Baby Shower Hunter Valley

Baby showers in the Hunter Valley tend to take one of two shapes. One is a party you run yourself in a hired garden space, choosing the food, the drinks and the guest list; the other is a hosted afternoon where the activity and the treats are arranged for you.

Leaves & Fishes on Lovedale Rd suits the first. It's a 20-acre garden property with lotus ponds and overwater boathouses, and its four hireable spaces run from a 12-seat villa to a hall for 120. The Overwater Pavilion, with a dining deck over the fish pond, holds up to 90 standing. Bring your own caterer or use a preferred partner, BYO drinks or take a drink package, and book half-day hire From $660 room hire for a lunch or an afternoon shower.

Hollybrook Hunter Valley, on Wollombi Road at Sweetmans Creek, is the hosted option. Its private Art N Sip High Tea for groups of 8 or more pairs a guided painting class with bubbles and tiered treats, From $88 per person, and each guest takes a canvas home. Sessions are adults-only, so it fits a shower among grown-up friends rather than a family gathering with children.

Deciding between them:

• Children on the guest list: Hollybrook is adults-only, so ask Leaves & Fishes about a hired space.
• A big family crowd: the pavilion or the hall in Lovedale.
• A close circle: the 12-seat villa, or a private high tea for 8 or more.
• Catering: your own caterer in Lovedale, or a tiered spread laid on in Sweetmans Creek.

Making a weekend of it? Browse Hunter Valley accommodation or see how a paint and sip class works.