Hunter Valley wineries are redefining the cellar door experience in NSW, ensuring that a visit is a memorable occasion for children and adults alike.
With offerings such as giant Jenga, farmyard animals and playgrounds, you are bound to find a place that will keep the little ones entertained while you relax and sip a Pinot nearby.
Read on to discover the best wineries for families around Australia!
Kid-friendly wineries in New South Wales
Keen to visit the Hunter Valley’s renowned cellar doors? Here are some of the best vineyards that welcome kids.
Scarborough Wines Co. - Hunter Valley
Fine wines, cheese platters and wide open grassy spaces for the kids to explore. The cellar door at Scarborough Wine Co has everything you need for a family-friendly wine tasting experience. While adults are sampling Scarborough’s award-winning wines, kids will be sipping on something sweet of their own. They’ll get a kids pack with a juice, colouring activities and puzzles to keep them entertained. And that’s before they even step outside. The kids zone has hula hoops, giant Jenga, chess boards, quoits, and a huge chalkboard outside to draw on.
179 Gillards Rd, Pokolbin
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
Tulloch Wines - Hunter Valley
Tulloch Wines caters especially for kids with their Junior Tasting Experience. Under-12s can feel part of the cellar door experience as they sample three non-alcoholic drinks paired with snacks.
638 De Beyers Rd, Pokolbin
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
Tamburlaine Organic Wines - Hunter Valley
Tamburlaine Organic Wines welcomes family members of all sizes (even the furry ones). The grass area and adjoining play area right next to cellar door is just perfect for pre-packed picnics. Kids can join their parents for a seated tasting experience with a selection of tasty snacks, non-alcoholic drinks and colouring pages to keep them entertained.
358 McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin
Open daily from 9 am – 5 pm
Elbourne Wines - Hunter Valley
Elbourne Wines has farmyard animals including Wessex Saddleback pigs, Black Suffolk sheep, a pony, chickens, geese and ducks. The owners also let the kids of guests use their childrens’ play equipment, which includes a large sandpit, cubby house and trampoline, while their parents enjoy a tasting experience.
236 Marrowbone Rd, Pokolbin
By appointment only
Wandin Valley Estate - Hunter Valley
Wandin Estate cellar door is a crowd-pleaser for kids and grown-ups. Let the kids run free outside exploring the cricket ground and pavilion. An activities table has been set up permanently just inside the cellar door to keep the kids busy while the grown-ups sample some fine wine.
12 Wilderness Rd, Lovedale
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
De Bortoli Wines - Hunter Valley
De Bortoli Wines offers camel rides around the vines every Saturday (weather permitting) to enjoy while parents indulge in a chocolate and wine pairing in the cellar door.
532 Wine Country Dr, Pokolbin
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
Calais Estate - Hunter Valley
Calais Estate has a kids’ corner in the cellar door where children can play games and do craft activities. It also sells gourmet picnic packs which can be enjoyed on the grounds, which are home to peacocks, geese and other wildlife.
151 Palmers Ln, Pokolbin
Open Sunday to Friday from 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday 9 am – 5 pm
Heifer Station - Orange
Heifer Station Vineyard & Cellar Door, 15 minutes’ drive from the town of Orange, has a petting zoo and a sandpit complete with toy bulldozers for the littlies, as well as a rustic cellar door housed in an old woolshed and outdoor tables sure to please parents.
1034 The Escort Way, Borenore
Open daily from 11 am – 5 pm
Robert Stein Winery, Vineyard & Farm - Mudgee
Lowe Family Wine Co has a farm trail walk, which takes kids past the jetty to see rescue donkeys, chickens, peacocks and ducks. Children can also play petanque and other games.
Tinja Ln, Mudgee
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
Lowe Family Wine Co - Mudgee
Robert Stein Winery & Vineyard has a collection of vintage bikes at its motorcycle museum that little boys (and their dads!) will love. The family farm surrounding the vineyard also has Angus cattle, Dorper sheep and Berkshire pigs.
62 Quarry Ln, Budgee Budgee
Open daily from 10 am – 4:30 pm
Coolangatta Estate - NSW South Coast
Coolangatta Estate near Berry offers onsite Segway tours through the vines and rides to the top of Coolangatta Mountain on board a large 4WD open-sided tractor with Bishop’s Bigfoot Adventures.
335 Bolong Rd, Coolangatta
Open daily 11am – 5pm
De Bortoli Wines Bilbul Estate - Griffith
De Bortoli Wines at Bilbul in the Riverina has a pergola where parents can enjoy a wine while keeping an eye on the kids on the nearby playground.
De Bortoli Road, Bilbul
Open Monday to Saturday from 9 am – 5 pm
Kid-friendly wineries in Western Australia
Rivendell Winery Estate - Margaret River
The Rivendell Restaurant and Cellar Door has a playground with a sandpit, slippery slide and climbing frame as well as games on the lawn, including totem tennis, football and bocce.
1172 Wildwood Rd, Yallingup
Open Thursday to Sunday from 10 am – 5 pm
Swings & Roundabouts - Margaret River
Swings & Roundabouts has an eco-friendly wooden playground with wine barrels to crawl through, and a cubby house. Families also love the wood-fired Italian pizza.
2807 Caves Rd, Yallingup
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
Aravina Estate - Margaret River
Aravina Estate in Yallingup has a large lawn for picnics, a fenced playground and a kids’ menu.
61 Thornton Rd, Yallingup Siding
Open Friday to Sunday from 11 am – 5 pm
Mandoon Estate - Swan Valley
It’s the closest wine region to Perth, but did you know the Swan Valley is great for families too? Mandoon Estate on the banks of the Swan River, has an enclosed playground, alfresco area with picnic tables and live music on weekends.
10 Harris Rd, Caversham
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
Cape Mentelle Vineyards - Margaret River
Cape Mentelle Vineyards has swings and a kids’ corner with a drawing table to keep children occupied while adults enjoy a wine tasting. They also operate an outdoor cinema in summer.
331 Wallcliffe Rd, Margaret River
Open daily 10 am – 5 pm
Kid-friendly wineries in South Australia
Gemtree Wines - McLaren Vale
Gemtree Wines has a playground and lawn area for children to play on, animals they can visit with their parents, and a 1km-long eco-trail, as well as a picnic area with barbecues.
167 Elliot Rd, McLaren Flat
Open daily from 11 am – 5 pm (winter by appointment only)
Maxwell Wines - McLaren Vale
Maxwell Wines has a maze where kids can get lost and a picnic area where you can snack on a cheese platter from the cellar door.
19 Olivers Rd, McLaren Vale
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
Woodstock Wines - McLaren Vale
Woodstock Wines has a wildlife sanctuary with kangaroos, wallabies and long-nosed potoroos.
215 Douglas Gully Rd, Blewitt Springs
Open daily from 11 am – 4 pm
Fox Creek Wines - McLaren Vale
Fox Creek Wines offers a kids’ treasure hunt that sees them following clues in hanging wine bottles, spread throughout the cottage gardens before collecting a prize at the cellar door.
90 Malpas Rd, McLaren Vale
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
More in SA: Family-friendly guide to the Barossa Valley
Kid-friendly wineries in the Canberra District
Murrumbateman Winery
Murrumbateman Winery features a ping pong table, chalkboard tables and colouring books. The dogs who live at the winery also love a good pat.
131 McIntosh Cct, Murrumbateman
Open daily from 10 am – 5 pm
Lake George Winery
Lake George Winery, which is the oldest in the region, has giant games such as Connect Four, a small kids’ play area which includes colouring and a few games, a flying fox and a tractor to climb on.
Federal Hwy, Lake George
Open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am – 5 pm
Clonakilla
Clonakilla offers colouring books, a basket of toys and outdoor games such as quoits. You can also BYO picnic lunch.
Enter via 3 Crisps Ln, Murrumbateman
Open weekdays from 11 am – 4 pm, weekends from 10 am – 5 pm
Tallaganda Hill Winery
Tallagandra Hill Winery has a playground set for kids.
1692 Murrumbateman Rd, Gundaroo
Open weekends from 11:45 am – 4 pm
Kid-friendly wineries in Queensland
Ocean View Estates - Moreton Bay
At Ocean View Estates Winery and Restaurant kids can kick a ball around while parents enjoy a gourmet picnic hamper on the grass, or watch them from the noshery’s verandah.
2557 Mount Mee Rd, Ocean View
Open Wednesday to Sunday
O'Reilly's Canungra Valley Vineyards - Gold Coast
O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards is also home to Mountview Alpaca Farm, where children can feed the alpacas and walk them through the vineyards.
852 Lamington National Park Rd, Canungra
Open daily 10 am – 4 pm
Book: Tour the Lamington National Park + O’Reilly’s Vineyard
Kid-friendly wineries in Victoria
De Bortoli Wines - Yarra Valley
De Bortoli Wines has a playground, gazebo and gardens where families can picnic or dine in the Italian-inspired restaurant, Locale.
Opening image: A family at Scarborough Wine Co. in the NSW Hunter Valley
