The Barossa offers everything you'd expect from Australia's most famous wine region. Winemakers waiting to share their secrets at the cellar door; landscapes etched with manicured vineyards; passionate food producers proffering their wares at country markets; and grand chateaux surrounded by ornate gardens. And it's all just an hour from Adelaide.
The Barossa owes much of its appeal to the European peasant farmers and English free settlers who made the place home from the 1850s. You'll get a taste of their rich cultural legacy in superb Barossa specialty foods, dozens of festivals and events, historic architecture and inspiring arts and antique galleries.
Take a winery tour in a limousine or vintage car, or float above the valley in a hot-air balloon. Wake up in the Barossa after spending the night in a restored settler's cottage, a resort suite, a luxurious country house or a shady caravan park. Sample German wursts and cakes in heritage bakeries and butcher stores as you follow the Barossa's Butcher, Baker, Winemaker Trail. And get right into the swing of things at one of the 100 events making up the biennial Barossa Vintage Festival.
Home of Australian Wine:
Drive among vines tended by the Barossa's 500 grape growing families (many sixth-generation). Stop at tiny boutique wineries where top drops are sold out within weeks of their launch. Have your photo taken beside the real Jacob's Creek. Visit the new $5 million Wolf Blass Visitor Centre, or any of the 60 sensational cellar doors with household names like Peter Lehmann, Henschke, Seppelt, Yaldara and Yalumba.
Chateaux Boxing:
What’s a wine region without a chateau or three? The divine buildings and grounds of Chateau Yaldara house a new cafe and larder; the magnificently restored Chateau Tanunda has a gorgeous cricket oval and croquet lawn, and is also home to the Barossa Small Winemakers Centre; Seppeltsfield, one of Australia's grandest wine chateaux, began life as a dairy in 1851; and Chateau Barossa’s parklands feature more than 20,000 rose bushes of more than 2000 varieties.
Get a taste of Maggie Beer:
Marvel at the magic of Maggie Beer, one of Australia’s favourite cooks and writers, and a pioneering champion of Barossa regional cuisine. In her Farm Shop near Nuriootpa, you'll find Maggie's gourmet products and award-winning books, and enjoy great coffee and lunch overlooking the lake.
The lie of the Land:
See the patchwork of vineyards and farms from the lookout on Mengler Hill. The many spires that punctuate the landscape remind you just how important worship was (and still is) to the Barossa community. The road continues as the scenic route to Angaston. Mengler Hill Lookout is located east of Tanunda and west of Angaston.
Barossa Farmers Market:
Rise and shine with the Barossa Farmers Market, held every Saturday morning from 7.30am to 11.30am and boasting 'real food from the homes and farms of the Barossa'. Located just behind Vintners Bar & Grill near Angaston, it's a food-only market reflecting the heritage and traditions of the region.
Events Aplenty:
The Barossa has a calendar of events large and small. The biennial vintage festival celebrates the harvest in every town. Barossa under the Stars features a top international performer (past stars include Rod Stewart and Elton John) and fine local hospitality. And the Barossa Gourmet Weekend unites cooks, chefs and restaurants with wineries to present the best of each. Search for Barossa events on our events listing.
Whisper at a Wall:
Whisper sweet nothings on the Whispering Wall, just outside the quaint little town of Williamstown. An engineering marvel, the wall is a perfect ellipse and allows messages whispered at one end to be heard 140 metres away at the other. Built in 1902, the wall is 39m high and the top concrete section is reinforced with old tram rails.
