Boydell’s Safari Tent East Gresford, NSW: glamping in wine country
Glamping out in an idyllic Hunter Valley hideaway, surrounded by vines — that’s how to do it in style.
When Jane and Daniel Maroulis relax on the vast veranda overlooking their vineyard that gently spills down to the Allyn River, their eyes will often settle on stone ruins in the shadow of a giant fig tree. This is all that remains of the home where Welshman Charles Boydell took up a land grant in 1826 and planted some of the Hunter Valley’s first vines.
Other vineyards soon flourished in this fertile region near the village of East Gresford, thanks in no small part to Boydell’s neighbour Henry Lindeman, who established himself as one of the great winemakers of the 19th century. But as the Hunter developed over the years and the Pokolbin area, 64km to the south, became its grapegrowing epicentre, this region was largely forgotten. Now, as I drive north of Maitland, there’s not a vineyard to be seen until I turn into the tree-lined road to the Maroulis property.
As newcomers to the industry you’d think they might have sought the fellowship of a wine estate closer to the action, but when the young couple found this picturesque spot with its small existing vineyard six years ago it struck them as the ideal place to raise their four girls and run some Black Angus cattle and a few horses while producing boutique wines under the label Boydell’s.
Then they got really busy. Sensing that it might be a stretch to attract enough daytrippers to keep a cellar door busy, they opened a restaurant and tasting room in a former slab hut in the town of Morpeth, half an hour’s drive away. And for good measure, completing the necessary nexus of food, wine and lodgings, they imported a 52sqm safari tent from Africa and installed it on the highest point of their property to offer an off-grid couple’s escape in the Aussie bush.
In full glamping spirit the tent has the comforts of a luxury hotel room – freestanding copper tub, king bed dressed in fine linen, METIS bath products, robes and towels. Proper wooden doors replace tricky tent-flaps, there’s a flushing toilet, small kitchenette with fridge and microwave, and a comfortable lounge area.
Unzip the canvas walls to welcome the country air and serene rural views and keep them down at night when a symphony of frog music with a full insect chorus emanating from the nearby dam will lull you to sleep. A hot open-air shower, attached to a tree, is a short dash from the tent’s large deck. Here, you only risk being observed by inquisitive kangaroos and wallabies and any number of birds. A barbecue on the deck and basic kitchen utensils allow for simple BYO food preparation.
There’s no wi-fi or TV but you are free to wander the 80ha property and visit the vineyard with its plantings of verdelho, chardonnay, pinot noir, merlot and shiraz. If you catch Daniel at work he’ll happily share information on the cycle of the vines – with a background in agronomy he’s taken to grape-growing like a bird to flight. He outsourced winemaking to the highly regarded Liz Silkman and from the get-go Boydell’s has been winning awards and plaudits from the wine press.
We sample the estate’s offerings in the rustic cellar door in the charming town of Morpeth and are introduced to the wonders of sparkling verdelho and a delicious cherry’n’spice pinot noir/shiraz blend. On this warm spring day the adjoining restaurant courtyard is filled with punters. It’s a smart restaurant with quality food and a strong local following – the sort of place every regional town needs.
When Jane and Daniel moved to East Gresford from Narromine in central NSW they were inspired by the pioneering spirit of Charles Boydell to carve out something new in an area that’s still off the beaten tourist path. The roads to their vineyard wind through farmland, the pretty riverside village of Paterson and the tiny town of Vacy, with its beloved General Store Cafe offering gifts, good coffee and burgers for under a tenner.
When I ask Jane what her safari tent guests do while they’re here, the answer is not much. Yes, it’s on the way to Barrington Tops and there’s the river to be explored and the Ladies Well swimming spot to be visited and Dungog, to the east, is a nice town with a popular mountain biking track. You could easily fill a few days without even venturing on the Hunter wine trail. But really, this idyllic spot above the vines is a place to read, sleep and dream. The chance to do “not much” is vastly underrated.
• Perfect for: Wine-loving couples seeking solitude.
• Must do: Soak up the rural atmosphere, explore the tiny hamlets; history buffs will find museums and heritage trails in the region. Look for picnic spots along the Allyn and Paterson Rivers; for a swim, head to Ladies Well.
• Dining: Boydell’s Cellar Door and Restaurant in Morpeth (Wed-Sun). Come for a wine tasting but stay for a meal. Must try:Confit duck bon bons, kingfish ceviche with salt cod beignets, line-caught mulloway. The village of East Gresford has a pub, a café and well regarded Chinese fare in the bowls club.
• Getting there: Boydell’s Vineyard is at 65 Allyn River Road, East Gresford, NSW, about 2.5 hours’ drive north of Sydney.
• Bottom line: $475 a night self-catered (two night minimum).
boydells.com.au
The perfect late summer salad
If your peaches are already super sweet, don’t even bother grilling them.
A Greek salad with the lot, and then some
The surprise here is the stone fruit, which pops with sour–sweetness to elevate the lot.