Branxton is a town in the Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley

The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...

 region of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Branxton is 171 kilometres (106 mi) north of Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 via the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway

Sydney-Newcastle Freeway

The Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales. It is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....

 and New England Highway.

Branxton is located mostly in Cessnock City Council

City of Cessnock

Cessnock City Council is a Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, located to the west of Newcastle. The largest population centre and council seat is the city of Cessnock, after which the LGA is named....

, but part of it is in Singleton Shire

Singleton Shire Council

Singleton Council is a local government area in New South Wales, Australia. It is on the New England Highway and CityRail's Hunter line.- Main towns and villages :...

. Together with nearby Greta

Greta, New South Wales

Greta is a small town in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia in Cessnock City Council. It has a population of around 1000 people. It is largely a commuter town located midway between Cessnock, Singleton and Maitland...

, it had a population of 3,805 in 2001.

Branxton is a busy service township with a medical centre, swimming school, and an art school.

Transport

Branxton is located on the New England Highway

New England Highway

The New England Highway is a highway in Australia running from Hexham near Newcastle at its southern end to Yarraman near Toowoomba at its northern end. At its southern end it connects to the Pacific Highway and at its northern end it connects to the D'Aguilar Highway. It traverses the Hunter...

 between Maitland

Maitland, New South Wales

Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...

 and Singleton

Singleton, New South Wales

-Industry & Commerce:Major industries near Singleton include coal mining, energy generation, light industry, vineyards, horse breeding and cattle production. Dairying was once a mainstay in the area, but has declined....

. While the highway passes through the centre of the town, most through traffic will bypass the town when the Hunter Expressway is completed.

An infamous road sign on one approach to the town states that Branxton has two cemeteries - no hospital. The sign, erected by the local Lions Club, is meant to act as a deterrent to rule-breaking motorists.

Branxton is located on the Main Northern railway line

Main North railway line, New South Wales

The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and the New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra...

 and has its own railway station

Branxton railway station, New South Wales

Branxton is a railway station on the Main North Line of New South Wales, Australia. CityRail operates diesel self propelled railcars through Branxton as part of its Hunter Line regional service from Newcastle. The station serves the town of Branxton, New South Wales, Australia...

, which is on CityRail

CityRail

CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...

's Hunter line

Hunter railway line, New South Wales

The Hunter railway line is a regional railway line which is part of Sydney's CityRail network. The line runs from the central business district of Newcastle, on the coast, northwest to Scone and Dungog in the Hunter Valley area....

.

Wine

Branxton is at the northern end of Wine Country Drive and is the northern gateway to the world renowned Hunter Valley wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 country of Pokolbin

Pokolbin, New South Wales

Pokolbin is a rural locality in the Hunter Region of New South Wales Australia. It is part of the Singleton Shire Council Local Government Area and the city of Cessnock. The area is the centre of the Lower Hunter Valley wine region...

 and Rothbury

Rothbury, New South Wales

Rothbury is a small town located in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. It is 10 km from Cessnock. At the 2006 census, Rothbury had a population of 309 people....

.

James Busby

James Busby

James Busby is widely regarded as the "father" of the Australian wine industry, as he took the first collection of vine stock from Spain and France to Australia. Later he become a British Resident who traveled to New Zealand, involved in the drafting of the Declaration of the Independence of New...

 (1801 – 1871) widely regarded as the "father" of the Australian wine

Australian wine

The Australian Wine Industry is the fourth largest exporter of wine around the world, with 760 million litres a year to a large international export market and contributes $5.5 billion per annum to the nation's economy...

industry planted his first grape vines on his property “Kirkton", which is located in the district of Branxton.