I took the train up to "The Castle" and was met and shown the sights by Rob - erstwhile flatmate and former Newcastle resident. We walked along the front, then around Nobby's Head and the beach. It was a million degrees and I started to get sleepy in the car, but chugged a couple of powerades (gotta love 'em!) and perked up a bit. We drove up Sugarloaf Mountain and took in the spectacular view from the top, then headed off to Cessnock and into the Hunter Valley.

The Hunter Valley is a renowned wine producing region and chock a block full of vineyards. We had a picnic of avocados, pasta, chocolate mousse and doughnuts in the middle of gorgeous rolling hills and amazing scenery. After our feast, we drove over to the Ivanhoe winery, where I knocked back a fair few glasses of their sample wines. We were given a private tasting with a guy called Keith, who was very knowledgable and friendly. I don't know anything about wines except that I like to drink them, and my sole criterion for choosing a bottle is price (if it's under $10, it's all good - even if it tastes like vinegar). Keith was happy (or at least pretended to be) to answer all my stupid questions and not at all snobby. He told us he'd been working in the Hunter Valley for two years, and was an auto mechanic by trade. I bought a bottle of their Verdelho, and we went on to taste some cheese and more wine at the McGuigan vineyard.

By the time we left, there was thunder and lightning and we could see a storm in the distance. We started the two and a half hour journey back to Sydney and I took full advantage of the excuse of a road trip to pig out on chocolate and crisps, before slumping asleep. I woke up as we reached the harbour bridge back into the city.