South Australia 2021

The Barossa Valley is one of the worlds great wine regions. With about 150 vineyards and some of the oldest vines in the country, it offers some fantastic Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache wines. We included a couple days in this valley in February but on this particular trip we drove straight through the Barossa as we headed north.  A week later, with Melbourne in lockdown and having exhausted our interest in Arkaroola, we looked to again enjoying some unscheduled…

Read More Read More

We always tried to avoid long stretches of unpaved roads as visions of red dust infiltrating our brand new Clam weren’t pleasant. This thought prevaded our minds as we ventured deeper into the Flinders. We really really wanted to visit Arkaroola but all routes in to this remote location are unpaved. We queried every local resident and caravan occupant we met about their knowledge of the best route option but the results were decidedly inconclusive. We gave in and chose…

Read More Read More

We are eager to see more of the Flinders Ranges and have our sights set on Wilpena Pound.  A pound is a circular valley surrounded by a rim of mountains, much like a volcanic crater. We had pre-booked the campground at Ikara-Flinders National Park and a rigid Covid check-in required us to list our previous 2-weeks lodging (all in SA thankfully). This is an extraordinarily beautiful place and for the Adnyamathanha (Aboriginal) people it is enormously sacred and significant.  The…

Read More Read More

As we drive north beyond the Barossa and Clare Valleys the landscape becomes more arid and the mountains, while not giants, become rugged and more formidable.  Port Augusta is a small city that was once a seaport but is now a junction for road traffic and railway travel and feels like the gateway to the Outback. Today its claim to fame is being the home of the Pichi Richi Railway. In 1878 construction commenced on a railway line to establish…

Read More Read More

The day after our evening ferry back to the mainland we drove a hour to McClaren Vale, a wine region south of Adelaide. When we were here in February the vines were laden with grapes but now on the first day of winter many were barren or retained an autumn glow from the last of the clinging leaves. Our plan was to stay in the hills above Adelaide at Hahndorf. From here it’s an easy drive down to the middle…

Read More Read More