The unveiling took place at the restaurant on Monday, March 10 and officially recognises the cottage as a landmark of historical importance in the area.

The Hunter Valley Heritage Award was introduced in 2009 to acknowledge landmarks or items of historical importance, which have influenced the course of, or made a significant contribution to, the Hunter Valley wine and tourism industries.

Cessnock Mayor, Bob Pynsent, was given the honour of unveiling the cairn, which is sculptured from local sandstone and sponsored by Brian and Fay McGuigan.

Mr. McGuigan said that the Hertiage Cairn is a symbol of all the great attractions that the Hunter has to offer.

“We have a fantastic asset here,” he said.

“The cairn is a historic salute to the places, the people and the products of the district and there are many people, including the team here at Robert’s, doing a fantastic job right now.”

Halls Cottage is now proudly in the hands of the Cowley family, who continue to operate Robert’s Restaurant Circa 1876.

They recently added 1876 to the name of the restaurant to represent the history of the cottage and its place in the heart of the Hunter Valley.

Owner Matt Cowley said that while the cottage requires constant upkeep to keep it in a workable condition, it was important that this historical heritage of the site was maintained. 

The Hunter Valley Heritage Awards are decided by the Hunter Valley Legends and announced each year at the Hunter Valley Legends and Wine Industry awards dinner.

The Legends are people who have made a major contribution to the Hunter Valley wine industry, and include Bruce Tyrrell, Brian and Fay McGuigan, Phil Ryan, Jay Tulloch, Ian Scarborough, Patrick Auld, Brian Walsh, Max Drayton, John Tulloch, Karl Stockhausen, Christopher Barnes and the late Perc McGuigan.

Hunter Valley Legends must have worked in excess of 30 years in the Hunter Valley and positively influenced the growth and development in the industry.

Previous recipients of a Heritage Cairn include  Uncle Dan’s Hut at Tyrrell’s Wines, Drayton’s Old Winery and Audrey Wilkinson Vineyards Old Vats, McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Maurice O’Shea Mount Pleasant Label, Lindeman’s Winery for the Ben Ean Distillery and Tulloch Wines’ Pokolbin Dry Red Label.