Mudgee is a township in the Central West region of the Australian state of New South Wales. Together with its neighbour Gulgong, Mudgee offers fantastic historical heritage and a host of great small wineries.

Understand

History

Mudgee's name comes from a local Aboriginal phrase meaning "nest in the hills", reflecting the town's position amongst hills created by long extinct volcanoes.

Get in

By car

From Sydney, Mudgee is an easy 3.5 hour drive (261 km). Take the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains or alternatively the Bells Line of Road through Windsor. Turn off for Mudgee just past Lithgow.

From Newcastle, Mudgee is a 3.5 hour drive (290 km). Take New England Highway to Singleton. Turn off for Jerry's Plains, through Denman, Sandy Hollow, Merriwa. Turn off for Mudgee approximately 10 km past the Cassilis intersection.

From Canberra - a 6 hour drive (471 km) through Yass to Boorowa, Cowra, Canowindra, Molong, Wellington to Mudgee. Alternatively Cowra to Bathurst, Sofala, Ilford and Mudgee.

From Brisbane - an 11 hour drive. Follow the Newell Highway to Dubbo then head east for Mudgee or alternatively the New England Highway to Tamworth, then through Gunnedah, Tambar Springs to Coolah and Mudgee.

By train

NSW Trainlink coach connections are available from Lithgow, meeting the morning Dubbo XPT. NSW Trainlink Intercity trains service Lithgow every 1-2 hours from Sydney, with and additional afternoon/evening service running to Mudgee every day but Saturday.

By plane

There are flights from Sydney by Pelican Airlines ☏ +6149650111. Charter flights are available, and you will need to get a taxi into town, and surrounding country. The airport is around 10 minutes drive from town.

Get around

Mudgee has a local bus service connecting the surrounding suburbs 4 times a day on weekdays only.

Many of the attractions of Mudgee are in the surrounding areas, and although the town centre is nice, being in town for a few days without a car or bicycle could be frustrating to a traveller.

See

• Mudgee Museum (Colonial Inn Museum), 126 Market Street. 
• War Memorial clock tower
• 1 St Mary of the Presentation Catholic Church (St Mary's Church), 57 Market St (Right next to the clock tower in the middle of town), ☏ +61 2 6372 2122, [email protected]. Office 09:00-16:00. Historic church built from 1857-1873, with steeple added in 1911. Built from local sandstone, contains historic stained glass windows. Verdigrised copper steeple was replaced in 2013. Free. (updated Jul 2016)

Do

There is much to do in Mudgee, whether you have an interest in local produce or whether you have a more adventurous interest. There are annual events which attract many tourists every year, particularly during long-weekends. Some of these include:

• The town's annual Wine Festival is held in late September.
• The Mudgee Amateur Dramatic Society performs one-act plays and productions throughout the year, and a musical is performed during the Wine Festival.
• There is a biannual airshow, Wings, Wheels and Wine, at the airport in April. There is an aviation museum at the airport open all year round.

Being a country town, there are also national parks near by which have some hiking tracks. While some of these do not allow camping, they do make for a good day's activities for families. Additionally, Mudgee has a large number of motocross enthusiasts, and has regular race days which attract big crowds, as well as motocross tracks where you can bring your own motorbike and hit the dirt. These tracks include:

• Louee Enduro & Motorcross. Lue, approximately 20min from Mudgee town on Lue Rd. All information and prices are available online. 
• Freeflight Motorcycle Park. Approximately 45min from Mudgee, 20 min north of Gulgong. All information and prices are available online. 

Buy

• The Mudgee region is home to dozens of wineries. Each road out of the town has clear signs directing visitors to all of the area's wineries, and maps can also be obtained from the town's Information Centre, located in Market Street.
• As well as wine and mead, the Mudgee region is renowned for its wide choice of conserves, tapenades, mustards, wine jellies, vinegars, olive oils and honeys
• Oakfield Country Store is where you can buy fresh homemade food and local goods. Located at Cassilis Road, Mudgee, NSW.
• 1 Mudgee Art House, 93 Market St, ☏ +61 402 848 634. Art prints by local artists. (updated Sep 2018)

Eat

Mudgee has a variety of restaurants and pubs to suit all people, and most carry locally produced wine to go with almost any meal.

These include:

• The Butcher Shop Cafe, Church St Mudgee 2850
• The Mudgee Brewing Company, 4 Church St, ☏ +61 2 6372 6726. 
• The Ori Bistro, 6 Lewis St, ☏ +61 2 6372 1074. 

For those who would prefer to enjoy fish and chips or take away pizza in one of Mudgee's many parks, however, can choose from:

• 1 Eltons Eating + Drinking, 81 Market St, ☏ +61 2 6372 1079.  (Who also make gorgeous wood fired pizza)

Some (but not all) of the surrounding wineries also serve food. Check in advance, and bookings are usually required.

Sleep

• Parklands Resort & Conference Centre, 121 Ulan Rd, ☏ +61 2 6372 4500. 
• Horatio Motel, 15 Horatio St, ☏ +61 2 6372 7727, [email protected]. 
• Colonial Court Villas, 159A Market St, ☏ +61 2 6372-0529. Self-contained Mudgee Accommodation just minutes from the main township. 
• 1 Wildwood Guesthouse, Henry Lawson Drive, ☏ +61 2 6373-3701. Mudgee guesthouse offering luxury accommodation 

Cope

• Mudgee Visitor Information Centre, 84 Market Street, ☏ +61 2 6372-1020, fax: +61 2 6372 2850. 

Go next

Mudgee is a 90-minute drive away from the city of Dubbo.