Wine, food and books make for the perfect winter getaway at Mudgee Readers Festival

VIDEO: Tired of the same old same old and looking for the perfect winter weekend getaway destination? You can’t go past Mudgee's wine country.

THE opportunity to get up close and personal with some of Australia's most successful authors was all the temptation required for a winter weekend getaway in Mudgee.

Mudgee's annual readers festival - a celebration of the joy of reading - is a literary festival with a twist. It approaches books from the reader's point of view - allowing the bookish and erudite to hear the thoughts and motivations of their favourite authors at surprisingly intimate close quarters.

Authors chat informally with a moderator about their works and inspirations in front of small groups and answer questions from the audience at the end. There's the usual round of book signings, but it's not unusual to find yourself chatting to an international best-selling author like Graeme Simsion (The Rosie Project) at the bar while waiting for the next event to start.

News_Image_File: Locally made cheeses served on the sunny deck at Logan Wines.

Author's this year included Aboriginal writer, presenter and commentator Anita Heiss whose current novel Tiddas follows the lives of five women friends who grew up in Mudgee's picturesque streets and landscapes.

Others such as Jim Eames, Patti Miller, Kate Grenville, Morris Gleitzman, Ceridwen Dovey and Kate Holden also took part in conversations both individually and in groups over the two days.

Leading thinker, author and scientist, Tim Flannery was the keynote speaker at the festival's dinner on Saturday evening touching on such diverse topics as climate change and his long term friendship with comedian John Doyle with whom he created at television series based on a trip down the Darling River in a "tinnie".

News_Image_File: Keynote speaker at Mudgee Readers Festival was Professor Tim Flannery .

News_Image_File: Dr Anita Heisswas among authors to attend Mudgee Readers Festival.

If we came for the authors, we stayed for a relaxing break far from the crowds and traffic snarls.

The understated luxury of the Perry Street Hotel was an ideal home base for our meanderings, just 10 minutes easy stroll from the heart of town, restaurants, coffee shops and pubs.

The Fox and Co hotel is the first in what the company intends to be a chain of unique luxury apartment hotels in key regional NSW locations.

Originally the de Russie Suites before Fox and Co took over, the restored building opened about two years ago.

It's built within the historic structure of the 1862 Mechanics Institute, and there are 13 self-contained apartments - a new life for a beautiful colonial building once boarded up and on the verge of being condemned.

News_Image_File: Perry Street Hotel in the restored 1862 Mechanics Institute building.

News_Image_File: Perry Street Hotel luxury apartments.

Designers have paid homage to its historic past with sections of original wooden floors and towering roof line incorporated into the ultra-modern hotel makeover.

While it's true that Mudgee can still deliver a ferocious final blast of cold winter weather in August, its frosty mornings often unfold into clear blue cloudless skies which make for a great weekend.

If you have the time and a good warm jacket, take a long early morning walk around the town – check out the historic railway station, saunter through Robertson Park, marvel at how many grand colonial buildings can be jammed into the CBD of this historic country town. Stop for a coffee at one of the early openers.

As the morning moved on, markets in Lawson Park on the banks of the Cudgegong River were crowded with bargain hunters. The large park is a lovely place for a riverside walk and contains some ancient giant river redgums.

News_Image_File: Historic railway station at Mudgee now home to art gallery and restaurant

News_Image_File: Scenes on a misty morning walk around Mudgee railway station.

You'll need a midmorning coffee and the town is dotted with cafes all doing a roaring trade, with sunny spots and cosy nooks inside.

Mudgee is best known for its wineries which produce some particularly good reds. There are about 40 cellar doors to explore in the region, and many also serve food or coffee. We headed for Logan Wines a short drive out on the southern (Sydney side) approach to town.

The sun filled glass panelled tasting room with open fire was already humming. People drinking coffee, tasting wines, soaking up the sun and the view.

We settled with a platter of delicious locally made cheeses and a glass of red on the outdoor deck where it was cool, clear and fresh and the view to the surrounding hills over the vineyards was to die for.

News_Image_File: Trying some specialty unique wines at Mudgee Small Winemaker Centre.

News_Image_File: Winter view of bare vines in a vineyard.

Should you have a yearning for more cheese, High Valley Wine & Cheese is back on the other side of town and has been producing premium wines for the last 18 years and handmade gourmet cheeses for the last decade. You can book a private cheese tasting if you're a cheese fiend.

It's easy to spend an afternoon browsing local art galleries. We popped into Art and Crafts Mudgee, housed in the town’s beautiful old railway station (no longer operating but now home to the gallery and an Indian restaurant). Here local artisans trade their work - one of a kind clothing, jewellery, art ceramics and more.

Fairview ArtSpace on Henry Lawson Drive is also worth a look, and in the same location, there is a wine sampling outlet housed in an old shearing shed. Known as the Small Winemakers Centre, it specialises in wines of small producers who do not have their own cellar door.

News_Image_File: Mudgee's iconic clock tower marks the intersection of the two main streets.

News_Image_File: View of grand colonial buildings in Mudgee wide Market Street.

THE JOURNEY

Whichever way you drive to Mudgee, it's going to involve a relaxing drive through rolling hills and pretty scenery. It's what makes the drive worthwhile. From Sydney take the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains or follow the Bells Line of Road to Lithgow. Once you hit Lithgow, the turn off to Mudgee is on the left just out of town. It's a four-hour drive (or more depending on where you are coming from) if you want to stop and look at scenery, take a break, and poke along at a leisurely pace.

From Newcastle the Bylong Valley Way will take you through some really beautiful scenery - and sleepy little towns and villages like Denman, Sandy Hollow and Merrriwa. Again, it's a four hour drive or more if you like to stop and smell the roses.

News_Module: Mudgee NSW

COMING EVENTS

If you can't see yourself getting away in what’s left of the winter, don't despair. There's always next year, and in any case, one of area's most enduring events - the Mudgee Wine and Food Festival is on from September 12 - October 6. There are some fantastic things to do - everything from bottling your own wine, learning to make sourdough, farm walks, wine by candlelight, high teas, sunset sippings and all the wineries are open and ready for tastings. Throw in a variety of lunches and the Mudgee Wine Show dinner and your set for another great weekend in Mudgee. A word of warning though, accommodation can book out quickly so, if your keen, contact Mudgee Tourism on 1800 816 304