Impossibly Beautiful Barossa Valley
We have spent time in Adelaide many times over the years, but never have really looked at the Barossa Valley, about 60km to the northeast. It`s a strange name, given there is no Barossa River! The rolling hills region we call Barossa Valley is named after bigger nearby hills called Barossa Ranges which were themselves named by SA`s first Surveyor-General, William Light in 1837 honoring the 1811 Battle of Barrosa victory in Spain (although it was misspelt in official documents). Most of the 25,000 population live in one of four towns, including Tanunda (pop: 4,300), some photos of which appear below. The vaguely defined Barossa Valley is famous as a wine-producing region, and during our visit which was mid-winter after some rain, the whole area was astoundingly green and beautiful, making us want to come back some day.
The first Europeans to settle in the Barossa were German settlers escaping religious persecution in Prussia in the 1830s. On arrival, they probably delegated some of their past persecution to the indigenous Peramangk people whose local population declined rapidly through dispossession and disease, but it is apparent that the settlers, having suffered themselves, were somewhat more sympathetic than in other parts of Australia. Contemporary tensions between those German pioneers and the aboriginals they displaced is clearly conveyed in inscriptions at the Barossa Pioneer Memorial on Menglers Hill. The original plaque says "The Lord Has Given Us This Land (Joshua 2.9)" but a well-integrated but obvious 2025 afterthought says "Long before this land was given to the settlers, it was given to those already here". Sort of an attempt at reconciliation?
Seen from the air, this field of grape vines shows geometric perfection. [0008]
The silos of Chateau Dorrian. [4500]
Canary Island Date Palms are everywhere to be seen in the Barossa. [4545]
The Tabor Lutheran Church in Tanunda, established by German immigrants in the mid 1800s. [4550]
Driving Around the Barossa...
Apart from the green beauty of the hills and dales of the Barossa Valley, one of the first things a visitor notices (well, we did anyway) was the preponderance of palm trees along the sides of roads, up driveways etc. It turns out that the tradition was started on Seppeltsfield Road when a 5km trail of Canary Island Date Palms was planted during the Great Depression to give out-of-a-job workers some income. Although not native, these palms are not invasive, but equally, they provide no resources that native Australian wildlife need or like.
Barossa Sculpture Park
The Barossa Sculpture Park situated on Menglers Hill features 17 sculptures by international and Australian artists. The Park was created during the 1st Barossa International Sculpture Symposium in 1988. The invited sculptors were guests of the Barossa community and created their sculptures over six weeks. At the close they donated the works to the Barossa community.
Maggie Beer`s Farm Shop
Sydney born celebrity chef Maggie Beer established her Barossa Farm Shop in 1979, and based on the crowds there on our visit, it is now one of the Valley`s premier attractions. It boasts a store, a cafe, a restaurant and cooking classes, all beside a magnificent billabong. On the site is a significant aviary (which seems to have little to do with the current Beer business) which started in 2007, targeting pigeons and waterfowl. She bought their Barossa property in 1974 with the original intention of breeding game birds.
The sun is low to the horizon in late afternoon, with this view over grapevines in the Barossa Valley. [4459]
Its winter, so there is nothing to see on the grape vines. But, thanks to recent rain, the grass is green between the rows. [4539]
Overlooking the Barossa Sculpture Park to Tanunda, maybe 2km away. [4475]
Poort by Belgian artist Lode Tibos is one of 17 works donated to the Barossa Sculpture Park by the creating artists. [4482]
The inscription on this memorial to the original German settlers in the Barossa says `The Lord Has Given Us This Land". [4477]
Chateau Dorrien, bought by the Martin family from the legendary winemaking Seppelts in 1984, sports vines, palms and silos. [4493]
A photographer`s dream is this rundown old brick and steel cottage near Vine Vale in the Barossa. [4490]
This Trespassers Prosecuted sign shows that not everyone welcomes visitors in the Barossa. [4489]
Palm trees are common in the Barossa, a tradition started here along Seppeltsfield Road. [4552]
Aerial view of the Barossa western ridge looking over Tscharke Wines towards Laughing Jack Wines. [0022]
The Barossa Valley, renowned for its wines, also produces high-quality olives and olive oils, leveraging its Mediterranean-like climate. Numerous groves produce award-winning extra virgin olive oils, table olives, and other olive-based products. [4473]
Close-up of olives on a wild tree. The climate in the Barossa is well-suited for olives, and a global olive oil shortage is encouraging wine grape growers to diversify by planting olive trees. [4589]
Scene from inside Maggie Beer`s Farm Shop and cafe, showing its delightful location. [4531]
A crystal clear lake abuts Maggie Beer`s cafe and Farm Shop in Nuriootpa. [4533]
This peacock in Maggie Beer`s aviary put on a fine display for us. Charles Darwin thought that such spectacular plumage evolved through sexual selection. [4513]
The noisy miner is the version of these honeyeaters which is actually endemic to Australia. It looks as though it belongs in the eucalypts of the Barossa. [4563]
Looking loud and proud, this galah takes a rest from feeding in the Barossa grass. [4588]
The sky is the deep blue of after-sunset, the and moon is well up over the Barossa Valley. [4605]
Tanunda, heart of the Barossa?
The Barossa Valley features several key towns including Tanunda, Nuriootpa, Angaston and Lyndoch, which are central to the region`s wine culture, accommodation, and amenities. Tanunda`s began with early settlements by Prussian Lutheran immigrants in the 1840s but it was Charles Flaxman's commercial centre, established around 1848, that became the prominent town named Tanunda. The name itself is of Aboriginal origin, meaning `watering hole` in the Peramangk tongue. There is little in Tanunda these days to recognise the disposessed Peramangk people. Tanunda developed into a significant town by 1851, supported by its German Lutheran heritage, early wine plantings, and commercial development like the Château Tanunda. The town continues to be a heart of Barossa winemaking and retains a strong German cultural identity, and its the only one in the Barossa that we had a good look around. It`s a good looking town with a nice blend of old and new.
Signpost at T-Intersection showing way to Tanunda in both directions. [4491]
The Barossa Valey Way passes through Tanunda as its main street. [4560]
This little but grand 1866 building used to be the Tanunda Telegraph Station. It has been a museum since 1972. [4548]
You`ve got to love the signage on old buildings, this one in Tanunda. [4559]
Vintage Mercedes two-seater convertable cruising through Tanunda. [4577]
Great texture in the brickwork as seen on the side of a building in Tanunda. [4552]
The 1870 Tabor Lutheran Church in Tanunda named after Mount Tabor in Palestine. [4553]
Part of a memorial to Lutheran pioneers who arrived in November 1838, many of who settled in the Barossa. [4556]
The Louise, true luxury accommodation...
The Barossa Valley features several key towns including Tanunda, Nuriootpa, Angaston and Lyndoch, which are central to the region`s wine culture, accommodation, and amenities. Tanunda`s began with early settlements by Prussian Lutheran immigrants in the 1840s but it was Charles Flaxman's commercial centre, established around 1848, that became the prominent town named Tanunda. The name itself is of Aboriginal origin, meaning `watering hole` in the Peramangk tongue. There is little in Tanunda these days to recognise the disposessed Peramangk people. Tanunda developed into a significant town by 1851, supported by its German Lutheran heritage, early wine plantings, and commercial development like the Château Tanunda. The town continues to be a heart of Barossa winemaking and retains a strong German cultural identity, and its the only one in the Barossa that we had a good look around. It`s a good looking town with a nice blend of old and new.
Entering the blue zone as the sky darkens after sunset at The Louise at Marananga. [4602]
From this deck at the Louise, you can sip wine and enjoy the view. More than grapes are grown in the Barossa. This green field may be barley. [4447]
The restaurant and suites at The Louise enjoy beautiful views of grape vines and other crops grown next door. [0007]
Montage of one ghost gum at The Louise in three lights. L-R: day, sunset, night under artificial light. [4449]
This appears to be a Leucadendron (part of Proteaceae family), native to South Africa but widely cultivated where there is a Mediterranean climate, like the Barossa Valley, like here in The Louise`s gardens. [4451]
You would expect a luxury resort in the Barossa to have a great wine tasting room. Here is the one at The Louise. [4466]
Water features are calming and restful, like this one at The Louise. [4453]
Map from The Louise showing the wineries and points of interest in the Barossa Valley. [4462]
A very Barossa portrait, on display at The Louise, is `Grapes and Butterflies` by Emma Hack. [4470]
Our suite at The Louise sported this lovely outdoor shower, private but open to the elements, and a delight to enjoy. [1413]
