The Tranquil side of the Hunter Valley
The beautiful Broke Fordwich valley is quietly developing into a quality wine tourism region where visitors can enjoy premium wines, olive oils and farm gate products, wonderful restaurants and cafes, luxury accommodation and most importantly, a tranquil rural experience which is far removed from the hustle and bustle.
Situated in a wide valley, the surrounding hills frame some of the best scenery in the area with the striking Brokenback mountain range and iconic Yellow Rock providing an impressive backdrop.
It is an easy fifteen minutes drive from the centre of Pokolbin and about two hours drive from Sydney via the historic township of Wollombi. Experience the relaxed and charming atmosphere of the region and meet the ‘people who do’- the vignerons, the olive growers, the winemakers and farm gate producers.
Explore & Discover
Broke Fordwich is an area of hills and plains and is known for its stunning natural beauty and peaceful rural ambience. It is flanked by the Brokenback and Hunter mountain ranges as well as the World Heritage Wollemi and Yengo National Parks.
Enjoy hiking or mountain biking through these parks and experience native animals, bird life, flora, striking rock formations and ancient cave paintings. !e Wollombi Brook meanders through the region providing shady, sandy banks for an al fresco picnic.
Idyllically placed at its centre is the township of Broke Village with it’s rustic country churches and old fashioned charm. Toast the end of the day with a glass or two of the regions finest wine while enjoying the brilliance of the setting sun reflected off majestic icon Yellow Rock, which keeps a watchful eye over the valley.
The Broke Fordwich Wine Region
Historically, Broke Fordwich is one of the oldest wine growing areas in Australia with plantings dating back to the early 1820’s. The region now has a mixture of innovative new producers as well as the original proud, farming families such as the Tulloch’s who have been continuously farming in the region since 1922 and have arguably, Australia’s oldest verdelho plantings. The area boasts sandy loam (ideal for semillon), river flat alluvial soil, red volcanic soil plus unique pockets of red basalt from the Fordwich Sill- not unlike the Coonawarra’s famous terra rossa.
Traditionally, the region has been known as one of the ‘produce bowls’ of the Hunter, supplying much of its grapes to large Pokolbin based wine companies. Author and winemaker Dr. Max Lake commented in his book of 1970 that the grapes grown in Fordwich provide the bigger flavoured wines on which much of the reputation of Pokolbin rested.
Today the area boasts over 70 “Boutique” vineyards. Ten intimate Cellar doors are scattered throughout the valley, and offer a wide range of award and trophy winning wines for tasting and purchase.
Visitors to the area are surprised by the amount of wildlife they see. It's rare to visit the area without seeing kangaroos, wombats and a large variety of birds.