The Hunter Valley's best kept secret. And now you're in on it.
The Town
Most people head straight to Pokolbin. Buses, crowds, big cellar doors. Nothing wrong with that -- but it's not this.
Broke Fordwich is something different. A country retreat where family-run wineries sit alongside rolling farmland, olive groves and breathtaking mountain scenery. It moves slower here. The conversations go longer. The pours are more generous. And the people who make the wine are usually the ones handing it to you.
This is where you come when you want the real Hunter Valley -- not the postcard version.
The Landscape
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Yellow Rock escarpment and nestled at the foothills of the Brokenback Mountain Range, Broke Fordwich is just a two-hour drive from Sydney via the scenic Tourist Drive 33 route.
Broke Fordwich became an official Geographic Indication in 2003 -- the second in Australia to achieve that status -- recognised for its unique geology, ancient volcanic soils, and the microclimate created by the Wollombi
In plain English: the land here is unlike anywhere else in the Hunter, and you can taste it in every glass.
The Wine
Follow the Broke Fordwich Wine Trail and meander through more than a dozen cellar doors, all within a few kilometres of each other. No schedule. No rush. Just good wine and better conversation.
Download the map & information below
And don't forget Unruly Wines
Unruly Wines at Wild Vines Estate.
Single vineyard, small-batch, and entirely our own.
The Food
Broke Fordwich is an emerging artisan food destination with olive groves, farm gate producers and acclaimed dining worth savouring.
River Flats Estate - an organic family-owned olive grove producing oils, chutneys, jams, honey and olives. The kind of place you leave with a full bag and zero regrets.
Margan Restaurant - one of Broke's pioneering wineries with a hatted restaurant, rammed earth building and sustainably farmed estate. Book ahead for the restaurant. Book at Margans restaurant
Magoonys Coffee House - a local and visitor favourite for exceptional coffee and desserts. Start your day here.
Getting Here
Broke Fordwich sits about two hours north of Sydney. The scenic route via Tourist Drive 33 through Wollombi is worth every extra minute -- goannas crossing the road, mountain backdrops, dams reflecting the sky. You'll know you've arrived when the pace drops and the air changes.
