Well after our amazing time on the Yorke, we settled ourselves into a van park over the New Year period, so we could explore Adelaide and also have some down time to do maintenance and upgrades on our Nav & caravan. We stayed 6 nights at the Belair National Park Caravan Park. It was a 20 minute drive from Adelaide CBD but more importantly dog friendly! The Belair National Park was infact also dog friendly! It was wonderful to be able to walk Rusty daily through the National Park and see how many Koalas we could spot. We didn’t take to many photos, as we were just enjoying the downtime and relax over the busy period. We did visit a few attractions while in Adelaide, namely; National Railway Museum, Semaphore foreshore, The Red Rattler Tram and we walked the popular Rundle Mall.
It’s funny how after a few days being in a major city, you don’t really miss the ‘perks’ and itch to head back to less busy / more secluded spots. As it was still peak season and a good 2 weeks of school holidays left, we made the decision to head to the Barossa area and steer clear of the coast spots. We set up at the donation camp in Greenock, as we used this as our base to explore the Barossa.
Now understand myself & Kurt are not wine drinkers at all, but we managed to find enough activities to keep us busy for a solid 2 days! Here is what we visited;
Day 1: We started our day we a nice nature walk through the Barossa Goldfields. There were 3 different walk options to choose from plus dogs were allowed (on leash). Next stop was to the Lyndoch Lavender Farm & Cafe for a look and explore. They have lavender ice-cream and a handful of small food options to grab a snack. Our next intended stop was to the ‘Keg Factory’, but unfortunately they were closed, so we had to continue on. We headed up to Menglers Hill Lookout – a great advantage point to look out over the Barossa fields. There was even a dozen arty sculptures to walk around and look at. Our tummy’s were rumbling and thirst levels increasing, so the Barossa Valley Brewing was the perfect spot to stop. This was also our first ‘beer tasting stop’! We shared a beer tasting paddle over a delicious wood fired pizza. We then headed into the Tununda to finish our day off with some award winning ice-cream from Beans and Cream. Big call, but possible one of the best tasting ice-creams we have had! We then headed back to camp to have an arvo nap and a quiet night.
Day 2: The Whispering Wall/ dam was our first stop to kick-start our day. A short stroll and explore to stretch the limbs, ready for another day of eating and drinking. We then headed to the Barossa Chateau for morning tea – well high tea to be exact. Bit fancy for us, but the scones were delicious! You can then stroll around the beautiful rose gardens on site, which has around 30,000 plus. Next stop was ‘Parsons Lookout’, another great view out over the Barossa. Now, like we said we don’t drink wine, but decided to visit one popular winery, just for a sticky beak. We choose the popular Jacob's Creek Winery to go and see. We had a walk around, got a photo near the popular sign, had a swing on the barrel swing and then continued on. At least we can say we saw one winery right?
Now Kurt loves a good German sausage so we headed back into Tununda as they have their own Wursthaus. He grabbed a bratwurst while I popped down the block to the popular Apex bakery. The Apex bakery has won a few awards and the bread I grabbed was absolutely delicious. Next stop was a visit to the Seppelt Family Mausoleum. The drive out is famous for the roads being lined with palm trees. We stretched our legs and walked up to the Mausoleum for a quick look before continuing on. Maggie Beers Farm shop was next on the list. A quick squiz in the produce shop and an ice-cream by the lake (filled with lots of turtle’s) was a nice spot. Now I must say, we were a little disappointed, with the produce shop, I think we had higher expectations. Anyways off to our first drink tasting stop for the day – the Barossa Distilling Company. Kurt tasted some rums, while I indulged in a cocktail and their own gin tasting pallet. The staff was super friendly and very knowledgably about all their products.
We sort of skipped lunch, as we knew we were going to have an early dinner. We headed back to camp, as we could walk to our next spot. Not far down the road was the Greenock Brewers! They are only open Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays (so you have to plan your days if you want to visit). A beer pallet each, while listening to the live music was bliss. The owner came over for a chat, which was really nice, a really down to earth guy too. We then headed 2 minutes down the street to the tavern for dinner, before waddling back to camp. Before heading off Saturday morning we quickly shot to the Barossa Farmers Market, to top up with some produce. We picked up the most amazing smoked bacon and sourdough loaf from here, along with some great fruit and veg. Headed back to Greenock and hitched up to continue our trek. Make sure you leave a donation, to keep this wonderful spot open!
So overall it just goes to show the Barossa has a lot to offer, it’s not just for ‘wine drinkers’. We were both surprised in how much we enjoyed our time here and would recommend all the places we visited to others.
Until next time Barossa – Amz & Kurt