Barossa - A feast of festivals

The Barossa - less than an hour's drive north of Adelaide - is Australia's major premium wine-producing region. Blessed with hot dry summers, loamy soil and reliable winter rains, the Barossa produces about a quarter of Australia's total vintage. Here, 60 wineries nestle alongside villages like Bethany, a German settlement founded by Lutherans in 1842 and mapped out along Prussian lines.

Tanunda (population 3,000), the valley's cultural heart, displays mementoes of the valley's German heritage in its museum. The town offers offbeat attractions such as Norm's Coolie Sheep Dog Performance, with 28 handsome collie dogs and a large number of sheep. Mengler Hill Lookout at Tanunda provides sweeping views over most of the Barossa. Even better views are available on the balloon flights that operate every day, weather permitting. The Barossa Wine Centre tells the story of the valley, its people and its culture. It's part of the Barossa Information Centre, which serves 70,000 visitors a year and is open seven days a week.

The rollicking Barossa Vintage Festival has been held every two years since 1947. You can tread on grapes at sunset, wave at scarecrows in vineyards or watch festive floats trundle down Tanunda's main street. Tens of thousands of visitors attend more than 100 events throughout the festival, which includes everything from mushroom hunting and grape picking to comedy acts, a festival ball and fair.