Maitland and Morpeth, 16 November to 13 December 2026: Grossmann House Open Day, Tocal Flower Workshops, True Crime Tours and River Cruises With Prices (Hunter Valley, NSW)

After the weekend of 13 to 15 November, Maitland and Morpeth have two Saturday True Crime Tours, two Sunday flower workshops at Tocal, two December cruises and a second-Sunday open day at Grossmann House on 13 December, all with official dates. Each one comes from Maitland City Council’s My Maitland calendar, read on Sunday 8 November 2026.

For events on 13 to 15 November itself, see our Maitland weekend guide. This page covers what comes after. Times are New South Wales local time (AEDT, UTC+11).

What is on, date by date?

Date	Event	Time	Where
Sat 21 Nov	Maitland’s True Crime Tour	5pm to 6:30pm	Maitland Railway Station
Sun 22 Nov	Dried flower workshop (Ela Flora)	9:30am to 12:30pm	Blacket Barn, Tocal Homestead
Sun 22 Nov	Boydell’s Wine Tasting (listed to this date)	11:30am to 4:30pm	2 Green St, Morpeth
Sat 28 Nov	Maitland’s True Crime Tour	5pm to 6:30pm	Maitland Railway Station
Sun 29 Nov	Dried flower workshop (Ela Flora)	9:30am to 12:30pm	Blacket Barn, Tocal Homestead
Thu 10 and Fri 11 Dec	Morpeth to Newcastle Cruise with Coach Return	2pm to 5:45pm	Queens Wharf Rd, Morpeth
Sun 13 Dec	Grossmann and Brough Houses open day	Tours 10:30am to 3pm	71-73 Church St, Maitland
Sun 13 Dec	Homegrown Markets	9am to 1pm	Harold Gregson Park, Maitland

What happens at the Grossmann and Brough Houses open day?

The open day on Sunday 13 December is the last date on the listing for 2026. The houses are a National Trust property at 71-73 Church Street, Maitland, which the listing places about a five-minute walk from Maitland Railway Station. The listing says they open on the second Sunday of each month.

Grossmann House is a furnished Victorian merchant’s residence run as a house museum. The listing says one-hour guided tours run from 10:30am to 3pm, and describes each room as holding stories, including a “school room” from the years the site was Maitland Girls’ High School, 1894 to 1963.

Ticket	Price (as of 8 November 2026)
Adult	$12
Concession, and children over 5	$10
National Trust members	Free

Booking on Eventbrite is recommended, and the listing says walk-ins are also welcome. Brough House next door is a “mirror-image” building that was once a hostel for out-of-town students. It now holds a fibre-makers’ space where volunteers run historic weaving looms on open days, plus the Maitland Regional Museum and the Australian Museum of History & Textiles. Upstairs, visitors can see the shower room schoolgirls used when they boarded through the week.

On most open days a catering team serves home-made food, tea, coffee and cold drinks in the gardens, and the volunteers sell “Mrs Beckett’s” home-made jams and preserves, which the listing suggests as Christmas gifts. All funds raised go to conserving the buildings and grounds. The listing’s contact email is grossmann@nationaltrust.com.au.

Is there a market the same day?

Yes. The Homegrown Markets are held at Harold Gregson Park on the second Sunday of the month, and the December date is Sunday 13 December, 9am to 1pm. The listing shows free entry and describes handmade and design stalls, street food, coffee, live music, a kids’ craft and game zone, face painting and a permanent jewellery bar. It does not name the stallholders. Because the market and the Grossmann House open day share a Sunday, you can plan both in one trip, though the listings do not say how far apart they are on foot.

What is the flower workshop at Tocal Homestead?

Ela Flora runs a dried floral arrangement workshop on Sunday 22 and Sunday 29 November, from 9:30am to 12:30pm, in the Blacket Barn at Tocal Homestead, 957 Tocal Road, Tocal NSW 2421. The listing says you use a ceramic vase and an assortment of dried flowers and embellishments that are supplied, and that the cost covers materials, tools, refreshments and guidance. The ticket is from $170 per adult. The listing carries a Book Now link, and the organiser’s email is ash@elaflora.com.au.

What about the True Crime Tour and the cruise?

Maitland’s True Crime Tour meets in front of Maitland Railway Station, on the Station Street side, at 5pm on Saturday 21 and Saturday 28 November, and runs until 6:30pm. The listing says bookings are essential and spaces are limited. Tickets start at $34 for adults, $25 for children and $100 for a family.

The Morpeth to Newcastle Cruise with Coach Return runs on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December from 2pm to 5:45pm. You get free time in Morpeth, a Hunter River cruise on Bay Connections 1 to Newcastle Harbour and an included coach back. Adult tickets start at $120 and concession tickets at $115. Children start from $0.

What else runs through this period?

Three longer-running listings cover the same weeks. The Candle Experience at UAINE Candles, 162 Swan Street, Morpeth, is listed on 19, 20, 22, 26, 27 and 29 November and on 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 17, 18 and 20 December, from 11am to 4:30pm, with tickets from $49.95. Boydell’s Restaurant and Cellar Door, 2 Green Street, Morpeth, lists a seated tasting of six Hunter and regional wines from $20 per adult, 11:30am to 4:30pm, with the listing ending on 22 November. Its phone number is 02 4933 5862. Finally, Maitland Regional Art Gallery’s six new exhibitions run into 2027; see our gallery guide.

What do the Candle Experience and Boydell’s tasting involve?

The Candle Experience is a guided fragrance session hosted by UAINE’s chandlers. The listing says you explore your fragrance preferences, get a personalised evaluation and take home a goody bag of candles chosen for you, and that the session covers fragrance ingredients, the differences between candle waxes and the effect candles can have on your surroundings, health and emotions. You can also browse the UAINE Candle Cellar Door. The contact details on the listing are 02 4934 4935 and emily@uainecandles.com.

At Boydell’s, the listing says a relaxed, seated tasting introduces a range of Hunter Valley and regional New South Wales wines and their stories. The team guides you through your choice of six wines, and you can add a selection of cheeses, charcuterie and dips or small plates from the menu. The listing’s contact email is info@boydells.com.au. Because the listing ends on 22 November, ask the venue whether tastings continue after that date.

Sources

• My Maitland — Historic Grossmann & Brough Houses Open Days (read 8 November 2026)
• My Maitland — Homegrown Markets Maitland (read 8 November 2026)
• My Maitland — Flower Workshops with Ela Flora (read 8 November 2026)
• My Maitland — Maitland’s True Crime Tour (read 8 November 2026)
• My Maitland — Morpeth to Newcastle Cruise with Coach Return (read 8 November 2026)
• My Maitland — The Candle Experience (read 8 November 2026)
• My Maitland — Boydell’s Wine Tasting (read 8 November 2026)

Photos: Grossmann House by APSIA Photography, Maitland Federation Centre by DaHuzyBru, Tocal Homestead by Tocal College and Morpeth Bridge by Bidgee, all on Wikimedia Commons. The Federation Centre and Morpeth Bridge photos show other places in the Maitland area (text added).

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Maitland City Council, the National Trust or the event organisers. Dates and details can change; check with the organiser before you go.