This regional destination is pairing small-town charm with trailblazing eco ambition. 

The sky turns from pink to peach as we crunch over the gravel driveway leading to Shed by Zin, our farm-stay accommodation on the Eurunderee property owned by the Lowe family for six generations. It’s just before dusk and we have 22 per cent charge remaining on our EV, which is more than enough to have made the four-hour road trip from Sydney to Mudgee without experiencing any range anxiety. 

The onsite EV chargers are just one of many eco initiatives winemaker David Lowe and his executive chef wife, Kim Currie, have implemented on the farm, the largest of its kind to go off-grid in Australia. After making the switch in 2025, there are now more than 400 solar panels and a battery system powering the cellar door, winery, machinery and processing plant, saving the biodynamic business about $85,000 in annual electricity costs. 

“The solar panels are just one aspect of our sustainability initiatives," says David, pointing to a laminated to-do list the couple have been diligently working their way through for more than a decade. 

Although Shed by Zin – all recycled tin, timber and glass – looks as if it might have been on this pocket of the property for centuries, the placement of the former artist’s studio some 100 metres down the hill from the solar panels that power it is, like everything else here, intentional. 

“We realised that if we were going to ask people to care about what’s in their glass, we had to care about everything else around that," David tells me as we tour the vineyard’s Latin Quarter, planted with Mediterranean varietals such as pecorino, ansonica, vermentino and nero d’avola. “The Latin Quarter is about future-proofing the vineyard and preparing for a hotter, drier micro-climate." 

“My family settled here in 1825 and I consider it my duty to look after the land," adds David, who has a degree in oenology, trained with industry legends such as Len Evans, and brought 25 years of wine industry experience back to Mudgee when he took over the family farm. 

As executive chef at zin food + wine house, Kim was the culinary counterpart to David’s vision. After 10 years of setting a benchmark for dining in the region, and focusing on seasonal ingredients and additions straight from the estate’s organic garden, the restaurant’s doors are closing for the final time in December. But the ethos lives on in the sister business, Althea by Zin, which serves artisan savoury and sweet baked goods in downtown Mudgee.   

Later, driving back towards town, the ‘small town, big things’ feeling returns in the form of a roadside honesty box with a sign advertising farm-fresh eggs and chilli jam. There’s no EFTPOS or QR code, just a tin and the assumption you’ll do the right thing.  

Why Mudgee is the perfect reset

Back in Mudgee proper, that mix of charm and ambition runs through the main streets: heritage shopfronts host smart wine bars, cafes turn out tasty treats and markets sell seasonal produce. With more than 30 cellar doors concentrated in the region, Mudgee is the kind of place where you can enjoy a tutored tasting with the actual winemaker. The dining options are also plentiful with many – including nearby The Barn at Blue Wren Farm – focusing on serving delicious meals created with high-quality, seasonal ingredients.  

What makes Mudgee the perfect reset is the way the town holds space for both stillness and surprise. In a town with no traffic lights, the pace isn’t slow so much as considered. It’s where going off-grid and trusting the land adds up to a handy reminder: there are small towns in regional NSW doing big, important things and they’re closer than you think.   

Where to eat in Mudgee

Gigi’s is a local favourite for breakfast at The Clairfield Hotel. Go to the Lowe Cellar Door for a grazing platter served with wines straight from the vineyard. Find paddock-to-plate dining at Pipeclay Pumphouse at Stein Winery, overlooking a pond filled with Australian banjo frogs. The barn at Blue Wren Farm showcases regional produce and is one of the most under-the-radar restaurants in NSW. Roth’s Wine Bar & Cellar serves tasty wood-fired pizzas and hosts live music and comedy nights. And you’ll find plenty of tasty bites at Mudgee’s wineries and cellar doors.

Where to stay in Mudgee

Shed by Zin is a rustic farm-stay on the grounds of Lowe Family Wine Co., offering vineyard views and easy access to the cellar door. Blue Wren Farm can sleep up to 20 guests in its luxury glamping tents and stylish self-contained accommodation, just 100 metres from the farm’s onsite restaurant. For more options, read our full list of the best places to stay in Mudgee. 

Other things to do near Mudgee

Extend your stay in the Mudgee Region with a visit to the charming towns of Rylstone, Kandos and Gulgong. Be sure to sample the handmade dumplings at the famous 29 Nine 99 Yum Cha and Tea House in Rylstone, learn about the region’s industrial heritage at Kandos Museum and enjoy a cold beer at Gulgong’s historic Prince of Wales Hotel, pouring since 1872.