South Australia

Victor Harbor and McLaren Vale 

After our wonderful day spent in the Barossa Valley, Di from Ambler Touring, arrived at our hotel the next morning, after brfeakfast, ready to take the six of us out for another day of touring.   Mary decided not to come and to have a day shopping in Adelaide.  Ernest sat up front next to the driver, Fred and Pam were in the middle and Ken and I were in the back.  Di said we had a big day ahead with our first stop at Victor Harbor.  I was pleased we were going there as Victor Harbor is one of my favourite spots in South Australia. I have happy memories of visiting Granite Island in the horse-driven tram across the Causeway to the island.  

We travelled South from Adelaide, using the Southern Expressway to enter the lush rolling wine country of the Fleurieu Peninsula.  We passed through McLaren Vale and Di said we would be calling in again at McLaren Vale, on the way back, to have lunch at a cafe there.

Causeway, Victor Harbor

As we entered the precinct around Victor Harbor, Di drove us to a lookout overlooking the panorama of Encounter Bay where we could get a glimpse of Granite Island.  

We then drove down to the township where there were roadworks taking place and I could see there were also road disruptions on the Causeway. 

There was no sign of the tram and I think the horses were having a holiday while the roadworks were in place.  

Di dropped us off at the Causeway Cafe where we had our morning coffee.  It was very cold and windy outside, so we were glad to sit inside where there was a slow combustion stove heating the interior.  

Paddle Steamer "Challenger"

We did not stay long in Victor Harbor and our next stop was Goolwa Wharf.  

Goolwa is a historic river port where the River Murray and the Southern Ocean meet.  It is a popular holiday destination.  There were boats at the wharf ready to take cruises on the Murray, even an old Paddle steamer.  

From the Wharf precinct we had a good view of the Hindmarsh Island Bridge, a controversial construction built in the 1990's which involved a clash with the local indigenous people over it being sacred cultural land where "secret women's business" supposedly took place. 

Tintara Winery

As it was time for lunch, Di was anxious to get back on the road for our lunch stop in McLaren Vale.  This charming town is in the heart of wine growing country and surrounded by more than one hundred vineyards and wineries.  

After lunch Di drove us to the Hardy Tintara Winery for a cellar door tasting and a walk around the grounds and the Almond Train next-door. This is an old 1920's train carriage which now seems to be a Japanese Kitchen cafe, but it was closed.

d'Arenberg Cube

Di then drove us to the d'Arenberg Winery and vineyard home to the unique d'Arenberg Cube.  This is a building, shaped like a Rubik's Cube, with five levels, carefully designed to entice and excite the senses with many tactile experiences.  We did not go inside as there was quite a lot of walking involved, but I am sure it would have been an amazing experience and the views from the top breathtaking.  There is also a Cellar door on the fifth floor. 

There was an exhibition of Salvadore Dali sculptures and also a sculpture retrospective in the grounds of the vineyard by artist Greg Johns titled "A Road less travelled"

Our time in the McLaren Vale was coming to an end and Di drove us back to our hotel in Adelaide after a very enjoyable day with many and varied experiences.  Di had done a good job of catering to our particular interests.  Fred and Pam were happy to visit the cellar doors and sample the wine tastings at the various wineries.  Mary was interested in buying gourmet food as in Maggie Beer's shop in the Barossa Valley the day before.  Ernest is keen on photographyand so are Ken and I, so the d'Arenberg Cube and sculptures in the d'Arenberg Vineyard was a great opportunity to take some interesting and unusual photos.

Salvadore Dali sculpture

Acknowledgements

1.  Alexandrina.sa.gov.au (information about Goolwa)

2.  darenberg.com.au (information about d'Arenberg Cube and Winery.

South Australia

 Barossa Valley

After our fabulous cruise down the Murray River on the Proud Mary, our small group of six neighbours arrived back in Adelaide on 27 June, 2022 to spend three nights in the Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets.  The next day we were picked up at our hotel by Di of Ambler Touring for a private chaffeur driven tour to the Barossa Valley, a wine-producing area northeast from Adelaide.  This was part of a two-day personalised itinerary prepared especially for our group.

The Whispering Wall

Our first stop was at the Whispering Wall which is located in the Barossa Reservoir Reserve built between 1899 and 1903.  It is known for its unique acoustic effects.  Words whispered at the far end can be clearly heard at the other end more than 100 metres away.  We had some fun testing this out.    

Our next stop was in the town of Tanunda, which was first settled by German immigrants in the 1840's.  Here we stopped at the Chateau Tanunda Winery for a cellar door wine tasting and afterwards a morning coffee in the coffee shop in the Chateau.

In Maggie's Kitchen

We then continued on to Mengler Hill in the Barossa Ranges to get a sweeping panoramic view over the whole Barossa Valley and also saw the weird and wonderful sculptures made of  local marble and granite in the Sculpture Park scattered around on the hill around the lookout.

We then continued on to Nuriootpa to visit Maggie Beer's Farm Shop and Pheasant farm.  The shop was warm inside with a slow combustion fire in the centre.    At one end of the shop was Maggie's kitchen where she filmed her TV show with Simon the chef.  The kitchen was homely and inviting with the stovetop set up for photo opportunities where people could pretend they were cooking in Maggie Beer's kitchen!  Di took our photo in the kitchen for a bit of fun! 

We  then wandered outside to see the Lake, the cooking school and dining room and also the various farm animals including peacocks.

Di then drove us to Angaston, a charming tree-lined historic town.  This town was settled predominantly by Cornish miners and other settlers from Britain.  We had lunch in a local restaurant and afterwards Ken and I wandered around the town and local Park taking photos.   

Zion Lutheran Church

One building that caught our attention was the Zion Lutheran Church, looking quite magnificent, constructed with bluestone walls and soapstone quoins and surrounds.

We then drove down Seppeltsfield Road in Seppeltsfield.  This is an avenue of Canary Island Date Palms, five kilometres long, planted by the 

Seppeltsfield workers during the Great Depression.  Over 2000 palms now line the sides of the Road and other roads in the Estate.  In fact, there are palms everywhere in Seppeltsfield!

Seppeltsfield Winery

Seppeltsfield Winery dates back to 1851 and is considered a National treasure which helped shape Australia's wine industry.  It was started by German immigrants, Joseph and Johanna Seppelt.  Over 400 acres surround the Estate which combines ancient vineyards, historical buildings, majestic gardens and priceless architecture.  

Canary Island Date Palms

 The Seppeltsfield Estate is a destination experience with cellar door tastings and the Jam Factory which is a unique hub for craft and design.  It is located within the 1850 stables building and provides studio space for professional artists working in a variety of media, including knife making, jewellery, millinery, glass and leather.  There are also artisan shops and workshops.  We looked in at the millinery shop and the knife making shop as well as looking at the ceramic exhibition.  

We also had a look in Vasse Virgin housed in one of the historic buildings and saw products made from olive oil including a range of skin-care products.  There is also a gourmet food room in this building showcasing a range of olive oils and food products and there is also a workshop attached. 

We were quite tired after our walk around the Seppeltsfeld Estate as there is a lot of walking involved between the different buildings and around the gardens.  

Di then drove us back to our hotel in Adelaide and arranged to pick us up in the morning for the second day of our itinerary, a journey to Victor Harbor and McLaren Vale.

Acknowledgements

1.  SA Gov.au (information about Whispering Wall)

2.  Ultimate Winery Experiences.com.au (information about Seppletsfield)

3.  Wikipedia

 

South Australia

Cruise on the Murray River

On 24 June, 2022 we flew from Sydney to Adelaide to board the Proud Mary in Murray Bridge, South Australia for a two night discovery cruise down the Murray River.  

The Proud Mary carries a maximum of 36 passengers and on our cruise we had 32 on board.  Ken and I had a comfortable river view cabin with en-suite and access to the outside deck on level 1.  This deck is at water level and we had to walk along the length of the deck to climb the two flights of stairs, at the aft of the boat, to reach the lounge and dining area on the upper deck.  It was very cold as we walked along this deck to return to our cabin at night.  However, once back in our cabin, the air-conditioner kept the temperature nice and warm.

The Murray River is the fourth longest river in the world.  It meanders for 2,500 kilometres starting in the Snowy Mountains in NSW, twisting and turning along the Victorian border and finally into South Australia where it reaches its end in the Lakes and Coorong region.  There is spectacular landscape along the way with towering sandstone cliffs, hidden lagoons, waterfalls and sandy beaches.  At about 130 million years old, this region is also steeped in Aboriginal history and culture.  We stopped at some scenic mooring locationswhere we could disembark and take a little walk through the iconic Australian bush.  We also explored the backwaters in a flat-bottom boat, the M.V. Pelican, to see the wildlife and birdlife.  However, being winter there was not that much birdlife to see.  I did not go out in the boat but chose instead to explore the bushland and reeds along the river banks.

Our meals were in the dining room, where we indulged in some memorable culinary delights from the kitchen and, at the same time, we could view the passing river bank scenery.  There were comfortable Chesterfield lounges where we could rest after our meal and enjoy a drink from the bar.  We also congregated in this area during the day, as it was too cold to sit out on the decks. 

The Proud Mary tied up at Mannum.

The Proud Mary was built in 1982 and its design resembles that of the paddle steamers that provided transport along the Murray River during the 1800's.

Here is the Proud Mary tied up at Teal Flat.  We could exit the boat here to explore the bushland and foreshore.

Here is the M.V. Pelican, a 12 person flat bottomed boat, with passengers aboard, for an Eco cruise of the backwaters to see the wildlife and birdlife of the river.  Ken is sitting up the front wearing a red beanie.

This substantial and attractive house is in River Lane below the cliff at Mannum and is called "Leonaville" built in 1883 by Gottlieb Wilhelm Schuetze, a private developer, as his own home.

This breathtaking view of the yellow sandstone cliffs and reflections in the river was part of the scenery along the way to Mannum.

While we were in Mannum, we joined a group from the boat to do an organised coach tour to the Reedy Creek Gorge where we were meant to do a bush walk to see the waterfalls.  However, we were advised there was not much water falling and the track was very rough in places so our coach driver gave us a little scenic tour around the region instead.

He took us first to a lookout overlooking the township and areas around Mannum.  We saw the Mannum car ferry crossing the river with a load of vehicles ready to continue their journeys on the other side of the river.  

After leaving the lookout we saw the Mannum to Adelaide water pipeline, being the first major pipeline built from the River Murray to carry water to Adelaide.  The road followed this pipeline for a while and at Apamurra we saw some mural artwork on the sides of the pipe, similar to what can be seen on some wheat silos.  He also drove us to Tepko,  near Palmer where we saw the five span rail bridge on Reedy Creek on the line put in from Monarto South to Sedan in 1919.

We were in an area surrounded by the Adelaide Hills.  The ground in this region is very stony and he explained it is from a time when the ocean covered this area and remnants of coral and sea bed debris and the skeletal remains of ocean creatures can be found as fossils in the area.  Water and soakage have stained the strata a yellow beige colour.

We then returned to the Proud Mary for our final journey back to Murray Bridge.  Here we said goodbye to the Captain and crew and were then driven, by bus, to our hotel in Adelaide. 

  

Our three day cruise on the Proud Mary was a wonderful experience, which we enjoyed very much, and one we consider to be a fantastic lifelong memory.

1.  A view of the pipeline taken from the front 

window of the bus.

2.  The railway bridge over Reedy Creek

at Tepko.

Acknowledgements

1.  Australian Tours and Cruises. 

2.  River Murray Heritage Survey DC Mannum 1984. 

3.  Proud Mary.com.au

4.  Wikipedia

5.  Geological Society of SA.  Primary Industries and Resources South Australia.