Barossa - Home of Australian wine

Blessed with an ideal climate and soil, the Barossa has become one of the world's great wine-producing areas. Its 500 grape growers and 80 wineries produce about one quarter of Australian wines. It started in the 1840s with the arrival of hard-working German peasant farmers and middle class English settlers with a dream of a 'country gentleman's lifestyle'.

Self-sufficiency was important and along with an appreciation of fine music they used centuries-old traditions in winemaking, smoked meats, preserved fruits, cheeses and handicraft. The community flourished and today the landscape is an artist's palette of delightful small towns, stone buildings, churches with pipe organs, orchards and vine-patterned hills. The valley breathes of vintage wine in autumn, stone fruits in summer and log fires in winter. Wander among the galleries and craft shops to the tantalising aromas from delicatessens, bakeries and cafes brewing freshly ground coffee. Take a special tour from Adelaide for a day, or stay in one of the beautifully maintained stately homes, cottages, farmhouses, hotels, motels or a bushy hideaway with sites for caravans and tents.

Visit a lavender farm or learn about mohair and alpaca, and working sheep dogs. Festivals to celebrate ballooning, vintage, music and the joys of life are exuberant affairs with gourmet food and wine and rousing music. Visit the winemakers who love to chat about the history of their families, some going back six generations on this land.