20 Upper Hunter Tours has been operating in the region since the early 1990s, taking visitors from the coast to the valley around some of the most beautiful and world-class thoroughbred studs in the country. The history of thoroughbred breeding in the Upper Hunter dates back to the early days of settlement with the importation of a stallion to Segenhoe Stud in 1826. There are more than 150 thoroughbred studs in the region, each steeped in history, and up to 200 businesses. That concentration of studs makes the Upper Hunter the second largest in the world with Scone known as the “Horse Capital of Australia”. Craig Benjamin is the man behind Upper Hunter Tours and said his job is all about educating people. “My job is to educate people about the thoroughbred industry, not so much an individual horse or a stud. A picture tells a thousand words, and everyone loves it. “I love my it too, I love looking at the horses and talking to the people. A lot of people have a lot of misconceptions about what the industry is about and what it does, so I like to put all those little fires out. “The industry is wonderful, it’s a huge employer and they put a lot of money into the towns just like the mining industry does,” Craig said. “The industry is so important, not only to our local region but the entire country.” Some of the most prominent studs in the Upper Hunter include Arrowfield Stud, Coolmore, Darley, Widden Stud, Newgate and Vinery. You might have heard of Australia’s King of Sires Redoute’s Choice, a thoroughbred that exceeded expectations and whose home was at Arrowfield in Scone until he died in 2019. While Coolmore has been home to champion sires like Danehill and Encosta De Largo. Upper Hunter Tours offers half a dozen different tours of the region. The Special Thoroughbred Horse Stud Tour is a specially guided full day tour of the best studs the Upper Hunter has to offer. For this tour it’s up to you to decide which three studs you’d like to visit. There’s a tour to the beautiful Widden Valley, another to Scone that also includes the Hunter Warbirds Museum, Towari National Park and Hunterbelle or you can head to Denman or the beautiful Barrington Tops. Coaches are welcome too, and Craig said his tours give a nice overview of some of the best that the region has to offer. “Our coach groups like to have a mixture of everything – a stud, an olive grove, a local winery or pub. We try and make it as different as we can. “There’s always a lunch stop for our full day tours and there are some wonderful places to stop at each corner of the Upper Hunter we get to travel to.” Have you ever wondered what lies behind the ornate gates, wooden fences and fresh green grass of the Upper Hunter’s most prestigious thoroughbred horse studs? For more information head to: www.upperhuntertours.com.au To book a tour call Craig on: 0417 439 776 or email: cbenjamin7@bigpond.com UPPER HUNTER TOURS BEHIND THE GATES
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