Explore the Barossa Valley Wine Regions of South Australia

60 miles off Adelaide is one of South Australia's most picturesque destinations, The Barossa Valley. The Barossa, as it is more commonly referred to, is famous for its vineyards and quaint historic towns. Listed below are some of the major things to do and attractions, along with Barossa Valley accommodation options.

These towns are mostly either English or German, in terms of history, customs, art and architecture. Other than the wineries and natural beauty, one of the reasons why The Barossa is so popular with tourists is because it offers a peek into the life of the early settlers. Many of the towns offer history tours of restored cottages, Churches and other landmarks from the 1800's.

The best example is Gawler, which was established in 1839 on the banks of the North Para. Tourists are offered guided walking tours of the Historic Main St and other period architecture. One of the main attractions in Gawler is the Gawler Clock Tower.

Tanunda is another historic town, which offers a snapshot of German life in the 19th century. Tanunda still has the original settler cottages and the original road built through the old town, now known as the Tanunda Heritage Trail. Even today, the town has such a strong German influence that it needs four Lutheran Churches.

Most popular among visitors and tour groups are the towns of Angaston, Williamstown and Eden Valley. Eden Valley has a breathtakingly beautiful landscape in the verdant green hills dotted with famed wine producers. It also has the historic 1866 built Eden Valley Hotel, which is not just a hotel, but a tourist attraction all by itself.

Williamstown offers a big bunch of very famous attractions, along with the usual wineries. This includes the Barossa Reservoir's 140 meter long curved Whispering Wall that has special acoustic capabilities. There's also the Barossa Goldfield walking trails and Mount Crawford Forest. Williamstown is also much more tourist-friendly, with lots of shops, restaurants and hotels. Cockatoo Valley also offers pretty much all the same attractions, and the Para Wirra Park to boot.

If anything, Angaston is even more tourist-friendly, with a whole lot of wine bars, cafes and retail shops selling everything from trinkets to antiques. It also has a lot of nice little B&Bs and all kinds of other facilities for visitors. These three towns of Angaston, Williamstown and Eden Valley likely add up to all the Barossa Valley accommodation that a visitor is ever going to need.

There is also the option of staying put in Adelaide and venturing out for a Barossa Valley day trip. But that would be just so unfair to almost every town and attraction, since there's so many of them and so much to do. The whole point of a wine country holiday is to ease the pace of life and taste everything, so to speak.

These are just the most well-known towns. There are many more little hamlets and of course the biog towns linked by the Barossa Valley Way, including Nuriootpa and Lyndoch. Each one has wineries and a host of other unique attractions. The summary of it is that The Barossa Valley is well worth a visit. Correction - make that an extended visit.

Planning a short break away, find Barossa accommodation SA, attractions and other travel related information about the area. Or view our travel blog for more holiday ideas.

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South Australia's Magnificent Barossa Valley

Anyone travelling to Adelaide or touring South Australia should definitely consider a day trip to the magnificent Barossa Valley, just a short but scenic hour's drive from Adelaide through the beautiful Adelaide Hills. The Barossa Valley is home to the world-famous wines such as the Barossa Shiraz and Eden Valley Riesling, in addition to a veritable cornucopia of unique regional produce, and of course many acclaimed restaurants.

The Barossa Valley is one of Australia's most significant wine regions. The Barossa's vineyards are tended by around 500 grape growing families, many sixth-generation. There are may small boutique wineries where exquisite wines are sold out within weeks of their launch, along with larger enterprises associated with household names such as Peter Lehmann, Henschke, Seppelt, Yaldara and Yalumba.

The Barossa Valley's thriving community retains strong links to its rich European heritage, now combined with the down-to-earth Australian spirit to create a rich and diverse lifestyle in a relaxed, rural setting close to Adelaide. European farmers (German in particular) and English migrants settled the Barossa Valley from the 1850s, and their rich cultural legacy is evident today in superb Barossa specialty foods and historic architecture. Historic churches, stone buildings and cottages abound, while walking trails, reserves and forests offer easily access to breathtaking landscapes and scenery.

Located only 70 kilometres North East of Adelaide, the Barossa Valley is just over hour's drive from the South Australian capital. From Adelaide take Main North Road (A20) to Sturt Highway and enter via Gawler and the Barossa Valley Way. Or, from Adelaide take Lower North East Road (A10) out of Adelaide and travel through Chain of Ponds in the Adelaide Hills to Williamstown in the southern Barossa. Adelaide is well serviced by domestic and international flights, and car hire is readily available at the airport. Self-drive tours to the Barossa Valley are popular. Road conditions are generally very good and distances between the region's towns are small.

Spring brings a refreshing vitality to the Barossa Valley, days are sunny with a crispness in the air and wildflowers abound. Summer brings an abundance of sunshine and warm days. The average temperature around 29 degrees celcius, but temperatures as high as 35 degrees are common. Autumn brings mild days, chilly evenings, and autumn leaves on the grape vines which are a sight to behold. Winter brings chilly days and cold nights when warm Barossa hospitality can be enjoyed around a cosy log fire.

The Barossa Valley was named in 1837 by South Australia's first Surveyor general, Colonel William Light, after Barrosa in Spain. It was first settled in 1842 by English and German settlers, the Germans having fled religious persecution in their homeland. Before long the Barossa developed its own unique culture and life style which has continued until today. Early gentlemen winemakers established the first Barossa Valley vineyards, but wealthier families with greater financial resources soon took over and developed the wine making industry we see today. Among the first was the Seppelt Family. Joseph Seppelt turned to wine making on a large scale when earlier attempts at tobacco growing failed. Other successful attempts were made by the Jacobs, Salters, Gramps, Penfolds and Tolleys, who soon dominated the industry while smaller growers supplied grapes grown on family holdings. In this way, the Barossa Valley's agricultural production slowly changed from wheat growing to grape growing.

For a comfortable day tour in a picturesque region of Australia steeped in history, fine wines, good food and great restaurants, South Australia's Barossa Valley is hard to beat!

Miguel Scaccialupo writes regularly on Australian tour [http://www.tour-bazaar.com] topics such as Great Ocean Road Tours [http://www.tour-bazaar.com/great-ocean-road-tour.php] and Barossa Valley Tours [http://www.tour-bazaar.com/barossa-valley-tour.php].

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