Barossa Valley - famous for wine.

Part 2 of why we did the Barossa Badly!
After the historical tour around the valley, we headed off on the winery trail. So far, so good.

First stop was Chateau Dorrien.

Not sure what these are.  They did have doors of sorts,  but no windows. They appear to be wine vats but don't appear to be in use. They look good though.

The inside is like a museum.

They use the old wine vats like different rooms Didn't do any tasting,  Although they did have a chocolate liquor that sounded good.

Next stop was Maggie Beer's Farm Shop.

There were tasting tables for many of her products. This was the pate tasting.

Jonnie liked the salted caramel and so did I.  I also liked the Verjuice and the nonalcoholic bubbly.  YES did a sort of wine tasting.

We were there when a cooking demonstration was about to start, which was interesting. All about selling their products but interesting as we were told about the history of the kitchen and the farm.

The kitchen was a recreation of Maggie's own kitchen, so the TV show 'The Cook and the Chef' could be filmed. Another mirror image kitchen is also being built so staff can test new recipes.

After everything was cooked we got to taste it. Roast potatoes, pumpkin and sweet potatoes (front) roasted onions (middle) and mushrooms (back).

I bought some dukka for $12.95 and Jonnie got a small tub of Maggie's ice cream for $4.95. Nice ice cream, but way too expensive.

Seppeltsfield Road is lined with palm trees and has so many wineries I lost count.  Didn't go to any,  we just enjoyed the scenery.

We had fish and chips for dinner from a cafe in Nuriootpa,  where I found these signs.

This is where we stayed and we will stay here again,  as we didn't do the Barossa very well.

Next time we will taste some wine! !

"Not all who travel are lost" J. R. R. Tolkien. 

Allison. 

We didn't do the Barossa very well. ....

We didn't do the Barossa very well. We started with a historic drive around the district, which was very interesting and beautiful. Many of the early settlers were German Lutheran and many Lutheran churches can be found in the area. The first building in Tanunda was a Lutheran school building.

First stop was a winery at Tanunda called Chateau Tanunda. Loved the long driveway lined with vines. It was established in 1890 and is a cellar door, winery and function centre. 

The area is dotted with old buildings, most renovated,  like this one used as accommodation.

 Some of the many vines.

 We drove up to Mengler Hill lookout to see the Sculpture Park. 

 And Angaston was pretty.  Rose bushes everywhere and the leaves on the trees were just turning. Beautiful. 

 One of the many old pubs in the area.

We were trying to find the Barossa Old Rose Repository,  but found this lovely old cemetery instead. I've been very good not visiting cemeteries, but this one was old and small so I left Peter in the car and wandered over.

 Another old pub in Angaston. 

 This is the Old Union Chapel in Angaston - the Barossa's oldest public building. It was built in 1844 by the Angas family to serve as a church. Over the years it has been used for many different purposes including as a shearing shed. It is now used for weddings, baptisms and funerals. Ocassionally it is used for concerts because of the good acoustics. 

 One of the beautiful roses at the chapel. 

Found this beautiful Lutheran Church at Light Pass, halfway between Angaston and Nuriootpa. 

Next, the reason for coming to the Barossa...... and why we didn't do it very well.

Holidays are about learning.

Allison

Barossa Valley

Drove along the Sturt Highway heading to Renmark in South Australia. 

 Crossing the border. 

 About 6kms past the border we came across a third fruit fly protection area,  and this one was all fruit and vegetables and plants and seeds.

We detoured into a lovely town on the Murray called Waikerie. Lots of old buildings and lovely views of the Murray. 

 Can't believe this is a backpackers hostel.  So beautiful here.

 Set up camp at The Barossa Valley Holiday Park. Lots of vans and plenty of empty sites. It is a big park and most sites are big enough for van and annex. Staying a couple of nights. 

 I even had time to do some appliqué. 

 We went for a walk around the park and just at the back was a park. We thought this sign was funny as it was very dry and locals said it had been dry for a while. 

 My drinking view.

 The next morning it was only 11 degrees. So cold. So glad we have good air conditioning. 

 First stop was the tourist information Centre at Tanunda. 

Tomorrow I'll write about our day in the Barossa. 

Happy travels. 

Allison.