Warm late-autumn weather combined with top notch entertainment, food and wine ensured another successful two-day event on Saturday and Sunday.

And judging by the outfits one wouldn’t have guessed it was late autumn – bright colours, short sleeves and trendy hats were all the rage at the participating venues – Sandalyn, Gartelmann, Saltire, Wandin, Allandale, Tatler and Emma’s Cottage.

The crowds formed early at Allandale – a popular starting point for folks who head in to the event from the Cessnock end of town.

Tatler was once again a very popular venue, but the staff and organisers managed to keep the lines for wine, drinks and toilets short and flowing for the majority of the day. 

Emma’s Cottage co-owner Therese Kramer said she had received some great feedback from patrons about this year’s lunch.

“It’s been really nice,” she said. “They’re all saying how they had such a good time.”

She said numbers were down a little bit at Emma’s Cottage, which could have been due to the 15 tonne limit on Gillies Bridge forcing larger buses to go the long way around.

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However Ms Kramer said Sunday patronage was strong and the attendees were well-behaved.

Wandin event manager Rebekah Sadler said patrons enjoyed the reduced numbers this year and gave great feedback about their food and new wines, particularly the “awesome” smoked brisket.

She said organisers were exceptionally happy with the behaviour and could not have asked for better weather.

“We’ve had a really wonderful weekend,” she said. 

Read more: A lot to love about the long lunch