If you think a sea change might be just the thing this weekend, consider making your way to coastal Tea Gardens, just an hour north of Newcastle.
This weekend, Tea Gardens Hotel on the banks of the Myall River, is going all out with two days of incredible entertainment.
On Friday night, 27 September the hotel will come alive with Aussie live music icons Dragon on the outdoor stage.
"Tea Gardens Hotel provides a great country/seaside experience with a lovely local vibe," hotelier Ben Hanson said.
"The outdoor stage we built at the side of the pub means you can get up close and personal with some of Australia's best touring live music acts, while still feeling you're at a friendly backyard gig."
Since creating the purpose-built outdoor stage late last year to accommodate Australian rock royalty the Radiators, live music has become a massive draw card for the venue.
Since creating the purpose-built outdoor stage late last year to accommodate Australian rock royalty the Radiators, live music has become a massive draw card for the venue...
"We built the stage especially for the Radiators which was the first big band we had here at the hotel," Ben said.
"Since then we've also had Mental as Anything at the hotel which was a sell-out with 500 patrons. We also have GANGgajang here for New Year's Eve.
"Everyone loves the live music events and we can’t believe we get this caliber of bands that are more than willing to come and perform at our little town of 4,000 odd people. It's incredible."
The weekend of fun will continue on Saturday, as the hotel holds it's inaugural Oktoverfest event complete with a pig on a spit, variety of beer stalls, Kransky dogs, pork knuckle, flammkucken (German pizza) and spaetzle - a German Mac and Cheese.
"It's the first Oktoberfest for us and it's going to be a great day," Ben said.
"There will be lots of great beers, delicious food, live music and all the elements that make for a fantastic day."
Since taking over the hotel in 2017, Ben and his wife Emily have worked hard to create a sanctuary-style venue with a family-friendly atmosphere to satisfy the needs of locals and visitors alike.
With a Grounds of Alexandria feel, the hotel's design includes indoor and outdoor spaces, vegetable gardens and enough space to hold regular family days complete with pony rides, stalls and other attractions.
Since taking over the hotel in 2017, Ben and his wife Emily have worked hard to create a sanctuary style venue with a family-friendly feel that could satisfy the needs of locals and
visitors alike...
"We are currently renovating the hotel's function room to include a deck, new sliding doors and beautiful beach furniture," Ben said.
''I love that we have captured the family-friendly environment here at Tea Gardens Hotel.
"We have carried out a lot of renovations and continue working toward making the hotel feel unique to the area. We have also recently painted all of our outdoor furniture in a range of bright colours to give a warm and inviting feel. The whole place feels very eclectic and we just love it."
Tickets for Dragon are available via the Tea Gardens Hotel Facebook page and entry to the Oktober Fest event is free.
More information is available on the hotel's Facebook events page.
Tea Gardens Hotel
Cnr Maxwell St and Marine Drive Tea Gardens
www.teagardenshotel.com (02) 4997 0203