Best Things To Do in Mudgee & Surrounds

Things to do in Mudgee with kids

Balancing wine tasting with family time is surprisingly easy here, and it means the whole crew can join the Mudgee road trip fun. From wetland wanders to stargazing sessions, these Mudgee attractions prove that “kid-friendly” and “grown-up approved” can happily overlap. 

• Go wild at Putta Bucca Wetlands – A flat 2-km loop skirts lagoons where black swans and tiny eastern long-neck turtles skim the surface. Pick up the free kids’ bird-spotting checklist at the trailhead, then let them tick off sightings from the two new hides. There’s even a timber playground right by the car park, so you can brew a picnic coffee while they burn off the last of their energy.   

• Reach for the stars at Mudgee Observatory – Fifteen minutes west of town, this privately built observatory runs nightly theatre shows and telescope tours under inky-black skies. Junior astronauts can handle binoculars bigger than their heads and learn to spot the Southern Cross before bedtime.  

• Stretch little legs at Flirtation Hill lookout – An easy five-minute stroll (or push-chair-friendly roll) from the car park rewards you with sweeping views over story-book Gulgong.    

• Sip, play, repeat at Logan Wines – This glass-walled cellar door keeps parents sampling cool-climate whites while kids sprawl on the lawn with lawn games and colouring kits. The staff are genuinely welcoming to families, and dogs are allowed outside too, making it one of the easiest Mudgee wineries to visit with the whole family. 

Day trips from Mudgee (choose your distance)

When travelling with kids, there is something simple and relaxing about basing yourself in town for a weekend in Mudgee, then using the camper as a comfy day-trip pod. Below we’ve broken down the best towns near Mudgee, hikes and heritage haunts by drive time, so you can mix and match depending on how adventurous you’re feeling. 

In and around Mudgee (0–15 minutes)

• Mudgee’s heritage town centre – Gold-rush facades on Market and Church Streets house boutiques, bakeries and the pretty sandstone St Mary’s Church. 

• Mudgee Arts Precinct – A sleek regional gallery hosting everything from Archibald Prize tours to Wiradjuri weaving workshops. Perfect rainy-day cultural fix. 

• Local farmers’ market – Held in Robertson Park every third Saturday (08:30–12:30), it’s a bumper haul of olives, honey and sourdough. This is the one exception to shopping when famished. Arrive hungry.  

• Winery tours – If you’d rather leave the steering to someone else, book a half-day shuttle; most collect right from the caravan park gate. 

Short drives (20–40 minutes) 

• Lue – This blink-and-you-miss-it village hides an art gallery and the legendary Lue Pottery studio where kids can try the wheel. 

• Rylstone & Kandos – Browse artisan markets on the second Saturday, then duck into Wollemi National Park’s northern gateways for a cliff-framed picnic. 

• The Drip Gorge walk – A shaded 1.4-km riverside track where tan sandstone cliffs “drip” spring water all year. Pack water shoes for rock-pool paddling. 

• Putta Bucca Wetlands – Circle back at sunrise or dusk for mirror-calm reflections; photographers love the spoonbills that roost in the swamp gums. Launch a kayak from the gravel ramp for an even better angle. 

Longer day trips (1 hour +)

• Hill End Historic Site – Pan for gold, poke around abandoned mine shafts and wander streets frozen in the 1870s. Two campgrounds and heritage cottages invite an impromptu overnighter if the kids beg for ghost stories by the fire.   

• Goulburn River National Park – Ninety kilometres of sandy riverbank perfect for paddleboard lessons, swimming holes and lazy koala-spotting walks.   

• Coolah Tops National Park – High-country eucalypt forests, grassy glades and lookouts where wedge-tailed eagles ride the air currents. Stretch your legs on the panorama-packed Grass Tree walking track before a cuppa at Breeza Lookout. 

Nature walks and outdoor adventures

When you’re ready to swap cellar-door chatter for the crunch of boots on sandstone, you’ll find the region’s bush tracks every bit as memorable as its merlots. Lacing a few of these hikes into your Mudgee road trip is hands-down one of the best things to do in Mudgee and surrounds, especially if you’re chasing big-sky views and wildlife encounters. 

• The Drip Gorge – A gentle 1.4 km riverside ramble leads to a towering cliff where a sandstone aquifer “drips” cool spring water all year, creating mossy overhangs and natural rock art backdrops.   

• Castle Rocks track – Munghorn Gap’s 8.5 km return trail ends atop beehive-shaped pagodas that store the day’s warmth. Arrive mid-morning and you’ll often spot wallaroos and even heat-loving goannas basking on the sun-soaked sandstone. 

• Ferntree Gully boardwalk – If you find yourself here in the peak of summer, we recommend slipping 45 minutes east to Rylstone for a rainforest micro-climate that can feel up to 10 °C cooler than Mudgee itself. Descend the timber stairs to a bell-bird soundtrack, wander beneath cabbage palms and tree ferns, then pop back onto the rim walk for clifftop valley views.   

• Cox’s Creek Falls – Inside Coolah Tops National Park, this snow-gum-framed waterfall is also known for being home to lyrebirds, so keep an ear out for any mimicking sounds, you may just get lucky and spot one!  

• Wollemi National Park via Kandos – From Kandos, it’s a short detour to the Ganguddy–Dunns Swamp precinct: glass-flat water for sunrise paddles, glow-worm tunnels, and pagoda-rimmed cliffs. 

Where to stay (camper-friendly options) 

A hallmark of any good adventure while camping in Mudgee is rolling into a site that nails creature comforts without stealing that classic campervan bush vibe. These three crowd-pleasers deliver exactly that: 

• Mudgee Riverside Caravan Park – A leafy, river-hugging gem only a five-minute wander from Market Street’s cafés and cellar doors. Powered sites sit beneath lofty gums, and amenities are modern (think spotless ablutions, free Wi-Fi and BBQ pavilions). It’s the ideal base to combine mellow camping in Mudgee with effortless access to the town’s food-and-wine buzz. 

• BIG4 Mudgee Holiday Park – Two kilometres south of the action, this family favourite dishes up drive-through slabs, a resort-style pool, jumping pillow, playground and camp kitchen – perfect for balancing winery sorties with kid energy-burn. Pet-friendly zones, immaculate laundries and a games room seal the deal for travellers chasing hassle-free comfort between Mudgee attractions. 

• Camp at Old Bara – If star-drenched skies trump power hook-ups, stake your claim on this 1,100-acre working cattle property 25 minutes east of town. Unpowered grass sites, fire-pits and a soundtrack of kookaburras deliver pure bush-camp bliss while still keeping Mudgee wineries within an easy morning drive. Collect farm-gate eggs, let the dog roam and watch the Milky Way pour across the horizon. 

Looking for more campsite gems? Check Britz’s round-up of holiday parks in New South Wales.  

Plan your Mudgee road trip 

A dash of forethought goes a long way when planning a rural road trip—pick the right season, make sure to choose the ideal wheels, and the rest of the journey is bound to be smooth sailing:  

Best time to visit

• Autumn (March–May): With daytime temps hovering around 22 °C and evenings with a cooler bite, wineries begin to crack open just-bottled reds, making this the perfect season for fireside tastings. 

• Winter (Jun–Aug) – Crisp blue skies, 15 °C days and near-zero nights are tailor-made for cosy cellar-door firesides and truffle degustations. Pack a down jacket, wake early for misty vineyard photo ops, and book ahead for Christmas-in-July long lunches. 

• Spring (September–November): wildflowers fringe the back-roads, farmers’ markets brim with new-season produce, and temperatures sit comfortably in the low 20s for alfresco lunches. 

• Summer (Dec–Feb) – Expect dry 30 – 35 °C afternoons. Beat the heat with dawn hikes at The Drip Gorge, long lunches in air-conditioned cellar doors and sunset paddles at Ganguddy – Dunns Swamp. Many producers host twilight concerts and outdoor movie nights; reserve shaded camp sites early. 

Hire and drive with confidence

• Reserve your camper early—the Sydney branch is the handiest pick-up. Load the fridge in town, then cruise northwest with nothing on the agenda but cellar doors. 

• Slow for 50 km/h town limits and limit driving at dawn and dusk to avoid hitting wildlife. Fuel stops thin beyond Gulgong, so top up once the gauge slides below halfway. 

• Brush up on rural etiquette, overtaking rules and gravel-drive caution with Britz’s quick primer on driving in Australia. 

Tips for international travellers

• Distances are bigger than they look. Australia is so huge that it can dwarf even the most epic driving days. Moreover, Google Maps might quote two hours, but factor in frequent photo stops and bathroom/snack breaks. Stock up on water, snacks and fuel before swinging off the major highways. 

• Chat to the locals. Mudgeeans are famously laid-back; ask for their favourite Mudgee food and wine pairing and you’ll leave with a handwritten list of hidden bakeries and secret swimming holes. That easy-going vibe is exactly why this region makes such a relaxed linchpin on a longer Aussie odyssey. 

• Brush up on driving in regional NSW – Country roads can be narrow, unlit and peppered with kangaroos at dawn and dusk. Read Britz’s guide to driving in Australia before you hit the tarmac, stick to the left-hand lane, and refuel whenever the gauge dips below half – petrol stations grow scarce between towns. A GPS is handy, but download offline maps just in case reception drops in the hills. 

• Master cellar-door etiquette – Tastings here are relaxed and often free; swirl, sniff and spit if you’re the designated driver. Most Mudgee wineries welcome children and dogs on lead, so feel free to bring the whole crew. Chat with staff, buy at least a bottle if you’ve enjoyed the pour, and remember that shipping cases home is common – no need to cram shiraz under the campervan bed. 

• Embrace the slow country rhythm – Mudgee locals value a yarn and an unhurried pace. Plan shorter daily drives, detour through heritage towns, and linger over long lunches rather than racing the odometer. It’s what makes this pocket of regional NSW such a rewarding, low-stress stop on any wider Aussie adventure.  

Ready for rolling hills, top drops and small-town charm? Plan your Mudgee road trip with Britz and uncover the very best things to do in Mudgee—all from the comfort of your own wandering home-on-wheels. Book your Britz campervan online, pick up from your nearest Britz branch and hit the tarmac to discover why this corner of country NSW is so beloved.