Maitland, NSW 2320

Maitland is about two hours drive north from Sydney and is part of the Hunter Valley region. The streets of Maitland are wide and clean and this town is not as industralised as compared to Newcastle. The pace of life here is definitely slower than Sydney and hence makes it a good retirement option for many who still want to be Sydney.

There are many historical buildings dating from the early 1800s in Maitland. Houses here are like the typical houses you can find in the suburbs of Sydney. As there is more land out here, houses here do tend to be slightly bigger than those of the inner city suburbs of Sydney and the streets around here are clean and tidy.

Maitland is a cultural area and very much a rural area where horseriding, heritage walks, markets, festivals, wine tastings and vineyard visiting are the main attractions.

The wine region of the Hunter Valley attracts tourists from all over the world, and especially Australians. There are many areas where people can stay over for the weekend, and airlines are cashing in on the industry by creating cheap flights into Newcastle.

There are some annual festivals held in the area and these draw the crowds.
But then again, the vineyards are really the biggest draw card.

Maitland is not that far from Newcastle and many people who live on acreage also work in the city. Maitland is ideal for grazing the family horses.