Enjoy art among the grapevines at Mudgee sculpture exhibition,

The exhibition will be held from November 6-21 at Rosby Wines in Mudgee, and visitors can expect to see more than 250 sculptures in a beautiful rural setting framed by the gardens and vineyard.

Weekends will feature live music by Matt Boylan-Smith and locally made food and beverages. Wines will be sold at The Rosby Wine Bar every day of the exhibition.

The event provides artists with an opportunity to exhibit their works and showcase them alongside local, regional, metropolitan and interstate artists, while also being in the running for a number of the acquisition and non-acquisition prizes.

The total prize value for 2021 is more than $40,000 and includes the top prize of $25,000 for the acquisition prize, to be showcased in the Mid-Western Regional Council's public art collection and displayed permanently within the Lawson Park Sculpture Walk.

The exhibition has contributed 23 acquisitive works for the walk over the years, acting as a legacy of the event and all it has achieved for arts in the Central West.

The Mudgee Support Group for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT will be raising money for the charity through gate entry fees - a partnership that has raised $175,000 over the past decade.

The event is strictly a ticketed affair, with tickets available online. Masks are mandatory and proof of vaccination status is a condition of entry.

MUDGEE is more than modern art, fine wines and delicious food, however. The town and region have some lovely nature spots within to enjoy.

If the weather's warm, a great place is to cool off is The Drip Gorge, northeast of the town on the Ulan-Cassilis road. The water is too shallow for a swim, but it's perfect for a refreshing liquid lie-down or splish-splash. And it's a short, flat walk, you won't bust a boiler getting there.

Nearby is Hands on Rock, an area of special significance to the Wiradju people who occupied most of the central west. Here on the overhand of a cave visitors can see more than 100 hand stencils of women and children, emu feet and other motifs.

Or drop by at Putta Bucca Wetlands, a quarry-turned-billabong that supports a host of flora and fauna. You can peep at our feathered friends from two new birdhides.