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Cessnock lies more or less due west of Newcastle, in an area of small creeks and tributaries of the Hunter River. But even in the main valley of the Hunter, followed by the New England Highway as it heads up towards the mountains of the Great Dividing Range and the New England Plateau, the impression is overwhelmingly rural, with green meadows and pastures interspersed with cornfields, vegetable patches and, of course, vineyards. Old mansions and sleepy hamlets, dating back to colonial times, complete the seemingly idyllic pastoral scene - though coal is extracted nearby from several enormous open-cast mines to feed Newcastle's power stations.

The area is dotted with interesting old country towns: even MAITLAND and SINGLETON , two of the main centres of the coal industry, boast historic buildings that help retain a beguilingly colonial flavour. Maitland, 25km northwest of Cessnock, is in fact a throughly historic place - an early convict foundation that in the nineteenth century became one of the most important towns in early Australia. There's an excellent state-of-the-art tourist information centre in Ministers Park on the corner of the New England Highway and High Street (tel 02/4933 2611, www.maitlandtourism.nsw.gov.au ), and in both towns the old jails have been converted into local history museums. Only 6km from Maitland, MORPETH is a picturesque river town that was an important Hunter Valley river port 150 years ago; today the old buildings house art galleries and craft shops.

WOLLOMBI , a historic homestead some 30km south of Cessnock, is the gateway to the Hunter Valley on the scenic inland route from Sydney, which involves leaving the freeway at Calga and heading north via Mangrove and Bucketty. The Wollombi Tavern makes a fine refreshment stop - sitting out on the wooden verandah looking over the creek to trees, fields and hills beyond is a real pleasure. Wollombi was once a ceremonial meeting place, and there are Aboriginal rock carvings and cave paintings throughout the area, some of which can be visited on horseback with the Wollombi Horse Riding Centre (tel 02/4998 3221; 1hr 30min-2hr; $30), 4km past the Wollombi Tavern on the Singleton Road. The New Gokula Farm , halfway between Cessnock and Wollombi on the Wollombi Road (tel 02/4998 1800), is a Hare Krishna farming community that puts on a free vegetarian feast at 12.30pm on Sunday; ask about staying in their guesthouse (tel 02/4998 1973 for details) - a very peaceful spot flanked by bush-covered hills.

Moving on from the valley, it's an easy detour to Barrington Tops National Park , north from Singleton and Maitland, or to the Chichester Dam , slightly closer in the same direction, surrounded by beautiful mountain and forest scenery and inhabited by melodic bellbirds.