Pokolbin is a rural locality in the

Hunter Region The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It is part of the

Singleton Council Singleton Council is a local government area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated adjacent to the New England Highway and the Main North railway line. The mayor of the council is Cr. Sue Moore, an independent p ...

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

and the

city of Cessnock City of Cessnock is a local government area in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located to the west of Newcastle. The largest population centre and council seat is the city of Cessnock. The May ...

. The area is the centre of the Lower

Hunter Valley wine The Hunter Valley is one of Australia's wine regions. Located in the state of New South Wales and first cultivated in the early 19th century, it was one of the first Australian wine regions.Johnson, Hugh, and Jancis Robinson. The World Atlas of ...

region. Pokolbin lies within the

Hunter Valley Important Bird Area The Hunter Valley Important Bird Area is a 560 km2 tract of land around Cessnock in central-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Description The site has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it r ...

History

The

Darkinjung people The Darkinjung (not to be confused with the Darkinyung people further inland) are the Local Aboriginal Land Council in the Central Coast, New South Wales, area of Australia and a major landowner on the Central Coast, participating in formal join ...

(specifically the Wonarua tribe) originally inhabited the Cessnock area, including Pokolbin, for more than 3000 years. They were the major inhabitants at the time of European contact. This contact was disastrous for the Darkinjung people. Many were murdered or died as a result of European diseases. Others were forced onto neighbouring tribal territory and killed. Many lost the will to live and occupied shanty ghettos on the edge of white settlements. Settler pressure on land also constricted traditional tribal and clannish domains, often leading to tribal fighting. Viticulture in the Hunter Valley is often considered to have commenced with James Busby. In the 1820s he studied oenology, wrote a treatise and guidance manual on the subject and briefly taught viticulture at a Liverpool farm school. In 1831 he undertook a tour of French and Spanish vineyards which resulted in two published journals of the trip. He returned with 570 cuttings of which 363 survived carefully wrapped in moss, sand and soil. Half went to the newly established Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney. The rest he took with him to the family estate of Kirkton, just north of Belford on the Hunter river run by his brother-in-law William Kelman. Also in 1828 George Wyndam planted vines at his Dalwood estate with the first shiraz being planted there in 1830. The Drayton family established a vineyard at Pokolbin around the late 1850s and the Tyrrells Estate was set up in 1859 with Frederick Wilkinson planting vines at Oakdale in 1866. After the Robertson Land Act was introduced in 1861 the way was opened for small landholders and more people began to settle in the Rothbury/Pokolbin area. The main farming activities were wheat, tobacco, dairy and grapes. By the 1930s the area was known for producing quality wines.

Wine

Pokolbin is surrounded by the Pokolbin subregion of the Hunter wine region, which includes numerous wineries, ranging from large multi-national to small family run operations, many of which are popular tourist destinations.

Tourism

Tourist accommodation in the area is plentiful due to the wine industry and Pokolbin's proximity to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, which is to the south, reached via the Pacific Motorway. Accommodation includes country resorts, golfing resorts, motels and guest houses and hostels. There are many local restaurants where visitors can try local wines.

Attractions

Attractions in the Pokolbin area include numerous wineries and Pokolbin village. The

Hunter Valley Gardens Hunter Valley Gardens is in the heart of Hunter Valley wine country, located in Pokolbin, NSW, Australia. It opened in 2003 and is now open everyday of the year except Christmas Day. The gardens span across 14 hectares of land, containing 10 ...

span over of land in the heart of the Hunter vineyards at the foot of the Brokenback Range, west of Cessnock. Potters Brewery, established in 2002, is the Hunter's first microbrewery located in the heritage listed "Brick Beehive Kilns of Nulkaba". The

Great North Walk The Great North Walk is a walking track which runs from Sydney to Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia. The main track, in length, runs between the Obelisk in Macquarie Place in Sydney to Queens Wharf in Bicentennial Park in Newcastle and ...

, a long-distance walking trail between Sydney and

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

, has an extension that goes to Pokolbin.

References

External links

Pokolbin Newspaper Article
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2020 Suburbs of Singleton Council Suburbs of City of Cessnock