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Barossa Valley Holiday Destinations & Towns
South Australia
ANGASTON
Angaston
is perhaps the most
uncharacteristic of
the Barossa's major
towns. Nestled in the
Barossa Ranges at the
eastern end of the valley,
it has two beautiful
parks a small creek
flows through its centre
and good examples of
colonial architecture
are dotted throughout
the town. Its main industries
are wine and dried fruit,
principally apricots
and other stone fruit.
It boasts two of the
Barossa's oldest wineries,
and a dried fruit outlet.
The valley's German
influence is over shadowed
here by the character
of George Fife Angas,
a founder of South Australia
and sponsor of many
of the valley's early
German settlers.
BETHANY
This
is the valley's oldest
German settlement, founded
in 1842 by a group of
Lutheran families -
the settlements biblical
name an indication of
their devotion. They
mapped out their village
along prussian lines.
The cottages facing
the road replicate those
the settlers lived in
before coming to Australia.
Several have been restored
and are open to the
public in the form of
craft shops and art
galleries. The village
reserve is a great spot
for a picnic, even down
to the idyllic creek
flowing through it.
It has a strong resemblance
to villages in northern
Germany and Poland.
GAWLER
Population:
l5.000
Gawler is South
Australia's oldest country
town, and boasts more
grand colonial buildings
than most. It was laid
out in 1839 and is one
of the many places in
the state to bear the
second South Australian
governor's name. In
the I9th century it
was known as the 'Modern
Athens' a reference
to the literary nature
of its early residents.
The 'Song of Australia'
was written here by
Carl Linger. The town's
importance can be seen
in its many old classic
colonial buildings.
Of special note is the
entire Church Hill district,
one of the few declared
heritage areas in the
state.
LYNDOCH
Population:706
Lyndoch dates back to
1838 when the colony's
surveyor-general colonel
William Light named
it after Lord Lynedoch,
with whom he'd fought
at the Battle of Barossa
in 1811. A draftsman's
slip misplaced the "e".
Vines and winemaking
have played an important
role in the local economy
since the early days.
The first winery appeared
in 1836; today, there
are many winemaking
operations, small. and
large.
MARANANGA
Between
Tanunda and Seppeltsfield,
this tiny hamlet received
its current name in
1918, when a wave of
anti-German hysteria
washed over South Australia.
Before that, it was
called Gnadenfrei (meaning
'freed by the grace
of god') by its founding
German settlers. Progress
hasn't been allowed
to change the character
of the village. Recent
developments deliberately
reflect the district's
past. Several wineries,
one with a restaurant,
a motel, a metal art
forge and an old wares
shop add to the character
of the old settlement.
NURIOOTPA
Population:
3250
Nuriootpa means
'meeting place,' which
stems from its use as
a place of barter by
Aboriginal tribes before
white settlement. Today
it is the commercial
centre of the Barossa
Valley. Founder William
Coulthard's name is
commemorated in several
spots - his house today
is the Barossa Information
Centre, Coulthard Reserve
is a beautiful place
for a picnic. The North
Para River meanders
through the town, and
offers several pretty
spots for recreation
or a picnic - stock
up on traditional German
fare at the town's butcher
and baker.
TANUNDA
Population:
3800
Tanunda is the
cultural heart of the
Barossa. The most German
of all the valley's
towns, its name actually
stems from the aboriginal
word for "watering
hole". The town
at first centred on
the hamlet of Langmeil,
the Barossa's second
earliest settlement.
A short stroll through
the town's back streets
or around Langmeil's
Goat Square quickly
makes plain the importance
of northern German culture
and Lutheranism to the
villagers. There are
four Lutheran churches
and many of the town's
old buildings have been
registered with the
National Trust. For
the traveller, Tanunda
holds all manner of
delights. Wineries surround
the town. To compliment
the wine, German pastries,
breads and wursts can
be bought at several
shops, or enjoyed at
the town's restaurants
and tearooms.
BARMERA
Population:
4,399
Barmera sits on the
shores of beautiful
Lake Bonney, sometimes
referred to as the Murray's
'Sparkling Jewel.' Lake
Bonney's lovely beaches
and waters are perfect
for a variety of water
sports, including sailing,
windsurfing, canoeing
and swimming. The proclaimed
nudist beach of Pelican
Point is popular with
people who like to go
skinny dipping or prefer
an overall tan. There
are several significant
sites of Aboriginal
occupation and early
white settlement around
Barmera. advice and
information can be obtained
from the Barmera Travel
Centre.
BERRI
Population:
7,130
Berri, in the centre
of the Riverland, has
plenty to see and do.
Its main industries
are citrus fruit and
its by products and
wine - Berri boasts
the largest single winery
in the southern hemisphere,
Berri Estates.
As elsewhere along
this part of the river,
water sports and recreation
rate highly with locals
and visitors. Martin's
Bend, a few kilometres
east of town is also
a popular picnic and
water skiing spot.
They take their golfing
very seriously in
Berri, and Berri Golf
Club is regarded as
a challenging country
course with exceptional
spots of beauty.
Fast ferries, operating
24 hours a day link
Berri with Loxton.
COBDOGLA
This
was an early irrigation
settlement its name
is a corrupted form
of the name of the king
of the local tribe of
Aborigines, Cobdogle.
Its earliest settlers
cleared the land and
dug irrigation channels
to breathe life into
it.
LOXTON
Population:
7,282
Loxton's earliest white
settlers were mainly
of German extraction;
their determination,
hard work and spirit
of community continues
today in the pride residents
have for their town.
Loxton was first sealed
in 1895, and the Loxton
Historical Village
recreates the look
and feel of the town
as it was in its early
years. The town is
renowned for the work
of its local artists.
MORGAN
Population:
1,265
Morgan was settled in
the late 1870s, when
Sir William Morgan MP
was chief secretary.
It quickly became an
important port for the
river traffic upstream.
At one point, when the
railway line from Adelaide
to Morgan was completed,
it was one of the busiest
river ports along the
entire Murray-Darling
river system. The river
trade may have died
out, but Morgan keeps
it alive today with
a full working paddlesteamer
- the PS Mayflower,
built in 1884. Railway
services to the town
closed in 1969 but the
original station has
been put to good use
as a museum of river
and rail history.
PARINGA
Population:
1,582
Paringa is the last
riverland town before
the Victorian border
and the 143 kilometre
drive across semi- desert
to Mildura.
RENMARK
Population:
7,810
Renmark is the oldest
settlement along the
Murray, It was founded
in 1887 with an agreement
between the government
and two Canadian irrigation
experts, the Chaffey
brothers, who pioneered
the concept of irrigating
land from the river.
Today Renmark is a
proud river town,
with wide streets,
gracious buildings,
excellent facilities
and a busy economy
based on wheat, wool,
fruit growing and
wine production.
The co-operative spirit
has always been high
at Renmark, and is
best seen in the Renmark
Hotel, the first community-owned
hotel established
in Australia. The
town also has plenty
of good spots for
picnics and barbecues
along the riverbank.
WAIKERIE
Population:
4,724
Waikerie is the first
major Riverland town
encountered travelling
the Sturt Highway from
Adelaide. The first
impression you get is
of immense scale - more
than 5,000 hectares
of fruit orchards and
vineyards are under
cultivation in what
was once desert country.
The citrus centre of
Australia, Waikerie
has the largest citrus
packing house in the
country and a thriving
fruit juice company.
On the north side
of the river you find
important fossil deposits,
one of the few places
in Australia where
crystallised gypsum
fossils exist in great
number.
Waikerie is internationally
regarded as a gliding
paradise where joyrides
can be experienced
in the gliding season.
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