Day 6... to the wine region of Barossa.
First stop, to the Whispering Wall of Williamstown. The Whispering Wall is in fact the retaining wall of the Barossa Reservoir built in the early 20th century. The dam was a revolutionary engineering feat in its day and attracted attention from all over the world, right up to today judging by the number of tourists that we saw though the place is not too assessible.
What draws visitors is its unique acoustic effect. We tried it and Sophia was at one end talking to us, which was about 100 metres away. We could hear her voice clearly.
Further away was the Lyndoch Hill Rose Garden. Apparently there are 30,000 roses here, and some of the shrubs were planted by royalty or celebrities.
These tractors made of hay along the roadside just reminded me of Hokkaido.
Lunchtime came and we headed straight for Elizabeth Street in Tanunda in search for food.
But first, to the Apex Bakery. First fired up in 1924, the wood oven used in this bakery has been going ever since, making it Australia’s longest continuously fired oven. The breads and yeast cakes that emerge from its hallowed doors are as much a part of the Barossa’s food culture as any wurst or wine. We stocked up on some legendary cookies which were really nice.
This black and white photo is quite fitting to the history of the bakery.
Along the street, there were a number of eateries and cafes. We chose this one as the German spread seemed quite authentic.
Our choice was indeed good as the wurst trio that we had was really good.
Next stop, to the Barossa Vintage Festival, which is the highlight of the day, and for me, the main attraction of the whole trip.
The Festival Ball remains a signature event of the festival, where cellars open their doors for tasting and sale, crowds throng huge winery compounds, and a range of community driven events including art and craft, music, literature, heritage, and of course food and wine congregate to give the festival a truly carnival feel.
The Barossa Vintage Festival has evolved to become the premier wine tourism festival in Australia, and is the jewel in the Barossa events calendar. Our timing for this trip, although not planned for this festival, is just impeccable, as the Barossa Vintage Festival only happens once in 2 years. Here we are at the heart of the festival, where there are live music and performances, and of course food and wine.
A vintage car from Seppelt Wines, of one of the 2 founders winery personalities Colin Gramp (Orlando Wines) and Bill Seppelt (Seppelt Wines) who concieved the idea for the festival in 1938.
A fire truck was on display. The friendly firemen helped both kids up to have a taste of being a rescuer.
After leaving the carnival, we stopped by Maggie Beer's Farm Shop. Not many photos but here is one with Heidi's big head.
Dinner time came and we headed to Peter Seppelt Wines Grand Cru Wood Oven Restaurant... what a long name. The place was really in the middle of nowhere, even our GPS couldn't lead us to the exact location. It was only after a bit of guessing and driving that we saw a board that pointed us to the place.
Sophia googled for this restaurant while planning for the trip and made a reservation. Booking is essential as they are only opened on Friday and Saturday evenings, and for lunch on Sunday. Great planning and timing again. Here she is, either annoyed by Oliver, Heidi, or me.
The place is really cool, with their own wood ovens. The owner is also friendly and has several huge dogs.
Children-friendly with white papers laid out and crayons for the budding artists.
This foccacia was really yummy.
Gourmet pizzas... not as good as the foccacia though.
The world's biggest rocking horse, built in 1981. Me, Charles, Oliver and JJ climbed up this 18 metres structure at The Toy Factory Gumeracha.
While Heidi preferred the smaller version.
She also staked claim to the rocking horse inside the restaurant.
What was better than the rocking horse was the 7 arces animal park, where wallabies, emus, ducks, goats, rabbits, and kids roam free.
Surprisingly, Oliver and Heidi weren't afraid of the animals and went about chasing them.
Poetry in motion.
Oliver is really good at running.
Up close with a kangaroo.
A funny looking chicken that we had never seen before. The feathers seemed to be very well-coiffed.
Next stop, the Beerenberg Farm near Hahndorf.
Here we paid a small fee to pick our own strawberries. Oliver and I had a taste of it right after plucking them.
Sophia choosing strawberries with Heidi.
The harvest.
After that was the nearby town of Hahndorf, Australia's oldest surviving German settlement.
There's still a strong German flavour in Hahndorf, most evident in the smallgood outlets and German bakeries that line the bustling main street.
There are also many restaurants in the town serving German cuisine. We settled for the famous Hahndorf Inn, and were lucky to grab a seat along the pavement. If we are back in Adelaide in the future, I would want to stay a few days in Hahndorf just to soak up the atmosphere.
The oysters were really good, although the wurst trio weren't as good as those in Barossa.
What is a panda doing in a German town?
Our last stop for the day was a trip up Mount Lofty Summit. And we were there in time to see the beautiful sunset.
While waiting for the sun to set, Oliver, JJ and Jiaen climbed up this pagoda thingy which belonged more in Tibet or Nepal.
Clowning around.
Before long, they got a bit rough.
The sun finally dipping and calling it a day.
