Barossa Valley (SA) Guide

About the Barossa Valley

The Barossa is Australia’s best-known wine region, a broad valley of vineyards about an hour north-east of Adelaide, with low ranges on both sides. Lyndoch sits at the southern end, Tanunda in the middle, and Nuriootpa and Angaston further north. German settlers planted much of it, and you still see that in the stone churches, the cottages and the bakeries.

For campers it works because everything is close. You can sleep in a national park or a vineyard, and still be at a cellar door by late morning and at a good lunch an hour later, all on sealed roads.

Best time to go

We went between Christmas and New Year, when the vines are green and full and the days are warm, but it’s also fire danger season, so the camps are gas only. Autumn is vintage, with the vines turning gold and the most going on, and spring brings fresh green growth and mild days. Winter is cold and quiet, which suits a long lunch by a fire more than a night in the tent.

• AutumnBest timeMarch–MayVintageGolden vinesMild days
• SpringBest timeSeptember–NovemberFresh growthMild daysQuieter roads
• SummerFairDecember–FebruaryGreen vines and long eveningsBut hot and gas fires only
• WinterTake careJune–AugustCold nights in the tentQuiet cellar doors

Getting There and Accessibility

From Adelaide it’s about an hour’s drive north-east to Lyndoch at the southern end of the valley, on sealed roads all the way. We came across from the Yorke Peninsula, spent the first night in Para Wirra, and drove up to Tanunda the next day. Between the towns, the cellar doors are on sealed roads too, so you don’t need a 4WD here, and a rooftop tent or a van fits fine in the car parks.

The only thing to plan around is the wine. Decide who’s driving before the first tasting, or book a tour for the day.

Map of the Area and Our Stops

The Barossa sits about an hour north-east of Adelaide, with the Adelaide Hills to its south and Monarto out on the plains beyond them. Here’s how the valley fits with the rest of our stops around Adelaide.

Campgrounds in the Barossa Valley

We camped two very different ways. Wirra Campground is a National Parks bush camp in Para Wirra Conservation Park, just south-west of the valley, with booked gravel sites, a good camp kitchen and gas BBQs for $27.50 a night. God’s Hill Wines is a Hipcamp on a family vineyard near Lyndoch, where you camp on the grass beside the vines with a cellar door and an Italian restaurant on site, for $75. The towns have caravan parks too if you need power and showers.

Sights

The Barossa’s attractions are its cellar doors, its food and its old towns, and you can see a lot of it in two days without rushing. The cellar doors and the farm shop we stopped at have their own reviews in the cards below: small, historic Rockford, Langmeil with its great whites and the world’s oldest Shiraz vines, Maggie Beer’s for picnic supplies, and the huge Jacob’s Creek estate. The two towns we spent time in follow after.

Tanunda

Tanunda is the heart of the valley. You drive in under the big Welcome to Tanunda arch, lined with cypress trees, and the main street has old stone buildings, cafes and bakeries along it. The Tanunda Heritage Trail board on the main street maps out a walk around the old buildings, including Tabor Lutheran Church with its tall spire and the Barossa Museum in an old two-storey stone building with an iron-lace verandah. Heading out of town towards Nuriootpa, you can’t miss Chateau Dorrien, a long old winery building set back behind a tall row of palms along the road.

Lyndoch

Lyndoch is the first town in the valley coming from Adelaide and the closest to God’s Hill Wines. The grand old Chateau Yaldara, with its 1847 arch over the road, and Kies Family Wines, a stone cellar door with barrels spelling out its name, are both just outside town, and the Lyndoch shops are handy for supplies. There are photos of both in our God’s Hill Wines review.

Tours in the Barossa

We drove ourselves, but if you’d rather leave the car at camp and let someone else do the driving, you can book a day tour of the valley through ClassBento: a helicopter flight with cellar door tastings and Maggie Beer’s, or a gin distillery and Grange day from Adelaide. For something slower, there’s a paint and sip class in Lyndoch.

Practical Tips

The Barossa is all about cellar doors, so the main things to plan are who drives and when the wineries are open. The camps are booked online and fire danger runs from late spring to autumn, so here’s what we’d sort out before going.

Summary

The Barossa is the easy, indulgent part of a South Australia road trip: an hour from Adelaide, sealed roads, cellar doors everywhere and good food at every stop. Spend a night in the bush at Para Wirra and one among the vines at Lyndoch, give yourself two days, and don’t try to do every cellar door, but don’t miss Langmeil. From the Barossa we headed south through the Adelaide Hills to Hahndorf.

Recommended Gear for the Barossa Valley

Neither camp allows wood fires in summer, so pack a gas stove like the Dune single burner, and carry your own drinking water in good water containers, as Wirra’s taps are untreated. Neither has showers, so a portable camp shower helps after a hot day, and an awning like the Kings 270 Tourer gives you shade on the open vineyard sites.