EXOTERIC - Information Worth Sharing: ex·o·ter·ic
-adj
1. Not confined to an inner circle of disciples or initiates.
2. Comprehensible to or suited to the public; popular.
3. Of or relating to the outside; external.

I called Bruce M. and we decided to meet up at around 10am. I was hungry so I ended up getting a quick bite to eat at the corner Starbucks. I walked up to the Sydney Harbor bridge, but the view point at the pylon wasn't open yet. It was drizzling on and off. Every so often the clouds would break up and the sun would come out. After killing an hour or so walking around I went over to the Marriott and hooked up with Bruce M.
View of the Opera House from the Bridge.

We decided since we had a car that we should head out of the City and see more of Australia. The Hunter Valley Wine region is about 160km north of the City. We drove over the Harbor Bridge and threaded our way through North Sydney out to the main Highway 1. The highway cuts through the hills. The land becomes very forested and lush with eucalyptus. We stopped for lunch in Cessnock at a Subway sandwich shop. Everything here is metric, but they still sell sub sandwiches by the foot!

We stopped at the Hunter Valley wine region Visitor Centre and got some maps and advice on where to go. The wine region is really spread out and there are several different areas - north, central, south and the Upper Hunter Valley is yet another hour away. Lots of open spaces here. Lots of open fields with cattle grazing, then heavily forested hills with some vineyards scattered about. The clouds cleared up by 2pm and the weather was warm and dry.

Our first stop was the Small Winemakers Centre tasting room where we were able to taste wines from several small wineries. From there we went to Rosemount, Lindemans, Robyn Drayton and finally Ivanhoe. For a summer Sunday there was absolutely no crowds. Very laid back atmosphere and all of the tasting was complimentary (unlike California). The people here were extremely gracious. The wine is also fairly priced - ranging from $16 to $24 for most bottles. This is downright cheap compared to what we have been charged for food. I paid $3 for a can of soda and a foot long sub sandwich was $9.
Ready to taste some Australian wines.

We headed back the way we came and were back in the City by 7pm. We went down to the waterfront and had dinner at Wolfie's. We sat outside and the evening was very warm and comfortable. We tried some Kangaroo and Alligator kabob's. Kangaroo tastes very similiar to lean cuts of beef. The Alligator was chewy and rather bland. I had Rack of Lamb, which was very tender and tasty. I had to try the native foods at least once!

Back at the hotel now and ready for sleep.