Things to do in Mudgee, NSW: Best attractions and experiences

The best things to do in Mudgee, NSW, include hot air ballooning tours, visiting the Mudgee wineries and stargazing at the Mudgee Observatory.

Mudgee, NSW, is at the centre of a wine region that has boomed in recent years. The once fairly anonymous town in the Central West of New South Wales has become a hugely appealing food and wine hub.

Mudgee offers private wine tours, hot air balloon rides over the vineyards and opal-polishing workshops.

To sort out you Mudgee accommodation in advance, book here.

It is now very popular as a weekend break destination from Sydney. Wine tourism is the main drawcard, and there are several excellent cellar doors in and around Mudgee. Lowe Wines, De Beaurepaire Wines, Bunnamagoo Estates, Logan Wines, Moothi Estate and Burnbrae Wines are among the favourites.

Logan Wines in Mudgee, NSW. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

Things to do in Mudgee, NSW: Wine tours

You’re best off visiting a few in succession on a wine tour, however. Mudgee Wine and Country Tours and Mudgee Wine Explorer Tours will take you out tasting for the day.

Wine isn’t all Mudgee has to offer, however. Other goodies made in the area include beers courtesy of the Mudgee Brewing Co, cheese from the High Valley Cheese Co and honey from Mudgee Honey Haven. The Pipeclay Pumphouse heads an increasingly impressive roster of restaurants.

3 great experiences to book in Mudgee

Opal-polishing workshop – and set the opals as jewellery.
Wine and food tour in a classic car – indulge in style.
Sunrise hot air balloon flight – see the vineyards from above.

Things to do in Mudgee, NSW: Heritage buildings and Mudgee Observatory

Beyond filling your face, things to do in Mudgee include ticking off the heritage buildings. The handsome sandstone St Mary’s Catholic Church dates back to 1857, and the elegant colonial Mudgee Post Office goes back to 1862. The Mudgee Museum makes a decent fist of covering local history.

Other Mudgee activities include viewing the night sky from the Mudgee Observatory. There’s a theatre and flat screen planetarium here, but the real reason to visit is the evening stargazing sessions through a range of telescopes.

What to do in Mudgee: Balloon tours and Wollemi National Park

You can also go hot air ballooning above the Mudgee vineyards. Balloon Aloft runs sunrise ballooning tours here.

If nature’s your thing, then Mudgee is relatively close to the western end of the Wollemi National Park. The Dunns Swamp section is the easiest part to access from the town.

Mudgee accommodation picks include the helpfully central Cobb and Co Court Boutique Hotel, the handily affordable Soldiers Motel and the sprawling Parklands Resort.

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