The Barossa, Adelaide and Surrounds

All Roads Lead to Wineries

It seems that all roads in South Australia lead to food and wine growing regions and none more noteworthy than that of the Barossa Valley. Our main reason to stay here was to touch base with a former co-worker of ours from Duracell days. Dean and his lovely lady Sabina who run a produce agency in nearby One Tree Hill, joined us for a meal and memory lane visit at our camp. The camp was on the edge of the local athletic field and we were entertained by the local junior cricket teams, pint size players taking their game very seriously and providing much entertainment.

Seppelts Family Mausoleum

The strong German influence here is easily confirmed by the number of Lutheran churches and like the vineyards and cellar doors, there seems to be one around every corner. The first grapes were planted in 1839 and some of the oldest producing Shiraz vines in the world are found in the Barossa which is the largest wine producing area in Australia. The major town of Gawler was in close proximity as well as the pretty villages of Lyndoch, Tanunda, Nuriootpa and Angaston nestled between the rolling hills and acres of vineyards. The old stone cottages, antique shops, art galleries, restaurants, etc all just add that special appeal to enjoy the experience of the Barossa. Again I have to mention the beautiful roses that were just everywhere - so numerous in number, colour and form. I had a strong urge to become "the phantom rose thief" - if only I had a pair of secateurs!

A highlight for me was visiting Maggie Beer's produce farm and sampling her specialised produce from the farm door! Yummy sauces, pate's, pastes, jams etc. - very hard not to purchase a few. Ade discovered the pheasants in the garden which were most interesting with wonderful colourful plumage but really I didn't want to think of them ending up in the pate' I enjoy so much. One could say this region is a gourmet's delight with the bakeries producing traditional German yeasted cakes and breads, butchers with smoked mettwurst and bratwurst sausages, locally produced cheeses and beer from the boutique breweries as well as farmers' markets showcasing local produce.

Fine Plumage at the Pheasant Farm

As we both had been to Adelaide before we didn't spend a lot of time in the city preferring to travel further afield and spend our time exploring the coast south of Adelaide. It seemed the whole of Adelaide had headed for the suburb of Glenelg on the picture perfect Saturday morning we visited. The kids were still in primary school last time I was in Glenelg, just west of the city, and as happens there has been a transformation from a small seaside suburb to a very trendy thriving cosmopolitan village with its high rise apartment buildings, shopping and cafe society and to top it off, the beach which hasn't changed!

View from Wittons Bluff

We drove south to Port Noarlunga an old port township on the Onkaparinga River. We had wonderful views from Wittons Bluff over the jetty and the heritage listed reef which is fully exposed at low tide and the protected marine reserve, a popular local diving spot. The reef was the cause of shipwrecks in the early days of coastal schooners.

Next stop Victor Harbor, new territory for Ade, and once again I haven't visited since my big kids were little tackers!