{"id":8177,"date":"2024-10-01T23:47:38","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T13:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/?p=8177"},"modified":"2024-10-01T23:47:40","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T13:47:40","slug":"discover-tower-lodge-luxury-hunter-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/discover-tower-lodge-luxury-hunter-valley\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover Tower Lodge: 20 Years of Luxury in the Hunter Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Words by Dorian Mode Photography by Lydia Thorpe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My journey into writing was a happy accident. My early life revolved around tickling the ivories at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Writing? Cultural satire? Those were foreign concepts. But, as fate would have it, I discovered a knack for weaving words and making people chuckle \u2013 a revelation that even Penguin couldn\u2019t ignore, publishing my early novels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I began by writing humorous essays for a bestselling sports magazine. It wasn\u2019t very PC then, with its bikini\u2013clad centrefolds. The only stories on women\u2019s sport were afterthoughts to the latest protein shake recipe. Indeed, the magazine thought gender equality meant including a token article on netball, but only if it featured \u201cthe pretty one\u201d in a cocktail dress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My editor was Greg Hunter. He was an old\u2013school, tough\u2013as\u2013teak scribe who mentored many young aspiring writers. He was brutal, sending my copy back more times than I care to remember, but always with constructive criticism on how to shape it for resubmission. Even now, with a swag of post\u2013grad degrees, I never learnt as much about writing as I did from those kicks in the literary crotch from The Huntsman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Greg left the centrefold sports mag to become the founding editor of a new travel magazine (the mag is still going strong surprisingly), he took me with him. The problem was, I didn\u2019t travel. Moreover, I wrote my satirical sports yarns while watching games on TV, from the comfort of my armchair with a beer and packet of kettle chips. I never went to a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I confronted him. \u201cGreg, I have to tell you, I don\u2019t travel.\u201d \u201cWell, that\u2019s about to change, Champ,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And change it did. Greg commissioned features from various exotic locations around Australia. But battling severe depression, I became despondent travelling on my own. I had a tough childhood; my parents divorced when I was a toddler, and my mother eventually moved to New York when I was 10, leaving me in Australia with Dad. Clearly, I wasn\u2019t her favourite. Tricky when you\u2019re an only child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joined at the hip with my wife (now married 35 years), I asked if she\u2019d develop her photography skills so we could travel as a team. Being a busy mum then, with two growing boys, she reluctantly agreed. (These days she is a widely published travel photographer, often making the front cover with her work).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have Wife will Travel<\/strong>
Our first assignment for the magazine (over 20 years ago) was the Tower in the Hunter Valley. The Tower conjures up images of Anne Boleyn\u2019s head rolling past your breakfast table, doesn\u2019t it? So we approached our review with some trepidation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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We love the Roman Forum\u2013style architecture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The huge gates provide a grand entrance to the Tower<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The bathrooms exude rockstar glamour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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(Aerial shot) The pool area is a perfect place to unwind<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These days we are the senior travel writing team for the biggest travel mag in Australia, but back then, the only accommodation we\u2019d experienced was your typical Norman Bates Motel: harsh neon lighting, a dribble of water pressure in the shower, and sheets not renewed since disco was in style. The continental breakfast is none too continental: cornflakes, a stale muffin, and washed down with a cup of bogan dust (instant coffee).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d never experienced glamour like Tower Lodge. I remember sleeping on sheets that were like the wings of angels. My wife explained they were 100% Egyptian Cotton. No wonder those mummies survive all those years, I thought. Moreover, dinner at nearby Roberts (Tower didn\u2019t have a restaurant then) was a romantic stroll through the moonlit vineyard with a torch, only to enjoy a spectacular seven\u2013course degustation meal, which for me up until then, was a six\u2013pack and pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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The bedrooms at the Tower are heavenly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Each room at the Tower is distinctively themed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Towering Feeling<\/strong>
So does Tower Lodge still have the wow factor after 20 years? Well, the answer is \u201cyes\u201d. Indeed, the glamour is evident from the cobblestone entrance to the huge gothic wooden doors at reception. The rooms are spacious, opulent, and designed with comfort in mind. Ours is a French\u2013themed room with cathedral\u2013worthy headroom. Each room boasts unique designs with modern finishes and furnishings for a new twist. Ours has a private courtyard, and a generous bathtub, an inviting lounge area. Psst! We adore the rooftop hot tub on the Tower Suite with views over the vineyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a pool enclosure, ideal for a dip or sunbathing. Guests can also arrange for bikes to be ready at their door, enjoy a round of golf, or take a leisurely walk along the numerous cellar doors and restaurants that are close enough to explore on Shanks Pony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sensational Sebastian<\/strong>
We begin our evening with a glass of bubbly by the fireplace before a fabulous gin tasting\/masterclass. Then we dine at Tower\u2019s famed Sebastian\u2019s Restaurant. Deeply rooted in the rich winemaking history of the Hunter region, the Tower was originally founded by the esteemed Len Evans AO OBE, along with some of the area\u2019s top winemakers. Unusual at the time, but a bold statement about the Hunter\u2019s future. So with chef Anthony Fullerton in the wheelhouse, the food at Seb\u2019s is a highlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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Sebastian\u2019s restaurant is a haven for food lovers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Chef Anthony Fullerton\u2019s meals are worthy of MasterChef accolades<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Your evening at Tower begins with a glass of bubbly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Michael also distills his own gin and whiskey, offering tastings for guests<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sitting under high ceilings with lazily wheeling fans, the restaurant and its terraces provide a relaxed yet refined dining atmosphere. The nearby kitchen garden supplies herbs, greens, and native ingredients, while the pasture is home to the owner\u2019s Angus cattle. So it would be criminal not to choose the beef, right? This we pair with a Virgin Hills Cab Sav Shiraz Malbec. Sipping it, I detect hints of cherry and plum, with a light, dry finish that whispers, \u201cI\u2019m sophisticated,\u201d while I nod in agreement, pretending to know exactly what that means. For 20 years I\u2019ve been writing about food and wine and know nothing about food and wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearing it was a sentimental assignment for us, owners Michael and Karen Hope join us for dinner. Quite the honour. We instantly click. We discover the Hopes acquired Tower Lodge in 2013 and spearheaded a $6 million renovation in 2019. Psst! This explains why it seems more glamorous than last time. They collaborated with a Newcastle\u2013based firm, to revamp both the exterior and interior, infusing the lodge with their personal style and furnishings, creating a luxurious yet homely atmosphere. Moreover, they also own a little vineyard over the road you may have heard of: Hope Estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, Michael Hope\u2019s story is fascinating unto itself. He modestly describes himself as \u201ca country boy from Young.\u201d This \u201ccountry boy,\u201d however, managed to build a thriving chain of pharmacies in rural NSW and Sydney before deciding dispensing aspirin wasn\u2019t as fulfilling as he wished. So, in 1994, Michael swapped his white coat for gumboots, abandoning his pharmacy career to chase his dream of establishing a premier winery in the heart of the Hunter Valley. And thus, Hope Estate was born \u2013 because when life gives you grapes, you make wine, right? These days, Hope Estate is a rockstar of vineyards, with concerts by The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Carol King.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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You might recognise the barrel room from ‘Farmer Wants a Wife’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Michael Hope is a winemaking visionary in the truest sense<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The following day, we stroll next door to Tower Whiskey to enjoy an erudite whiskey tasting and neck Michael\u2019s first four single malt, single cask whiskeys. A mixture of new and old, French and American oak Hogshead, Barrique and Puncheon casks have been used to age the new make spirit. We loved the aesthetic of this place; a gentleman\u2019s club meets Spanish villa. But alas, we are more gin people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epilogue<\/strong>
I was worried the Tower Lodge wouldn\u2019t live up to the memory of our first travel writing commission; like a kid revisiting a favourite childhood theme park, only to discover the rides are smaller and the mascots a bit creepy. But, to our delight, Tower Lodge is everything we remember and more \u2013 like discovering your favourite childhood ice cream now comes with an extra scoop and a Flake speared on top. As I gaze over the Tower\u2019s twilight\u2013kissed vineyard, roos lazily grazing before the vines, I sit with a G&T made from Michael\u2019s rather excellent gin, pondering the last 20 years. Tragically, Greg Hunter took his own life some years ago. So I raise my glass to The Huntsman and toast his enduring influence on my life and writing. Greg, here\u2019s to the wisdom you shared, the inspiration you provided, and the lessons that continue to guide me as a writer. But mostly for making me get out of my Jason Recliner to see the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Special Offer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Midweek Winter Escape.<\/strong>
Stay for 3 nights, pay for only 2 nights. The Midweek Winter Escape offer is valid for midweek stays (excludes Friday and Saturday) from now until September 30, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The on\u2013site Restaurant is open 7 days for Lunch and Dinner, available for guests and members of the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every in\u2013house guest receives a complimentary Whiskey Tasting Experience at Tower Whiskey Distillery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our dedicated Accessible Suite features 2 x Queen beds and assisted functionality throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are Daily Masterclasses available for all in\u2013house guests to enjoy.
www.towerlodge.com.au<\/a>
www.towerwhiskeydistillery.com.au<\/a>
www.hopeestate.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Words by Dorian Mode Photography by Lydia Thorpe My journey into writing was a happy accident. My early life revolved around tickling the ivories at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8178,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39,78],"tags":[75,45,70],"series":[],"class_list":["post-8177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-travel","tag-article","tag-dorian-mode","tag-lydia-thorpe"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/10\/Tower-Lodge-26-of-39.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/feed\/podcast\/coffee-with-a-coastie","embedCode":"

Discover Tower Lodge: 20 Years of Luxury in the Hunter Valley<\/a><\/blockquote>