Nuriootpa, Barossa Valley. The town is in the foreground, followed by vineyards, Barossa Ranges in the background.

The Barossa Valley is in South Australia and is one of the best wine-producing regions on the Australian mainland with a rapidly-growing international reputation, around an hour from Adelaide. Many wineries in the region are open for tastings, with many also serving food and beer.

Understand

The evidence of the original German settlers can be seen in the steeply sloping roofs of the older buildings. The local cuisine is very heavily influenced by Germanic culture. For example, meats such as Mettwurst, Bratwurst and a range of other tasty and old-fashioned sausages are found throughout the region. On the dessert side, heavy cream cakes are very popular, including Bienenstich and cream buns of all sorts of forms.

There is also an Anglo influence in the Scottish Angaston region. You will be able to see the differences between this town and the surrounding Germanic towns, in the architecture and even by the family names that can be found on war memorials etc.

Religion in this region is predominantly Lutheran, so expect to see many churches made from stone, with beautiful silver spires reaching to the sky. The quality architecture is testament to much loving care and fine masonry skills lavished on the building of the churches in the past 150 years.

It is now possible to say with truth and pride that the Barossa is one of the finest wine producing regions in the world. It has great soils, family farms where the wine-growing traditions have been passed down through the generations and local oenologist courses at such places as Roseworthy College are ensuring that winemakers are highly educated and skilled in their winemaking. Many of the local schools also include winemaking courses as part of their agricultural studies curricula.

Get in

By car

The Northern Expressway provides direct access to the Barossa from Adelaide. It is a 110 km/hr, limited access freeway. From Adelaide take the Port Wakefield Highway (A1) to the north, then onto the M20 motorway, bypassing the town of Gawler and entering the Barossa at Greenock in the Northwest of the valley. Allowing 60–75 minutes between the airport and Barossa winery tasting rooms is realistic.

Getting to the Barossa from Adelaide or the airport is considerably easier than traveling to Australia's other major wine regions (Hunter Valley from Sydney - about 2-1/2 hours; Yarra Valley from Melbourne - about 1-1/2 hours; or Margaret River from Perth - about 3-1/2 hours).

The scenic driving route to the Barossa is via the Adelaide Hills just East of the city, and then North through the hills enjoying country roads and sleepy towns. Perhaps drive through Inglewood Houghton and Williamstown to arrive in the Valley at Lyndoch. If time permits, the whispering wall, a reservoir wall at Williamstown is worth a visit. Similar to the sound effect in the dome of St Pauls London, but on a far far larger scale, whispered sounds, inaudible a few feet away are miraculously focussed by the wall to be perfectly audible half a kilometre or so away.

By bus

Link SA run coach transfers Gawler and the Barossa four times daily, with two services extending to Adelaide.

Get around

Public transport isn't that good within the valley, which is a shame given the opportunities to drink excellent wine, usually for free. Hotels can arrange transfers to and from the airport if that's what you want. Car hire is available in Adelaide for all budgets ranging from the major brands, down to rent-a wreck cheapies.

You can cycle between the towns, and some cycle facilities are being constructed. Bike hire is available from Barossa Bike Hire, and guided bike tours by Uber Cycle.

See

• Tour Down Under. A professional cycling racing race featuring some of the world's top riders. Race starts on the third Tuesday of January each year. One stage of the five stage race includes towns in the Barossa Valley. The riders ride approximately 150km on this stage. 
• Maggie Beer Farm Shop. Maggie Beer is a local chef who presents cooking demonstrations on national TV and an award winning author. The farm shop sells a range of fine foods. 
• Whispering Wall. via Yettie Road, Williamstown. A dam built to create the Barossa Valley reservoir in 1903, that has an unusual design and quality of build that allows people to whisper against one end of the dam wall, and be heard perfectly at the other end 144 metres away.
• Menglers Hill Lookout An excellent vantage point east of Tanunda, with a large carpark and several sculpture around the base. On a clear summers day, it offers stunning and unparalleled views of the entire Valley. Even in winter rain, the view is still worth the short drive.

Do

Festivals

• Barossa Vintage Festival. A week long festival showcasing the region's best food and wine. The festival is held at wineries, vineyards, churches and parks. The Festival is held in odd numbered years and always begins on Easter Monday. 

Eat

Many of the local restaurants and cafes serve "traditional" German-heritage food, and food made with locally-grown fresh ingredients. Examples include 1918 in Tanunda and the Krondorf Cafe at Kabminye Wines. Fine dining choices include Appellation in Marananga and Vintner's Bar and Grill in Angaston.

Many of the vineyards also serve food, from cafe style casual to full service restaurants.

Plan on eating at structured times (12PM to 2PM and 5PM-8PM), as many restaurants, pubs and vineyards do not serve meals through the afternoons.

Drink

If you're coming to the Barossa Valley, the wine is probably part of the attraction. Most bars will serve a good selection, and most of the wineries have a cellar door with free tastings. The main restaurants feature a wide range of Barossa vintages, as well as a surprising breadth of offerings from the rest of Australia and international iconic wines.

Wineries

The Barossa Valley is famous for wines and many wines are internationally known. The following list contains some of the larger and commonly recognized wineries.

• Bethany Wines. Tanunda, 
• Burge Family Winemakers. Lyndoch, 
• Chateau Tanunda. Tanunda, 
• Elderton Wines. Nuriootpa, 
• God's Hill Wines. Lyndoch, 
• Grant Burge. Tanunda, 
• Henschke. Keyneton, 
• Jacob's Creek. Rowland Flat, 
• Kaesler Wines. Nuriootpa, 
• Kellermeister. Lyndoch, 
• Kies Family Wines. Lyndoch, 
• Penfolds. Nuriootpa, 
• Peter Lehmann Wines. Tanunda, 
• Richmond Grove. Tanunda, 
• Rockford Wines. Tanunda, 
• Rolf Binder@Veritas Winery. Tanunda, 
• Ross Estate. Lyndoch, 
• Saltram Wines. Angaston, 
• Seppelt Wines. Seppeltsfield, 
• St Hallett Winery. Tanunda, 
• Two Hands Wines. Marananga, 
• Wolf Blass. Nuriootpa, 
• 1847 Wines (Yaldara), Hermann Thumm Dr, Lyndoch, ☏ +61 8 8524 0200. (updated Feb 2017)
• Yalumba. Angaston, 
• Moorooroo Park Vineyards, ☏ +61 8 8563 1123. 

Sleep

Budget

• Barossa Backpackers, ☏ +61 8 8563 0198. Bike hire, group bookings available. Dorm rooms from $24, private rooms from $75. 

Splurge

• Abbotsford Country House, Yaldara Drive, Lyndoch, ☏ +61 8 8524-4662, fax: +61 8 8524-4186. $325. 
• Novotel Barossa Valley, Golf Links Rd, Rowland Flat, ☏ +61 8 8524-0000, fax: +61 8 8524-0100. $199+. 
• The Louise, Seppeltsfield Road, Marananga, ☏ +61 8 8562-2722, fax: +61 8 8562-3133. $381+. 

Stay safe

The Barossa Valley is a pretty safe area. The usual travel precautions always apply though.

You should be very careful not to drink and drive. The police are very vigilant as this region sadly has a high rate of car accident deaths amongst young males - the roads can be very windy and large gum trees in these region often front onto the road, which can make coming at one very daunting as you round a corner. Stick to the speed limits and keep safe.

Go next

The Barossa can either just be a short trip from Adelaide or a day or two diversion to see some of the remainder of South Australia. Continue on north to the Flinders Ranges or the Eyre Peninsula. Outback Australia is also closer than you think.