A 105-acre site in Pokolbin will be transformed into a $107-million destination to include a 100-bed hotel, wine museum, cellar doors and a 22,0000-person concert venue.
Winarch Capital’s newly-formed Cedar Mill Group will lodge plans later this year with a view to developing the project and opening in 2023.
It would be the group’s second purpose-built outdoor amphitheatre and tourism project off the back of the $235m redevelopment of the Morriset Golf Course at Lake Macquarie.
Cedar Mill Group general manager Kyle McKendry said the Pokolbin property was one of the last premium development sites in the Hunter Valley wine region, and they forecast the project would attract a further 68,000 visitors to the region.
“It is 42.5ha right in the centre of Hunter Valley wine country and had been held by the previous owners for over 30 years,” McKendry said.
“It was an amazing opportunity … without doubt, this is a very significant acquisition for the Cedar Mill Group and an exciting step towards our plans to have outdoor venues coupled with exciting tourism concepts in the best locations in Australia and New Zealand.”
McKendry said the Cedar Mill Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie would be the first purpose-built destinations in Australia on this scale.
“Our aim is to provide an unparalleled visitor experience in the heart of the region, offering a gateway for tourists to connect with everything that makes the Hunter Valley a world-class visitor destination and event hub,” he said.
The property, on the corner of Broke and McDonalds Roads, is adjacent to Roche Estate food and beverage precinct, and next to the Hope Estate winery.
McKendry said they wanted to attract local growers and operators to provide boutique dining experiences alongside winemaking, distilling and brewing.
The Hunter Valley is home to more than 150 wineries and attracts more than 8.5 million visitors each year, predominantly intrastate.
The construction phase is projected to create over 500 new jobs and inject $207.5 million through build costs, job creation, supply chain and consumption.
McKendry said the latest acquisition in Pokolbin signalled the groups commitment to reinvigorating the events economy regionally, and they were looking to expand their holdings further.
