More to the Barossa Valley than wine(1)
TRAPPED into a complex harness and being urged to run right over the edge of a 15-metre drop, it occurs to me this isn't the view of Jacob's Creek I was expecting on a trip to the Barossa Valley.
I pause just long enough for the rest of my group to take in the sight of my terrified grin before running as fast as I can to swing out on a flying fox across the now-dry creek. But the first words out of my mouth when I'm finally pulled back in after my 200m flight are, “Can I do that again?”
Driving into the Barossa, there's no doubt about what this area's famous for. Vineyards stretch from hill to hill, around every corner and line many of the roads through its pretty towns.
But for those who don't view wine as a form of religion, who think describing a drink as “flinty” or “edgy” is a bit pretentious, there's a lot more to the Barossa than its admittedly magnificent wines.
The scenery is delightful. Even with the lack of rain, the grey-green hills dotted with eucalypts and lined with the ever-present vines are restful to the eye.
Accommodation
Although the region's only about an hour and a half away by car from Adelaide proper, it has plenty of accommodation to tempt you to make a real holiday of it. I stayed at the newly renovated Novotel Barossa Resort, with its rooms all boasting a view to the hills beyond.
With facilities suitable for tour groups or casual visitors, the resort is also proving popular with the conference crowd. Team-building exercises abound - including the rush of that flying fox, it also offers wall-climbing, abseiling, a ropewalk through the trees, and archery.
These activities are available to regular guests, given notice and some supplementary charges. For families dragging teens along, they offer an X-Box room plus the ability to hire gaming machines for rooms and suites.
For those on a driving holiday who want to avoid an argument about who will be the designated driver, the Novotel's tasting room may help. More than 60 wineries are represented, with one of each hosting a tasting in-house each evening from 5pm.
Guests can also select goods from local food producers, together with arts and crafts for those wanting a longer-lasting souvenir.
With a heated pool and barbecue facilities, a day spa which offers a Red Wine Spa (think body-length sparkling burgundy), mountain bikes for hire and a top-notch restaurant, some might find no reason to leave the resort at all - except perhaps for a game of golf across the road at the Tanunda Pines golf club.
Food tasting
But a visit to local food producers is also a must for anyone with tastebuds, and travellers in the area aren't likely to go hungry. That is, unless they get lost - so joining a tour, having a really good map or access to a GPS is vital.
Recommended local tastings include Maggie Beer's Farmshop, close to Nuriootpa.
Casual visitors are welcome but for foodies on tour there are cooking demonstrations every day at 2pm, with no need to book. Sauces, chutneys, verjuice, vino cotto and more are all available to taste on the premises before you buy.
The Barossa Valley Cheese Company produces some fine cheeses, also available for tasting and which go oh-so-well with the local wines. Made from both goat and cows' milk, there are 14 varieties to dither over.
Some of the restaurants are top-notch - including the newly-opened tapas-inspired Restaurant at Murdock Cellar Door in Angaston. With a young chef and staff, the dishes invite you to try more and more - and to share.
I recommend the rabbit (farmed locally) as well as chef Michael O'Haire's interesting take on sardines - served in their tin, to be opened at the table. And I was delighted by his lamb - served with a delicate mint panna cotta.
While Murdock is only a new winery, the wines I sampled with the meal were certainly of a class you come to expect from the Barossa.
Visitors looking for some culture can try a drive up Mengler's Hill between Tanunda and Angaston to the sculpture park. As well as offering a great view across the region, there are nine huge sculptures created from local stone, by sculptors from Australia, Japan, the USA and France.
Wine tasting
A mere stroll down the hill is Bethany, the area's oldest winery. It produces a wide range of wines, not just the big-tasting shiraz for which the Barossa is famous.
