Comfortable & Affordable Pokolbin Accommodation

Pokolbin is a small village at the heart of the wine region in the lower southern reaches of the Hunter Valley. It is about 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Sydney. The area is a celebrated for its excellent wines and strong tourism. The vineyards and trim vineyards have attracted an excellent group of restaurants. Pokolbin accommodation options cater for all budgets and tastes.

Alternatives include backpacker-style hostels; motels, caravan parks and camping grounds; both self-serve and stylish serviced apartments; personal and individualistic bed-and-breakfast homes; country villas, cottages and lodges; stately homes and five star luxury resorts. The appeal of the region and hospitality of its locals is evidenced by the many Sydney residents that use the Pokolbin wine region for weekend breaks and short getaways. Nearby towns include Cessnock as well as Rothbury and Branxton.

Pokolbin lies at the base of the Brokeback Range which generally forms a western border for wine country. The region is rich in both aboriginal and pioneer colonial history. Indigenous aborigines have lived in the area for some 3,000 years. Europeans pioneers were attracted to the region during the early 1800s by its fertile soil.

Two of the earliest vineyards established in the area were the Dalwood estate set-up by George Wyndham and the Kirkton estate founded by William Kelman together with his brother-in-law James Busby (1801-1871). Busby is generally considered the father of the Australian wine industry. Busby arrived in Sydney with his parents in 1824. He had previously studied viticulture in France.

He was granted 2,000 acres on the Hunter River. In September 1831, Busby returned to Europe and began a four-month tour of French and Spanish vineyards. Those travels allowed him to publish Journal of a Tour Through Some of the Vineyards of Spain and France (Sydney; 1833). It also allowed him to bring 700 vine cuttings back to Australia.

Busby arranged for half of the cuttings to be planted in the Sydney Botanical Gardens and half at his Kirkton estate. The cuttings planted at Kirkton were among the earliest planted commercially in Australia. Today, vineyards in the area produce semillon and shiraz grapes and significant volumes of cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay plus some pinot noir.

Hunter Valley residents and authorities have for several decades purposefully cultivated tourism into the region. In particular, much effort has been directed to ensure the accommodation available is of a high quality and exists across a wide variety of styles and formats to ensure it meets the varied needs of visitors.

In line with this effort, visitors to Pokolbin and its surrounds will find gay friendly accommodations, pet friendly places, retreats focused on corporate executives, family oriented and child friendly places. They will also find places focused on catering for weddings, honeymooners and couples wanting a discreet romantic hideaway. And, of course, there are also lodgings that specialize in catering for conference and other large groups.

In summary, Pokolbin accommodation provides a comfortable base for visitors to the region. The valley is the sixth most visited area by tourists in Australia. In addition to wine, the region is also noted for its prominent horse stud farms.