As an urbanite, I appreciated Sydney's thriving cosmopolitan nature but wanted to experience more on my trip there. So I did what the locals do.

I hired a car and headed north on the Pacific Highway to Port Stephens and Hunter Valley, which are less then 200km from Sydney and considered two of Australia's best holiday destinations.

Driving through farmland and forests, I reached Port Stephens' main towns of Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay, which are low-key with a handful of international resorts. Relaxing beside tranquil waterways framed by soft sand, I could easily see why many Australians holiday here for several weeks at a stretch.

These waters are home to schools of dolphins and the waters of the Pacific Ocean outside the Heads are where pods of whales feed. This is what I'd come to see as I'd heard it was possible to get close to the dolphins.

Within minutes of heading off on the dolphin hunt, the playful dolphins appeared as if they had anticipated our arrival. Each boat kept a distance and the captain provided an educational commentary.

The boat I was on lowered a boom net over the side for us to jump into for a soothing "Jacuzzi" massage. In the afternoon, I did a spot of surfing, not on the waves but down sand dunes, which certainly sounded more adventurous.

Participants sit on plywood to drift down one of the steep sand dunes along One Mile Beach. The thrills are great but not so the spills - keep your mouth closed unless you enjoy eating sand.

Later in the afternoon, our 4x4 operator drove along the beachfront and through the desert of dunes along Stockton Beach and made me hungry by talking about Port Stephens' famous seafood.

Fortunately, Peppers Anchorage where I stayed featured seafood in its Merretts Restaurant. Both the resort and the restaurant have views that overlook a marina lined with luxury yachts.

Wine tasting in Sydney's famous Hunter Valley

Another attraction is the Port Stephens Winery that sells superb food-friendly wines such as Chardonnay and Chambourcin as well as Murray's handcrafted ales.

Serious wine lovers will want to add the Hunter Valley (left) to their itineraries. I planned a route that headed off from Port Stephens via the historic river port of Morpeth on the way to the Hunter Valley.

Travelling via back roads, I got a better sense of the farms and the scenic landscape.

This turned out to be a highlight of the trip as it didn't look like too many tourists make it here.

Morpeth's old buildings made for some fascinating photographs and there were unique handicraft shops, not to mention the delicious Devonshire tea enjoyed in a café overlooking the Hunter River.

The Hunter Valley is Australia's oldest wine producing region famous for its Semillon, Shiraz and Chardonnay grapes. Wineries like Lindemans, Tyrrell's, Tulloch, Drayton's, McWilliams and Rothbury are brands known to most Australians.

At Port Stephens, cruise alongside dolphins and surf on sand at One Mile Beach

I wanted to stock up my cellar from these established wineries plus some of the newer kids on the block like Bimbadgen, Capercaillie, Pepper Tree and Tamburlaine. Wineries like Margan produce some of the region's best Semillon and Shiraz as well as a superb Barbera and Botrytis Semillon.

With the region's excellent cellar door facilities, luxurious accommodation, three golf courses, scores of restaurants, spas, handicraft and produce stores, plus the expansive Hunter Valley Gardens, Hunter has become the playground for an indulgent weekend escape.

This article first appeared in The Straits Times special, on Dec 7. It is published by the Special Projects Unit, Marketing Division, SPH.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.