The Hunter Valley is an area of New South Wales, Australia. The Hunter River flows through the valley. The Hunter Valley is one of the largest river valleys on the NSW coast. It is known for its wineries and coal mines. It is about to and less than 2 hours drive from north of Sydney, Australia. About 590,000 people live in the valley. More than half of the people live in the coastal cities of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie. There are also other towns and villages across the valley. There are 11 Local Government Areas that look after the area. These eleven LGAs are: