I was sure I would fall in love with the Barossa Valley wine when I left the Barossa Valley. (I did.) I didn’t expect to fall in love so much with the Barossa Valley’s natural beauty and the nearby Adelaide Hills.
The landscape is rich and tranquil: rolling green hills, earthy hues of changing seasons, vines in full bloom, Eucalypt forests, steep slopes, and shaded valleys.
In this region, there are many ways to get close to nature. This region is the ideal backdrop for outdoor pursuits. You can tap into your creative Zen or enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting in a beautiful setting.
As part of #MadeBy, we visited the Barossa Valley as guests of Jacob’s Creek to better understand the region, people, and what goes into making wine.
When I drink my favorite Jacob’s Creek Adelaide Hills Chardonnay or Double Barrel Shiraz, I’m immediately transported to a place where people talk, grow, and make things.
Mt Lofty Summit Hike in the Adelaide Hills
We underestimated how steep this 3.9-kilometer hike was up to the 710-meter high Mt Lofty Summit.
I was huffing and puffing with a burning chest, thinking about how Hunter, my boot camp instructor, would be happy that I didn’t skip class to enjoy wine and food in the Barossa Valley for four days.
Craig and I love hiking, but the Mt Lofty trek showed us how walking with children differs. Our 18-month road trip through Australia deconditioned our hiking body.
We loved the Mt Lofty hike and would highly recommend it.
Waterfall Gully welcomed us with the golden oranges and reds of Autumn. In the area north of Sydney, where we grew up, you don’t experience Autumn. Most of the time, it’s just an evergreen life.
We started the hike in this direction after playing in the fallen leaves around the waterfall.
The air was fresh and crisp, and all that could be heard was the soft music of birds. The koala odor was what I later identified as the distinctive scent that followed us. The Adelaide Hills is a frequent spot for them, but we didn’t see any this time.
Barossa: Take a drive
The Barossa Valley is stunning. Take a drive to soak up the beauty.
We did it on a yellow trike with Barossa Unique Tours. It’s hard to beat the feeling of wind in your hair while zipping along country roads, surrounded by the most beautiful gum trees.
Johnny, our driver, was very passionate about the area. He had many interesting facts and stories to share. He gave us a strong impression that the Barossa was produced by people, with a sweetness and a love you could taste in every bottle of Barossa wine.
Barossa – if only it weren’t so cold during winter, I could imagine myself zipping through this valley as a native on a trike.
Cleland Wildlife Park
We’ve visited a few of the wildlife parks in Australia. You’ve already seen one of them. Not necessarily.
It was the first ever time we hand-fed Potoroos. When we entered, they jumped out of the bush to welcome us. I was in squealing bliss. Unsure of what to expect, I leaned down to feed them. They cautiously sniffed their hands, then began to pick off the pellets to eat. It was adorable! The area had many kangaroos: western greys, black-footed wallabies, and big reds. They all held my hand as they ate.
You can also watch them eating and sleeping in trees. They are adorable. Cleland offers the opportunity to hold koalas.
I love the Gum Trees
The trees of the Barossa Valley are so beautiful that I had to include them in this blog post. They are gorgeous.
I’ve never seen a gum tree so large, healthy, and full of stories.
I am a tree hugger and spent most of my time in Barossa devising plans to sneak in another cuddle. The Barossa’s gum trees are magnificent. I don’t know why. My favorite was the giant gum in front of the Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre. It was dying. They dug a large hole around it, lowered the ground, and now it is recovering.
Seeing the Avenue of Cork Trees in the driveway of Jacob’s Estate was fascinating. I didn’t know that trees produce corks. Did you feel silly saying that?
It takes years to grow these corks trees. Colin Gramp planted these cork trees in 1971. He had the vision to know that a row would help cork wine bottles in the future.
It will take them about nine years to produce their first good batch. He couldn’t predict that shortly, bottles will be screw-capped (at least in Australia).
Helicopter Tour Over Barossa Valley
It’s a sight to behold; the Barossa Valley and its patchwork of villages are as green as Ireland.
It is possible to see the area from above by hot air balloon or helicopter. Barossa Helicopters is the option we chose because WE LOVE HELICOPTERS.
Our pilot described the morning as one of the most beautiful she had ever experienced. We flew in a circle along Jacob’s Creek and over our cottage. Then we flew over the Heritage Vineyard, where we had dinner the night before, and up to the hilltop over the Steingarten Vineyard, which separates Eden Valley and the Barossa Valley.
Port Willunga Caves
We’ll tell you about the excellent Star of Greece Restaurant perched on top of the hills of Port Willunga, just 45 km from Adelaide.
Enjoy the view and walk to the beach. There are several caves hidden in the cliffs. If you are a photographer, you will love taking photos of the caves and ridges from the inside and outside. Port Willunga was once a grain port. The only evidence is the jetty pylons that add a beautiful element to the foreground.