Barossa Valley
The Barossa, comprised of the Barossa and Eden valleys , is one of Australia's most famous wine regions. First settled in 1842 by German Lutheran immigrants, this region take about an hour to drive to the valley, which is a 30km hollow in the rolling wheatfields. Thousands of hectares and row after row of vines, comprising nearly 40 vineyards, keep the Barossa's name at the top of the sophisticated wine lists worldwide.
Attractions in this region include Chateau Yaldara, Penfolds, Saltram, Herbig Family Tree, Barossa Goldfield Trail, and Whispering Wall.
Chateau Yaldara is an impressive stone chateau surrounded by vineyards near Lyndoch. It was built by Herman Thumm shortly after arriving from Europe in 1947. Today, it houses a fine collection of art and antiques, and tours are conducted daily
Penfolds was established in 1844 and was moved to the outskirts of Nuriootpa in 1974. A major winery, it matures its range of red and white table wines and ports in barrels made on the premises. Wine tasting and buying is available at the cellar door.
Saltram is one of the oldest of the Barossa Valley wineries. Established in 1859 by William Salter, this historic winery is set in beautiful gardens on a Barossa hillside outside Angaston. Saltram also has an excellent bistro near its cellars and is open daily for lunch.
Herbig Family Tree is a large hollow red gum tree at Springton, located adjacent to the road from Angaston to Mount Pleasant approximately 60km from Adelaide. This tree was home to German settler Friedrich Herbig, his wife, and their first child, who was also born on this tree. It is estimated to be 300-500 years old with a diameter of 7 meters at its base and a height of 24 meters. As the family increased, eventually to 16 children, Herbig built a pine cottage and later a stone house to accommodate his big family.
Today the Herbig Family Tree represents a graphic link to early European settlement of the area. It enjoys National Trust listing as well as entrance on the Register of the National Estate.
The Barossa Goldfield Trail is a two loop trail, which takes you to explore the gold mining history in this area, the Cockatoo Valley. The shorter loop is 1.2km long and takes about one hour to complete while the longer loop is about 5km and takes 3 to 4 hours to complete. Gold was discovered here by Job Harris in early October 1868 and about 2000 people had then rushed to the area within weeks. Wardens of Goldfields and police troopers were dispatched to issue gold licenses and settle disputes. Later, this gold site attracted another 4000 people and the township of Barossa was quickly established, consisting of a narrow lane of stores and hotels. An institute and school were added later and the township survived until the 1950s.
The Whispering Wall is a retaining wall for the Barossa Reservoir that has unique acoustic effects that allow sound to travel long distances. Words whispered in one hand can be heard at the other end more than 100 meters away. Apart from this unique effect, this area also has a marvelous view of the Barossa Reservoir as well as a collection of water supply heritage items.
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