Stonehurst Cedar Creek

Stonehurst Cedar Creek is a rustic, family-run winery on a sprawling property in the Wollombi Valley side of the Hunter, at 1840 Wollombi Road. Well-behaved dogs on a lead are welcome to join tastings at the sandstone cellar door and to explore the estate grounds with you, and if you want to make a weekend of it there are vineyard cottages on site, including a designated pet-friendly one.

The dog setup

Dogs join you on lead in the outdoor areas and at the cellar door, with bins for clean-up and grounds worth a slow wander between tastings. Two things to know before you go: there are resident winery dogs on site, so your dog needs to be sociable, and the pet-friendly accommodation is limited to one specific cottage where dogs stay supervised and unattended dogs are not left in rooms. Book that cottage well ahead and confirm the current terms directly, because availability is genuinely limited.

Pepsi: the winery dogs consider themselves the welcome committee, so a calm hello through the gate before you unclip goes a long way.

Worth knowing

The estate leans organic, with wines grown on site and a relaxed, rustic atmosphere that photographs well among the vines. The property is large, so there is space to walk the dog off the tasting verandah without crowding other guests. Weekends get busy, especially during wedding season, as the estate is a popular ceremony venue, so weekday visits are the calmer choice for a sensitive dog.

Getting there and parking

Stonehurst sits in the Cedar Creek pocket of the Hunter, about 15 minutes from Cessnock and roughly two hours from Sydney, on the road linking the Pokolbin wine country with Wollombi village. Parking is on site and easy, with a short walk to the cellar door. The cellar door typically opens Thursday to Monday, 10am to 5pm, with Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment, so check hours before a midweek run.

While you're out there

Wickham Timber Reserve is the local option for a proper walk among the trees, and the Pokolbin cellar doors are an easy drive back toward the main strip. Plan a two-stop day rather than trying to cross the valley on foot with the dog.

More options are on the NSW wineries guide and the Cedar Creek destination page.