Wine Trails - Barossa & Clare Valleys

Autumn colours at Seppeltsfield
Barossa Valley.

There is something about being in a wine producing area. Driving through the rolling hills on dirt roads, winding through the vines, and past those beautiful little boutique wineries. It is a wonderful experience. At this time of the year, the vines have done their work for the vintage, and are now showing their glorious autumn colours, waiting for the arduous job of pruning to commence.


The Barossa Valley has come a long way since families of German immigrants arrived in the 1830's, escaping religious persecution back home. We stayed at Nuriootpa, at the Barossa Valley Holiday Park, which is an easy walk into town, and set in park lands beside the local playing fields. We liked it a lot. A little further down the road, are the equally, in fact quainter villages, of Tanunda and Angaston. We spent most of our time in and around these three towns. The big wine companies have a strong presence here. The wineries are huge. Jacobs Creek, Penfolds, and Wolf Blass, would be the biggest of the big. What a story is the life of Wolf Blass, and it is extremely well told at the Wolf Blass Visitors Centre, just off the main highway, and well worth a visit. From poor, immigrant wine technician, to Australia's most awarded wine maker, his life has been without peer in the Australian wine industry. He is still going strong, peddling the virtues of his wine, around the world, as a wine ambassador for the company. Is it a sign of the times, that we are the only visitors at the centre, for the duration of our visit?

Home to some great Barossa Shiraz.

We favour trying the wines at some of the smaller boutique wineries. Our favourites from this visit to the Barossa, were Elderton and Kellermiester. Elderton have been producing wonderful, award winning reds for years. A few bottles are now travelling with us! Kellermiester was new to us, started by a young family who appear to have a flair for marketing. We spent a fascinating hour or so chatting with a family member, tasting their products. They are a 5 Red Star Halliday rated winery,  so know a thing or two about making red wine. Beautiful, big fruit flavours. Again, we have a few new travelling companions.

Historic Seppeltsfield.

The mausoleum at Seppeltsfield.

For us, no trip to the Barossa is complete, without a visit to the historic Seppeltsfield Winery. What a place. The huge avenues of date palms herald your arrival at the estate, passing the Roman inspired mausoleum perched on a hilltop, surrounded by palms, and the final resting place of 27 family members, you enter the winery precinct. It is an amazing collection of stone buildings, that are both the winery and the family homestead. As the country's premier producer of fortified wines, including the iconic Para Port, the huge stone cellars house hundreds of huge vats of maturing ports and other fortifieds. There are also picnic grounds, a cafe, and it is just the most wonderful place to walk around and soak up the history.

The Chef & The Cook (Maggie)

Maggie Beer's Pheasant Farm Shop.

Another place we can never go past, is Maggie Beers Pheasant Farm Shop. What a remarkable lady she is. Without a doubt our personal favourite cook. From a humble start farming pheasants in the Barossa with her husband, they have created a huge international food business. Her food isn't fancy, just bloody good! Wonderful flavours, her terrines and pates, puddings and roasts, are legendary with most (except the Heart Foundation!). Today, she has the Farm shop, not far from Nuriootpa. Sitting beside the lake, it is a wonderful setting to showcase her produce. You can buy her entire range, or sit and enjoy some of her signature dishes, overlooking the lake. I had to have the warm game terrine, in a pastry case served with fresh green salad and her home made relish, washed down with a Barossa Shiraz. WOW! Carol had the Minestrone Soup with Chicken and a crusty roll, another wow! We walked around the lake, came back through the shop, and left with a bag full of goodies that included pates, jams, relish and her renowned verjuice. A delightful lunchtime experience.

Huge Vats full of Port at Seppeltsfield.

Other little places worth a mention, were the cafe in Tanunda called Nosh, that does excellent coffee and home made cakes. The quite amazing Wohlers Department Store at Tanunda. It is a step back in time. Two levels of giftware, kitchenware, furniture and toys and good old fashioned service. It even has a cafe, hidden away behind the stairs. Over in Angaston, is the lovely Clouds eatery, that does great coffee and lunch, and on the way stop up at the Mehngers Lookout to check out the expansive view and way out sculptures. Angaston also has some great old stone buildings and parks.

Camped at Clare. 

Carolyn & Steph.

Darrin & Matthew

Gorgeous Little Hayley

We took a call from our friend Stephanie, who lives in that other great wine area, the Clare Valley. She has called to tell us to come early to Clare, as the weekend is the annual Gourmet Food and Wine Festival. So we pack up a couple of days early and head for Clare, just over 130 kms away to the north of Adelaide. Here we are staying at Steph and Darren's property. They have 13 acres just north of Clare. The property has an olive grove and a few sheep, and we set up beside the shed, surrounded by their little farm and the next door vineyard. Very Nice indeed. Carolyn met Steph at Balmain, as her hairdresser, and became friends. Steph also does all the beauty treatments as well as massage. She has plied her trade on cruise ships, and took on the role aboard Orion, the amazing small adventure cruise ship that travels places like The Kimberley, New Guinea, and Antarctica. She met Darrin, who was, and still is, an Expedition Manager on board Orion 1, and the rest, as they say, is history! Steph grew up on a farm at nearby Auburn, so has returned to be near her family, and Darrin's family is currently relocating to Clare, from Western Australia, so most of the family will be together. They now have two little children, Matthew who is two, and Hayley who is 4 months. They are lovely kids. Life threw Steph and Darrin a real curve ball, when little Hayley was born with Down's Syndrome. Time will tell the extent of the challenges they face, but they are so determined to ensure the best possible outcome, that we know they will. Hayley is the most gorgeous little girl.

Soaking up the atmosphere at
Seven Hills Winery.

Seven Hills Winery.

Sunday was a fantastic day, as we joined Steph, Darren and the kids, and many of their friends, touring the wineries and enjoying the wine, food and entertainment being provided. This is a huge event for the Clare Valley, and the area is packed with visitors. Lucky we didn't have to be at the caravan park, it was full and overflowing into the nearby showgrounds and racecourse. We started at O'Leary Walker with scrambled eggs & smoked salmon, plus some bubbly to wash it down. There were people everywhere, being entertained by some good country rock singers.  From there we headed for Seven Hills Winery. What a change of pace! This winery is run by the Catholic Church, who have taken alter wine to a new dimension! Sure they still send some wine to the Vatican, but a lot more goes to the heathens! Lovely wine too! The setting is wonderful, with the beautiful large stone church and other buildings, set among the tranquil gardens and vineyards. This is my kind of religion! Next stop was Kilikanoon. This is another Halliday 5 Red Star winery. It has the distinction of producing the "World's Best" red wine, as judged by an International Wine Show in Paris(2009 I think). The Oracle Shiraz, was not on the free tasting list! Here we enjoyed a great lunch of Soup and Pumpkin & Feta Tart, plus some lovely wines. Last stop was Knappsteins, where the music was very loud and the crowd was very young. Yes folks, we are noticing these things these days!

The vines around Skillogalee Winery.

We had some lovely times with Steph and Darrin and the kids. Lovely family times, with home cooked meals and lovely local wines. Carolyn & I explored the region. It is Australia's leading Riesling area. The lovely Clare Valley Rieslings are legendary. There is the "Riesling Trail", an old railway line, that has been converted to a cycle and walking track, and winds it's way for miles through the entire valley. We visited a number of great small wineries. Pikes, which is not really small, Paulette's, Claymore, Mitchell, Greg Cooley ( who is a true extrovert and made us feel like part of the family!), and Skillogalee, where the restaurant is probably more famous than the winery, and based on the lunch we enjoyed, rightly so.

Dust storm between Clare and Adelaide.

Carolyn had a lovely girly day with Steph, complete with massage a hair cut, and the time went all too quickly. Our weather had been mixed. The nights were very, very, very, very cold, with frost most mornings, but the days were mostly sunny. Our little heater worked overtime to keep the caravan warm, and the electric blankets have been wonderful. The time really flew by, and it was all too soon to set course for Adelaide. We said our goodbyes, on a really windy day. Thankfully it was a tail wind. We headed out of the Clare Valley and started to cross the plains, towards Adelaide. This area is in the grain belt, but at present is almost in drought. Farmers are waiting patiently for rain, so they can sow a winter crop in those ploughed, dry, dusty paddocks. The further we drive, the windier it gets, and soon we are driving in a dust storm! Boy what this country can throw at you. We can now add dust storm to the wind, rain, hail and snow we have seen so far!


Adelaide for a week, before Robyn arrives from Sydney, to join us for the trip up through the Red Centre. We have decided to be lazy. John has a bit of a cold which he has now shared with the sexy voiced Carolyn, so some recuperation is necessary. The weather has been wild, with strong winds, and lots of rain, and very cold. The good news is that those dry areas where we had dust storms, have now had 40mm of rain, so the farmers are madly seeding the paddocks.

Our long lost Adelaide friends,
Carmel & Geoff Williams

Our only task was to track down Carmel & Geoff, a couple who Carolyn met on her round Australia odyssey in 1974. We have since seen them twice, once when we came to Adelaide for the Australian Grand Prix, and once when they called in on us at Illawong. Both visits were in the early/mid 1980's. So a get together was long overdue. We have enjoyed a lovely casual meal and evening at there home, and last night they came down to our place for dinner and drinks. It has been fantastic reminiscing and catching up on all that has happened in those almost 30 years that flew by. Catching up with friends is undoubtedly one of the highlights of our journey. 

Echuca and Along the Murray.

We leave Melbourne heading for Echuca on the Murray River. We drive out along the highway towards Bendigo, and it isn't long before we are at Heathcote. We stop at a wonderful bakery for early lunch. The place is packed. Now the wine lovers among you will be familiar with the Heathcote region. It is one of Australia's premium red wine producing areas, and the road is lined with the vineyards showing the colours of autumn. There is nothing much better than a Heathcote shiraz!


We drive on towards Echuca, arriving mid afternoon, and find the Echuca Top Tourist Holiday Park, situated at the end of the "old town" area. It is a big park, right on the banks of the Murray River, and with friendly staff we find our site and settle in. Driving into the park was a hoot! We think it is the friendliest caravan park in Australia, as everyone is coming out to look at us. We wind down the windows to acknowledge the waves, and hear the reason for their interest. Our newly serviced suspension is creaking like a 90 year old jogger!! The noise is deafening!! A quick call to the service company, puts us at ease, along with a liberal coating of lubricant!!

Restored Paddle Steamers at Echuca.

Echuca is a prosperous town, heavily reliant on tourism. The town itself is in two sections, the old port section, which is beautifully restored and even has the wharf undergoing a refurbishment, and the new business district. It has a nice feel to it. The old days of busy life as a river port are reproduced, with a number of restored paddle steamers offering lunch & dinner cruises, or simple 1 to 1.5 hour cruises, and even 3 night packages along the river. There are also dozens of luxury houseboats for hire, many of which are very large and very smart, with 4 double bedrooms, large entertaining lounges and BBQ's, plus huge ice chests for those that favour a cool beverage!

Lots of damage from the recent floods.

Also along the Murray are some of Australia's best golfing destinations. Here at Echuca, the golf is across the river in the sister NSW town of Moama. The golf club is Rich River Golf Club, which has a huge licensed club full of pokies, a motel to accommodate the golfers, and two magnificent Peter Thompson designed 18 hole championship courses. They are in great condition, and Carol & I enjoyed a social round together, and then later in the week John played in both the Thursday and Saturday member's competitions. Whilst the golf was average, the local members were great fun to play with, and a wealth of information about what's good and what's not, in the area. Lawn bowls is also big business along the Murray.They play for serious prizes including cash, and lots of people in the caravan park are drawn to the town for the bowls! If the golf doesn't improve, a bag of bowls may yet be purchased!!


We didn't travel far from town. It was nice just walking through the Old part of town. John got lost in two of the best caravan accessory shops he's come across, and there were plenty of shops where Carol could also be entertained. Add some great cafes and pubs, and it is a nice relaxing place to spend a week or two. We took a liking to the Star Hotel, drawn by the happy hour and two for one drinks, plus the excellent wood fired pizza, and some good live music on the weekends. 

A cruise on the EmmyLou.

We took a cruise on the Emmy Lou. It was a nice day and we just headed up river and back over a leisurely hour and a half. We were a bit disappointed at the lack of commentary. We were told the history of every paddle steamer tied up along the port, and then didn't hear another word! The river was showing the effects of the big floods earlier in the year. Lots of trees down, and the river bank badly washed away in parts. Still, it was a lazy way to fill in an afternoon, with the trees full of chattering Corella and sulphur crested cockatoos. There are so many of these guys along the river, and as the sun goes down each afternoon, the noise around the caravan park is deafening as the huge flocks relocate to their night time resting place. It is a terrific sound. Carol reckons they sound so happy!!

Lazing along the river.

So the week in Echuca has flown by. We leave on Mother's Day and head for Adelaide. I have arranged a Skype hook up with my brother Neil, so we can say hi to Mum on Mother's Day. We stop in the small river town of Cohuna, and call. As usual mum gets overcome at seeing our picture on the screen, but it is so nice to see her all dressed up and ready for Mother's Day lunch with the family. We also get to catch up with most of the family, who are at Mum's for morning tea, which is really nice. It is times like this we feel that little bit homesick. Soon, we get back on the road, heading for our overnight stay at Robinvale, right on the banks of the Murray. 

Fully restored Catalina Bomber.

Before arriving at Robinvale we pass through the lake district around Kerang. One of the lakes and townships is Lake Boga, and we are fascinated by a sign that points to the Catalina Flying Boat Museum. We take a detour and are gob smacked at what we find. Inside a huge hanger is a fully restored Catalina Bomber, with its 107 feet wingspan. The history of Lake Boga as a secret WWII flying boat air base is fully laid out. Once the Japanese bombed Darwin, a safe place to hide and service the remaining Allied amphibious aircraft. Lake Boga was selected, and a huge military camp was constructed servicing Australian, American and Dutch aircraft. Thousands of service men and women were based here.

Overnight drive thru at Robinvale.

Robinvale is a delightful caravan park and we note it down for a future longer stay. Next morning we cross the border into South Australia. All our remaining fruit and vegetables are confiscated at the border. Really strict about the dreaded fruit fly. We had eaten all the fruit before we got to the border, but the spuds and onions were deemed treacherous, so they went too!! We stopped in Mildura for early lunch, then on to Renmark and Pingara, which looked like really nice caravan parks, and again were noted down for a future stay. This country is so amazing. There are so many places to explore.


Now safe in South Australia, we stop at one of the many fruit stalls, and restock. New season oranges,apples, grapes and tomatoes. We even bought some home dried nectarines, which are delicious. Soft and juicy, and so full of flavour. Not hard like the supermarket stuff!! We drive through thousands of acres of vineyards. They line the road on both sides as far as you can see. Some of the bulk wine producers like Berri Estates and Banrock Station, have dozens of giant stainless steel tanks, standing as evidence of the volumes of Chateau Cardboard that goes into bladders and boxes, rather than bottles.


Mid afternoon, we arrive at the Barossa Valley, heart of Australia's wine industry, and check into the Top Tourist Holiday Park at Nuriootpa. We have a huge site alongside the adjoining playing fields and get settled in, for the coming week.

Melbourne - May 2012

The wake up call on board Spirit of Tasmania, comes at 5.45am. A quick shower, and we are called to our vehicle at 6.30am. By 6.40am we are in the streets of Port Melbourne. The area has been revitalised in recent years, with many apartment buildings and trendy shops and cafes. We find a delightful little French Boulangerie opening its doors, so it will be croque monsieur and coffee for breakfast. Both are delicious! We sit and watch the area come alive, with Lycra clad cyclists, joggers, and people walking their dogs. It reminds us so much of Balmain & Rozelle.


Any more coffee, and our eyes will be permanently open, so we head for The Big4 Melbourne Holiday Park at North Coburg, just 10 kms away. It is still before 9.00am, but the staff are welcoming and friendly, and put us in a temporary spot, until the sleepy heads vacate our designated site. By 12.00 noon we are set up and settled in. It is a lovely park with excellent facilities, and there are shopping centres, and shopping strips galore, within 5 minutes drive. We also have tram, bus, and train services to the city, all very close by, and even though public transport for seniors in Melbourne is not as cheap as Sydney, we can get a day pass for $3.70 each!!


We are in Melbourne to get some work done on the caravan, and will also take the opportunity to get the car serviced. Getting work done on the caravan is a logistical nightmare, as we have to find somewhere to stay, empty the fridge, and then move our personal belongings such as clothes and toiletries, as well as empty out any areas of the caravan requiring work. We have booked a cabin at the same caravan park, which is cosy, and spend most of Sunday afternoon transferring things from the caravan. Mission accomplished, we are ready to deliver the caravan to the repairer on Monday morning. They need it for 4 - 5 days. There is nothing major, but like a car or a home, it requires maintenance, so the wheel bearings, brakes, and suspension need to be checked as does the plumbing, and electrical, plus we have a list of minor things that have either broken or worn out. As it turns out, the awning which has played up since we took delivery,  is totally stuffed, and has to be replaced, so minor becomes major very quickly. The same applies to the car, so we leave behind a large chunk of money, but can hit the road again, knowing we are in good mechanical order.

The arcades of Melbourne.

So we have time to explore Melbourne. A train into the city for a look around, a tram into Lygon Street to sample the food and cafe culture. We really like Melbourne. The cafes and restaurants, coffee and food scene, the shopping, are all so different to anywhere else in Australia. It feels like Europe in so many parts. There is nothing else like walking through the bustling arcades of the city, that link the main streets. Some are informal and full of small cafes and food bars, with spruikers calling out their relevant virtues to the crowds, and others, like The Block Arcade, resplendent with crystal chandeliers and designer shops. The refurbished Myer and David Jones department stores on Bourke Street Mall, are world class retail establishments where one can get lost for days!! Lygon Street in Carlton remains one of the great places to eat, have coffee or a drink, or just be seen. Coffee and cake at Brunetti's is an institution. You have to see this place to believe it! Baristas and waiters, dressed in starched white shirts and long black aprons, buzzing around like flies. Hundreds of people, many exquisitely dressed in expensive clothes, sitting inside and out, enjoying great coffee and amazing sweets, from early morning until very late. You can sit there for hours, just watching this moving feast of people.

Masani's and 29 wonderful years.

It was our birthdays and wedding anniversary, whilst in Melbourne. I remembered 20 years ago, how in my corporate life, we used to go to a wonderful Italian Restaurant just off Lygon Street. Would you believe that it still operates, under the same family ownership!! We managed to book a table for Saturday night. Masani's remains a food institution, at the higher end of pricing, serving the most fabulous Italian food, presented superbly, in a warm relaxed atmosphere. We had a memorable night at Masani's, especially as I was with the love of my life, celebrating 29 wonderful years together, and not entertaining some pompous Buyer from Myer!

Elevation restaurant at Emerald Vic.

We have sold our kayak. It was living on the roof of the car and not getting anywhere near enough time in the water, so we decided to see what we could do on good old EBay. We listed whilst in Tasmania, and sold it in 3 days to a guy who lives in the Dandenongs, just east of Melbourne, so we agreed to deliver it when we hit the mainland. We took the lovely drive to the little village of Emerald, dropped off the kayak and decided on a joint celebration lunch of birthdays and successful sale. Carolyn spied a place called Elevation, and we had a lovely Tapas lunch and a glass of wine.

John, Barbara, Carolyn and Daphne.

By way of a wonderful sense of timing, we also managed to catch up with friends we haven't seen for a very long time, who were in Melbourne at the corresponding time. Firstly it was our dear friends Daphne and Barbara, who live in Auckland NZ, and who we haven't seen for 15 years. Carolyn met Daphne when she went to work at Civil & Civic as a 19 year old girl. Daphne moved on to Auckland to marry and raise a family, but the two have remained firm friends by mail, phone and more recently, regular email. Barbara is Daphne's close friend, and we have met up on occasions when they have visited Australia, and our rare visits to NZ. It was so wonderful to be able to meet up. Daphne had decided to keep it a secret from Barbara, and so the look of surprise on her face when we walked into the hotel room with Daphne, was priceless! We headed into Lygon Street, found a nice little Italian cafe, and the stories began. Thank God we weren't paying by the word. We'd be washing dishes for eternity!! The hours just sped by. It was a memorable night, shared by true friends.

John and Angela.

We also phoned Angela. Now, Angela worked at Menai Blinds when we first began at Gaymoir Products. She is full of fun, and we got on really well. She moved back to Melbourne about seven years ago, and we keep in touch through email. She jumped at the chance to catch up, and we enjoyed a long, long, long lunch at Northland shopping centre, on a cold, wet and miserable day. Another great afternoon sharing stories of travel and life.


Last thing on our schedule, was a visit back to Bendigo, about 2 hours out of Melbourne. Carolyn had seen that the Bendigo Art Gallery, which is very progressive, was hosting an exhibition called "Grace Kelly - Style Icon". We had seen another excellent exhibition last time we were in Bendigo, "The White Wedding Dress". This one was really good, with a large number of the original designer label outfits she had worn both in the movies, and in her real life princess role. There was also a wonderful Audio Visual show, splicing together parts from her movies, and old news reel footage of her engagement, wedding,  and royal life in Monaco, as well as a lot of home movies of her young family. All in all, it was well worth the visit.
So that about sums up our time in Melbourne. The weather was, well, Melbourne!! We had it all, but mostly, it felt like winter is well and truly around the corner.