Home to more than 40 wineries and offering an abundance of attractions and activities, the charmingly secluded Clare Valley boasts picture perfect scenery and is the perfect place to head for a cosy winter retreat! Here we take a look at some of the highlights of this picturesque region:
World Famous Wineries
Renowned for being Australia’s home of Riesling and featuring more than 40 cellar doors between Auburn & Clare, you could literally spend weeks here working your way through! Here are some of the most popular picks:
- Mount Horrocks Wines (The Old Railway Station Curling Street, Auburn)
- Sevenhill Cellars (111 College Road, Sevenhill)
- Annie's Lane (Quelltaler Rd, Watervale)
- Knappstein Wines (2 Pioneer Avenue, Clare)
- Reillys Wines Cellar Door & Restaurant (Hill Street, Mintaro)
If you are feeling adventurous, you can also cycle or walk either of the Riesling or Rattler Trails! With varying lengths and levels of difficulty, there should be a trail to suit just about everyone! Bike hire can be arranged via Clare Valley Cycle Hire or Riesling Trail Bike Hire.
Conservation Parks
Take a wine trail detour into unspoiled bushland, delve into red earth gorges and discover where giant fossils were found! Here are the spots to visit:
- Spring Gully Conservation Park – located near Sevenhill on over 400 hectares of bushland with an abundance of native orchids, birdlife, frogs, kangaroos and echidnas.
- Red Banks Conservation Park – located east of Burra via the Barrier Highway, palaeontologists have called this area one of the richest megafauna sites in the country! Red Banks was once home to Diprotodons: huge marsupials that weighed between one to two tonnes!
- Martindale Hall Conservation Park – located just outside of Mintaro, this park offers a fascinating insight into the lives of wealthy gentry during the late 1800s to early 1900s. The heritage listed hall and surrounding land is open to the public for self guided tours.
Just for Fun
If you’ve had your fill of wine or are just looking for a bit of family fun, here are our top picks for play:
- Mintaro Maze – featuring twists, turns and even fountains, this living hedge maze (consisting of over 800 conifers) is a great way to lose the kids! Only joking of course… it is tricky enough to bamboozle all ages however and definitely worth a go!
- Bungaree Station – established in 1841, this extensive sheep station offers a self guided history trail which enables visitors to explore the historic station complex and learn more about South Australia’s pioneering history. More like a village than a station!
- Monster Mine – located in Burra, visitors can explore the remnants of this mining community and learn what it would have been like to live in a thriving mining town in the golden days.
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