Hunter Valley

This morning, Peter drove us all to the Hunter Valley Gardens, near Pokolbin, about 45 minutes from Maitland.  Apparently, it is the biggest display garden in Australia. ( By British standards, it isn't very large or awe inspiring! Perhaps, gardening  in such a harsh climate makes it especially challenging? )There is mixture of planting of native trees and shrubs, and other areas representing different garden styles. We were a couple of weeks early for the formal rose garden, but the Chinese garden was looking rather lovely. 
We then returned via the many  vineyards.( wineries) for which the Hunter Valley is famed, and stopped at one for lunch.