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January 16th 2010

Published: February 20th 2010

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Miss J

Maggie Beer's Farm Shop

Barossa Valley, SA

The Barossa Valley

Staying in Gawler for a month, right on the door step of the Barossa Valley, meant I was spoiled was regular visits to the area. Everyone knows that the Barossa Valley is famous for wines with too many vineyards and cellar doors to get through in just one month. All the big names are there ofcourse: Wolf Blass, Jacob's Creek, Yalumba, Penfolds and Peter Lehmann to name a few. Having worked in a restaurant for a few years, it was nice to see the names and recognise them from the places I worked. I enjoyed discovering the smaller boutique vineyards in the Barossa with Grant Burge, Rockford and Two Hands being some of my favourite ones. Visiting cellar doors is a fun experience but all that wine tasting just goes right to your head. When my mum was here, my mum, cousin and I did a full day touring the Valley and wine tasting. It was such a fun day and we came back with bottles and bottles from our blurry day trip.

Wine isn't the only thing to taste test in the Barossa Valley, the Maggie Beer Farm Shop is a absolute must. I went

A trip to the Barossa means you never come back empty handed

Wine collection from a single visit to the Barossa Valley

here a couple of times and each visit was just divine. You can samply your way around the shop with pates, quince pastes, oils, pasta sauces, olives, dukkah, and vinaigrettes to try. Maggie Beer's Farm Shop is a wonderful spot to relax and watch the ducks and turtles in the pond. They have peacocks wandering around the grounds as well. Inside the shop there is a kitchen set up where they do cooking demonstrations and sometimes they film 'The Cook & the Chef' tv series there as well. Just thinking about about it makes me want to go back. I can still smell the rosemary gardens...

During my time in Gawler I often just went for a drive through the Barossa and enjoyed the scenery. Vineyards cover every inch of the Valley and it really is a beautiful area. All the little towns like Tanunda and Lyndoch are charming little country towns with excellent cafes and op shops. There was a great little book store in Tanunda that I loved getting lost in for many hours. The op shops are the best I have been to and I wished I had more room in my van to pick up

Peacock

Maggie Beer's Farm Shop, Barossa Valley

some unique pieces (or a home to put them in). I sometimes even just took the dog for a car ride out through the countryside, one of my favourite things to do, and the dog's too I reckon.

Something different to visit was the Whispering Wall. The Whispering Wall is a 140 metre long dam wall of the Barossa reservoir, the water supply for the area. The amazing thing about this wall is that if you speak in your normal speaking voice or even just a whisper, people on the other side of the wall can hear you. It's an acoustic marvel.

The Barossa Valley is a beautiful part of South Australia and I was really lucky to get to spend so much time here. It is a really classic area, with quaint stone cottages and gorgeous rose gardens. It would be lovely to work a season in the vineyards and learn more about the wines as opposed to just drinking them. I have definitely developed a better appreciation for wines and now when I see a label I can associate it with one of the vineyards I visited or drove past. I am still carrying a couple

Barossa Valley

of bottles from the Barossa Valley with me now and one day I will crack them open and when I do I will always remember the Valley and what a great place it was to visit.

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