Set in the heart of the Pokolbin, NSW, Hunter Valley Gardens has established itself as a diverse tourist attraction, complementing Australia’s oldest w**e producing region. Hunter Valley Gardens is owned and operated by Roche Group Pty Ltd, a wholly Australian owned Company. Bill and Imelda Roche, purchased the property in 1997, developed it over the subsequent five years and opened it in October 2003. They have invested over $80M to create a unique attraction with award winning accommodation to help support it. Hunter Valley Gardens is set on 225 hectares, with the main attractions being the 60 acres of international display gardens. Located adjacently and also owned by Roche Group is the boutique shopping village, picnic ground and barbecue area and village green. Also on site are Mercure Resort Hunter Valley Gardens (4½ star), Harrigan’s Irish Pub and Accommodation (4 star) and Roche w**es. The village is an intimate series of boutique retailers and outlets (all owner occupied) promoting the best of local produce, artistic talent, contemporary café dining and of course, cellar door w**e tasting. The village square overlooks the beautiful Chapel holding many weddings each week and regular non-denominational services of worship. All this before the visitor has discovered the international display gardens incorporating 10 amazingly themed gardens with influences from around the world. Over 8km of pathways, more than 100 kilometres of underground irrigation, 6000 trees, 600 000 shrubs and 1 000 000 ground covers have been planted and nurtured to create a legacy for generations to come – an exciting experience of sight, colour and fragrance to delight visitors of all ages and nationalities!
