Our Park History

Once upon a time there lived a merry bushman called Peter, who owned land right on the edge of a small town called Cessnock. He was an earthmover and owned and operated a busy business with his brother. He also had his hand in farming and anything else that could “make an honest crust” for his family.

It was the year 1982, when they decided to build a Caravan Park right at the backdoor, for weary travellers to use on their holiday journeys. Cessnock was a good location, only a couple of hours from Sydney in the middle of a wine producing region.

So the idea was born and gradually after a lot of hard work and in time, a neat little country style Park was created. Sydneysiders looking for affordable cabin accommodation, retirees in their caravans, international tourists in ever popular campervans and motor homes and many more visitors have all enjoyed their stay in our country park.

Our Harvest

It then quickly became the year 1998 and Peter not only had the idea to plant his own vineyard, but also, to start making his own wine. At least, he thought, it would improve the appearance of the park, giving it a nice vineyard feel in keeping with the tradition of the area. Thankfully his “Merlot” wine has been a great success having a lovely smooth taste enjoyed by many. Peter decided on “Merlot” grapes as it is a soft variety and therefore an easy introduction to red wine.

Our first harvest was in 2001, staff, family members, friends and local residents all help out to pick approximately 2 tonnes (3 to 4 barrels) of fruit. The grapes are handpicked and crushed on the same day, treated with care and are gently processed to retain all the character of the grape variety. This is done mid to late February every year and the wine is kept in barrel for up to 2 years and then bottled for everyone to enjoy.