them if they are in that zone. Let them take their much needed break from entertaining humans. 

Another fun item to take note will be the presentations time! The presentation time is actually the feeding time for the animals. It's interesting and informative to go through the presentations, especially when the keepers actually will interact with the audience and providing information about the animals! 

I personally love the presentation of the penguins! They are so cute and naughty at the same time, fighting over the fishes or trying to steal some fishes from the ice box.  

Like all zoos, they do have informative boards around the park in regards to the animals in the enclosure. This marks the end of our adventure in Featherdale Wildlife Park. There is much more animals so do bring your kids along or just go there for an interesting experience yourself!

Headed off to Hunter Valley after the adventure at the Park. Stopped at Cafe F3, along the way, that allows us to settle our hungry stomach.

This will be useful if you are exploring the central coast.

Off we go on our journey to Hunter Valley and this is the mark which allows us to know we are in the city of Hunter Valley. However, we are not staying in the city, so off we go, further into Hunter Valley.

The view is just so pretty and scenic with only one or two vehicles driving by.

Pokolbin Village

Address: 2188 Broke Rd, Rothbury NSW 2320, Australia

Phone:+61 2 4998 7670

Oh! We spotted Pokolbin Village along the way, and stopped for a visit! They do have a few shops and even a general store!

Oh! This chocolate shop have really yummy chocolates and huge varieties!

Saw the Smelly Cheese Shop and the funny part is that we actually bought an ice cream from a cheese shop instead of cheese. They do have tasting of cheese available at a price which I forgot, so if you are a fan of cheese, do give them a try!

Tempus Two

Address: Corner of Broke & McDonalds Roads, Pokolbin

Phone: +61 2 4993 3999

Next stop, Tempus Two. Another location we spotted on the way. It looks grand and new, so we headed in to take a look. It is full of cellars which is really grand, and a few bars/restaurants.

First Creek Wines

Address: 600 McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2320, Australia

Phone:+61 2 4998 7293

Next location, First Creek Wines! And it is here where we spotted our first wild Kangaroo! It's HUGE and TALL, even though we are in our car and a distance away!

First Creek have been crafting wines of exceptional regional quality since 1996, led by Liz Jackson and Greg Silkman. They are regarded as amongst the best wine makers in Australia, so much so that over 25 wine companies in New South Wales also trust First Creek to make wine from a range of unique vineyards and micro climates within Australia. Visitors can experience winery and bottling tours daily, so do call in advance to arrange for the tour.

H Boutique Hotel

Address: 770 McDonalds Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320, Australia

Phone:+61 2 4998 6969

Our accommodation for the night at Hunter Valley! Set in Hunter Valley in the foothills of the Brokenback mountain range, these stylish and chic 1- and 2-bedroom country cottages feature verandahs and gas fireplaces, plus flat-screen TVs, DVD players and kitchenettes.

Amenities include expansive grounds and free parking. Internet access and phones aren't available. The reception desk can arrange local tours and restaurant reservations. 

The setting sun.

Drinking the wine bought from First Creek with the cup noodles we bought the night before. A unique combi while enjoying the peace and quiet of Hunter Valley. 

Ending this post with the real gad fireplace at the cottage! The logs are a permanent fixture in the fireplace and you just need to on it on a control panel which the staff will guide you through when they brought you to your cottage!