8 Unforgettable Orange Wine Tours - Australian Traveller

Be guided through Orange’s top drops on a wine tour that puts you in the passenger seat.

Embarking on a solo exploration of the nooks and crannies of such a beautifully rounded and well-developed wine region as Orange takes time and planning. And unless you have a willing volunteer to drive, you can easily and regrettably miss out on some of the most spectacular hidden gems. If you’re visiting for the weekend or a short break, often the most efficient and carefree way to enjoy as much as possible is to join a tour. With plenty of operators ferrying wine lovers about town, it’s easy to find one to suit your style. From airborne to open-air vehicles and long lunches to quick edits of the best, these Orange wine tours have you covered.

1. Orange Wine Tours

Sip and savour both the wines and scenery of Orange with tours that tick off a hit-list of wineries. Choose from a half-day morning or afternoon tour, a full-day, or a private VIP tour. Full days are a marathon for the palate but well-paced with time for lunch amid the four wineries, which may include Philip Shaw, Ross Hill or Printhie Wines.

Group enjoying food and wine tasting on a tour with Orange Wine Tours — Embrace a marathon of winery visits with a full-day tour. (Image: Destination NSW)

Half-day-trippers get to experience three stops over four well-spent hours. Get the low down on the region with entertaining and informative guides as you’re bussed about in a comfortable van. Our tip is to gather a group of friends and opt for the private tour for a fun day in the vines.

Group enjoying a tour with Orange Wine Tours in Orange — The tours will give you access to informative guides and hosts on the day. (Image: Destination NSW)

Details: Private VIP tours from $145 for half-day; half-day tours from $125; full-day tours from $165.

2. Winery Experiences Orange

With more than 30 years of experience in hospitality and tourism, your vino adventures are in good hands with Winery Experiences Orange. Hitch your wagon to theirs and choose from half- or full-day tours sipping the cool climate varietals Orange is renowned for. Catering for two to six guests, your personalised tour may include a picnic lunch at one of the idyllic vineyards or lunch at a winery, where you’ll also enjoy wine-tasting and pairing experiences. From small boutique producers to the big names, they’re able to curate an itinerary to suit your palate and even offer an Ultimate Wine and Food Flight, where you ascend over Orange and Millthorpe in a helicopter for a bird’s-eye view.

Winery Experiences Orange's tour bus parked at a winery — Winery Experiences Orange caters for two to six guests on a personalised tour.

Details: Full- or half-day tours from $100 per person for a half-day. The Ultimate Wine and Heli Tour starts from $450 per person.

3. Uncork Orange Wine Tours

Insider intel makes these laidback wine tours a truly pleasurable way for oenophiles to unravel Orange’s cool climate drops. Whether you’re clued into the nuances of varietals or simply know what you like when you taste it, you’ll have fun on this entirely unstuffy tour. Operating on weekends only, you can join a half-day morning or afternoon tour or a full-day exploration of the region. Included are transfers, a picnic basket with snacking provisions, commentary and three cellar doors for the half-days and four for the full-day.

A small Uncork Orange tour group at a wine tasting in Orange — Embrace a laidback wine tour with Uncork Orange.

Details: Full-day (5 hours) $189 and half-day (3 hours) $149, including all entry fees to cellar doors.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

4. Orange Trike Tours

Some enjoy the air-conditioned environment of a minibus, while others prefer the feeling of the wind in their hair. If you’re of the latter persuasion, you’d be best fit for a wine-tasting tour by trike. You and your biker bestie will join an experienced guide for a half-day tasting tour for two sipping at three of Orange’s top vineyards and chatting to winemakers while being chauffeured around on a German-made Boom Mustang trike.

Two people enjoying an Orange Trike Tour — Experience the best wine in Orange by trike.

Details: Half-day tour from $439.

5. Country Food Trails

Bringing a food-lovers focus to their tours, Country Food Trails is all about local knowledge and hidden gems. Join a small group of up to seven fellow sippers on the Wine Trail for tastings and one food pairing at three Orange vineyards, where you’ll meet winemakers and be guided through their top drops.

Friends explore food and wine offerings during a Country Food Trails — Get your fill of local knowledge and hidden gems on a Country Food Trails tour. (Image: Destination NSW)

Or cast your net a little wider and take the Millthorpe Village Tour, 25 minutes from Orange, which includes a wine-tasting at either Tamburlaine Organic Wines, Slow Wine Co or Angullong Wines, as well as a guided walk through the village, lunch and a scenic drive.

Details: Wine Trail from $180 per person; Millthorpe Village Tour from $190 per person.

6. Orange Wine Shuttle Tour

This tour is halfway between guided and DIY and perfect for those keen to be driven but prefer not to be locked into a structured itinerary. The shuttle is a hop-in-hop-out scenario where you can be the master of your own day. Departing hourly every Saturday from 10.30am and visiting up to 20 vineyards, including Borrodell Vineyard, Philip Shaw Wines, Small Acres Cider, Swinging Bridge and Heifer Station, this is perhaps the best way to autonomously tour the vineyards without having to designate a driver. If you’re stopping for lunch, just be sure to allocate one to two hours and make a reservation.

Details: $66 per person.

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7. Swinging Bridge, Ultimate Winery Experiences

While this tour is only at Swinging Bridge, what it lacks in diversity it makes up for in immersion. The experience begins with a guided walking tour of the beautiful Hill Park Vineyard before guests embark upon a deep dive into all the label’s wines.

The scenic grounds of Swinging Bridge Wines, Orange. — The scenic grounds of Swinging Bridge Wines need to be experienced. (Image: Destination NSW)

Following the tasting is a well-finessed four-course degustation lunch elegantly paired with wines by the in-house sommelier. The beauty of a singular tour like this is the absence of any immediate hurry to get to the next cellar door. Simply sit with the wine and enjoy your time with fellow oenophiles.

Indulge with Swinging Bridge — A deep dive into all the label’s wines and a four-course degustation awaits.

Details: From 11am, Thursday, Friday, Saturday; $150 per person.

8. Printhie Wines, Ultimate Winery Experiences

Take flight for this exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experience at Printhie Wines, which begins with a chauffeured transfer to the label’s cellar door before you’re whisked off to the winery in a helicopter. Once there, the journey of the grape unravels on a tour that meanders through the details of picking, processing and fermenting. Of course, there’ll be ferments to taste and samples to sip directly from the barrel, too. After you’ve savoured the minutia of winemaking, alight the chopper again for the 15-minute return journey to the cellar door, where you’ll be guided through a tasting of Printhie’s flagship drops and seated for an incredible three-course lunch with matching wines.

Two women enjoying a platter while on Printhie Helicopter Ultimate Winery Tour — Don’t miss the exceptional Ultimate Winery Experience at Printhie Wines. (Image: Destination NSW)

Details: Thursday to Sunday from 10am; $1350 per person.

For more ways to taste the region, read our guide to the top restaurants in Orange, start your day at the town’s best cafes and visit a brewery or distillery door.

Bate Bay’s sweep of beaches has been crowned Australia’s best for 2026, placing Sutherland Shire in the spotlight as a top coastal destination just south of Sydney’s CBD.

The beaches fringing Bate Bay – Cronulla, North Cronulla, Wanda, Elouera and Greenhills – have topped Tourism Australia’s 2026 list of best Australian beaches (as curated by Beach Ambassador Brad Farmer). For locals, it’s less revelation, more recognition.

The mood shifts from the moment you step off the T4 train service from Central to Cronulla and catch a glimpse of the ocean. At dawn, the Esplanade is already buzzing with regulars, and by mid-morning, parents have staked out a toasty spot on Cronulla Beach where excited toddlers clamber over rocks, and the Jellybean swim squad at Oak Park have donned their bright pink caps while singing Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.

By the afternoon, towels are being collected from across the sand as visitors wander back to Cronulla in loose formation.

North Cronulla beach — Dive into the world’s best beaches.

That’s the thing about Bate Bay beaches. This isn’t a story about a single beach. This long, uninterrupted sweep of sand and sea, where you can walk for kilometres without breaking stride, is not just enjoyed over summer; it’s a year-round destination. Here, Cronulla’s buzz gives way to Wanda’s wild edges, before stretching out to the quieter reaches of Greenhills.

But while Bate Bay’s beaches may have taken top honours in the 2026 Best Australian Beaches list, they’re only part of the drawcard. Sutherland Shire stacks up as a full-spectrum coastal escape, where good food, national park adventures and on-the-water experiences sit within easy reach of the shoreline. Whether you’re planning a long weekend or stretching out a stay, here’s how to make the most of Cronulla beyond the sand, sea and surf.

Beyond the beaches

Dining

The Sutherland Shire dining scene delivers from early morning to late at night with a mix of vibrant cafes, bars and pubs. Start your day at Grind Espresso, where the coffee comes strong and fast. From there, drift towards HAM for pastries, best eaten buttery warm.

By midday, locals linger across sun-lit tables. Loaf and Next Door appeal to the surfers who come in for snacks after chasing waves. Blackwood’s Pantry and The Press are also popular for breakfast and lunch, while Pilgrim’s continues to hold a special place in the hearts of vegans.

Newer arrivals signal where Cronulla is heading: Homer Rogue Taverna is being hailed as one of the best restaurants in Cronulla, with the confidence that comes from understanding what locals want. Ask a local to reveal their favourite restaurant for a special occasion, and it’ll likely be Pino’s Vino e Cucina al Mare, Yalla Sawa or Alphabet Street. Summer Salt, Sealevel, Benny’s, Bobbys and Pippis are a few of the best waterfront restaurants in the Shire.

Finally, when most places are winding down, Duke’s Providore shifts gears to become Duke’s After Hours – a low-lit romantic spot perfect for a date night. Parc Pavilion, Northies Cronulla and bars The Blind Bear, Las Chicas and Low & Lofty’s are also part of Cronulla’s identity.

Visit Bundeena

Bundeena Ferry Wharf — Catch a ferry to Bundeena.

A short ferry ride from Cronulla, Bundeena offers a counterpoint to Cronulla’s mighty surf beaches. If Cronulla is the Shire’s social heart, Bundeena – or Bundenesia, as it’s affectionately known – is the place to go to exhale and unwind.

Hop on the ferry from Cronulla, and within 30 minutes, you’ll be inhaling the eucalyptus-scented air. Check the creative pulse of the local community by timing your visit with the Bundeena Maianbar Art Trail on the first Sunday of every month.

One of the best things to do in Bundeena is paddle into Cabbage Tree Basin with Bundeena Kayaks. Follow the five-kilometre Jibbon Beach Loop Track that leads past quiet coves to ancient Indigenous rock art, or simply find a stretch of pearl-white sand to relax on.

Pristine walking trails

Royal National Park Cape Baily Walking Track — Cool off with a coastal stroll.

Beyond the coastline, Sutherland Shire offers myriad ways to shift gears. Royal National Park – the oldest national park in Australia – sits just minutes from the surf. Clifftop walks trace the edge of the continent, the rugged bushland is threaded with creeks and hidden waterfalls, and a network of tracks rewards those willing to go a little further.

Take the Coast Track, where the land drops cleanly into the ocean over sheer cliffs that have been stacked together like giant Jenga. Or veer inland, where pockets of forest cool the air and filter the light. It’s a reminder of how close nature sits to the bustle of suburbs in the Sutherland Shire.

Enjoy whale watching

humpback whale sighting noosa experiences — Spot whales from May to October. (Credit: The Edit Suite)

Twist your binoculars until the ocean is in focus, stretched like a creased blue sheet all around. Come May, the East Coast becomes the humpback highway. Thousands of whales migrate along this stretch of coastline each year, their movements tracked by keen eyes from vantage points like the Cape Solander platform in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, one of the best places for whale watching in Australia. There’s something quietly thrilling about seeing that first telltale spout or the arc of a breaching body against the vastness of the sea. From June to October, whale-watching cruises depart from Cronulla, offering a closer look at the migration.

Awards come and go. But places like Cronulla endure because they belong as much to the visitors as they do the early-morning swimmers, walkers and surfers.

Plan your escape at visitsutherlandshire.com.au.

Sit back and relax on these 8 unforgettable Orange wine tours

Be guided through Orange’s top drops on a wine tour that puts you in the passenger seat.

1. Orange Wine Tours

2. Winery Experiences Orange

3. Uncork Orange Wine Tours

4. Orange Trike Tours

5. Country Food Trails

6. Orange Wine Shuttle Tour

7. Swinging Bridge, Ultimate Winery Experiences

8. Printhie Wines, Ultimate Winery Experiences

For more ways to taste the region, read our guide to the top restaurants in Orange, start your day at the town’s best cafes and visit a brewery or distillery door.

16 excellent cafes in Orange for coffee lovers and foodies

10 Orange restaurants guaranteed to satisfy your appetite

The best luxury accommodation in Orange NSW for a lavish getaway

The 20 best things to do in Orange

This stretch of Sydney beaches topped the annual Best Australian Beaches list

Bate Bay’s sweep of beaches has been crowned Australia’s best for 2026, placing Sutherland Shire in the spotlight as a top coastal destination just south of Sydney’s CBD.