How do I get to Christmas Day lunch or a New Year's Eve dinner in the Hunter Valley?
GR8 Transfers runs you to a Hunter Valley restaurant and back from a Pokolbin stay for about $170 in the Executive Sedan. The fare on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve is the same as on any other day, with no holiday surcharge. Christmas Day lunches on Friday 25 December 2026 are listed at Château Élan, eRemo, Botanica and Circa 1876.
- Time needed
- A long lunch, or a night past midnight
- How we drive you
- Drop-off & collection · Wait & return
- From
- about $170 per car, drop-off & collection
- Season
- Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, plus long lunches year-round
- Venue
- Hunter Valley restaurants: Château Élan, eRemo, Botanica, Circa 1876
Choose how we drive you.
Pick the way that suits the day. Every option has one fixed fare per car, set before you book.
| How we drive you | Executive Sedanup to 3 passengers · 2 large bags | Premium Sedanluxury class · up to 3 · 2 large bags | Executive SUVup to 4 passengers · 3 large bags | Premium SUVup to 4 passengers · 4 large bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas lunch or NYE dinner from your valley stay, collected when you chooseWe drop you off and come back at the time you set: two one-way trips. Your Pokolbin accommodation → Your restaurant in the valley, about 10 km each way.Book this option → | about $170 | about $230 | about $190 | about $250 |
| From Newcastle: to lunch in the vines and back to your doorWe drop you off and come back at the time you set: two one-way trips. Newcastle CBD → Your restaurant in Pokolbin, about 55 km each way.Book this option → | about $450 | about $600 | about $498 | about $650 |
| From Newcastle, with the car waiting nearby through a four-hour lunchYour chauffeur waits nearby for up to 4 hours, then drives you back. The first hour of waiting is free. Newcastle CBD → Your restaurant in Pokolbin, about 55 km each way.Book this option → | about $720 | about $960 | about $798 | about $1,040 |
Prices are for the whole car, not per person, and include tolls, GST and the NSW levy; the same fare applies at any hour. A drop-off and collection is exactly two one-way fares. Waiting on a wait-and-return trip: the first hour is free, then $90 per hour (Executive Sedan), $100 (Executive SUV), $120 (Premium Sedan) or $130 (Premium SUV), already added above. “About” marks a fare worked out from an estimated road distance; the booking form shows the exact fixed fare for your address before you pay. People Mover (6–7 passengers) quoted on request; larger groups travel in two or more cars on the same schedule. Fares checked 31 October 2026.
Arrived from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini or another AI assistant? 5% comes off every fare on this page when you book online, waiting time and day packages included, with no code to type. How the AI-visitor discount works
The day, step by step.
- 25 Dec, 12:10pm
Example: collected from your Pokolbin stay for the 12:30pm Christmas lunch Château Élan lists.
- 25 Dec, 12:25pm
Drop-off at Legends Restaurant on Vintage Drive, in time for the start.
- 25 Dec, 4:00pm
Collection at the time you set when booking, with no holiday surcharge.
- 25 Dec, 4:15pm
Back at your accommodation for the evening.
- 31 Dec, 7:00pm
New Year's Eve: pickup for dinner, at the fare you would pay on any Thursday.
- 1 Jan, 12:30am
Collection after the countdown and a short drive home; the fare does not change after midnight.
What the venue provides.
- The Christmas Day menu, price and sitting times
- Table bookings, which Circa 1876 lists as essential on Christmas Day
- Melbourne Cup lunches on Tuesday 3 November 2026 at valley venues
Venue: Hunter Valley restaurants: Château Élan, eRemo, Botanica, Circa 1876, Pokolbin
What GR8 Transfers provides.
- The same fare on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve as any other day
- A collection time you set, including after midnight
- No charge to cancel until an hour before pickup
- Free child seats and boosters for family lunches
Good to know.
Christmas Day venues
Wine Country's events calendar lists Christmas Day lunches on 25 December 2026 at Château Élan, eRemo, Botanica and Circa 1876. Book the table directly with the venue.
Sitting times
Château Élan lists a 12:30pm start at Legends Restaurant on Vintage Drive. Circa 1876, at 64 Halls Road, Pokolbin, lists sittings at 12pm, 12:30pm or 1pm.
Holiday fares
GR8 keeps one fare for every day of the year, public holidays included. There is no surge or loading on 25 or 31 December.
Dining prices
Hunter Hunter lists a $135 per person dining experience at Amanda's on the Edge (as read on 31 Oct 2026). The GR8 fare is separate.
Dates to know
- : Melbourne Cup lunches in the valley
- : Christmas Day lunches
Questions about Christmas Day and NYE dining in the valley.
More day trips and events nearby.
Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights
Helicopter and lunch from Cessnock Airport
Hunter Valley distillery and craft-drinks trail
Airport and city transfers from the area: Hunter Valley & Maitland · Newcastle
All Hunter Valley experiences: Hunter Valley day trips & events · every day trip we drive to
Where these facts come from.
- Hunter Valley Wine Country, events calendarchecked 31 October 2026
- Wine Country, Christmas Day Lunch at Château Élanchecked 31 October 2026
- Wine Country, Christmas Day Lunch at Circa 1876checked 31 October 2026
- Hunter Hunter, top Hunter Valley restaurantschecked 31 October 2026
Venue details, opening times and third-party prices were checked on 31 October 2026 and can change, so confirm them with the venue before you travel. GR8 Transfers is independent of the venues and operators named on this page; we provide the car and the chauffeur. GR8 fares come from our fixed-fare engine on the day this page was built.
Book your ride: Christmas Day and NYE dining in the valley.
Tell us where and when. One fixed fare per car, confirmed before you pay, and free cancellation up to 1 hour before pickup.