Rural South Australia, Adelaide

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You would know about the Barossa Valley for Wineries, but did you know about Langhorne Creek?

It's an old wine area, one that is forgotten by tourist's, yet produces award winning wines. The region is located to the south of Adelaide on the broad flood plain created by the local Bremer and Angas Rivers.
"Langhorne Creek" is named after Alfred Langhorne, a cattle drover, who brought animals to Langhorne Station during the 1840's.

A person by the name of Frank Potts, realized the potential of the area, settled here in the 1850's and planted the first grapes in the region in 1860's at the now heritage listed "Bleasdale Winery."
Properties have been handed down through the generations, with the 113 year old Shiraz on the historic Metala property being the oldest. These vines still produce premium wine grapes for Metala Black Label wines.

There are plenty of vineyards and boutique Wineries, supplying the Australian wine industry with Langhorne Creek branded wines.

Langhorne Creek is only 65kms from Adelaide

If you are following my 11,500km Southern Australia drive by car, our next move is to cross the River Murray by Punt to continue our travel down the Coorong towards Victoria

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Our next stop on DAY TRIP 5 was the small town of Echunga.
We are now 34kms from Adelaide, and in a small sleepy town, which was more alive back in 1852, when it became the first proclaimed goldfield in South Australia.
Settled in 1839, a gold rush occured in 1852, however it did not last long with the diggings exhausted and all but abandoned within a year. It had a population then of over 1200 people, less today.

At the Echunga Institute, every 2nd Saturday of the month, an "OLD STYLE DANCE" is held. These are great to attend, and you will find the country people very friendly.

Also, on the 1st Saturday of the month, a market is held.

In the main street is the historic Uniting Church, built in 1884. The oldest Church in Echunga is St. Mary's Church, built in 1851 and still holding services till today.

For lovers of wild orchids, you should be able to find some of these in the scrub at Echunga Cemetery in Spring. You are not allowed to pick them, but just to see them is nice. Puppy dogs, Bull-dogs, Crows and Spider orchids to name a few. Be careful in warm weather, as Red Bellied Black snakes live here. Just stand still if you see one, the Snake will slither away.

Next stop on DAY 5 is at MEADOWS.

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A nice days outing is going to the Adelaide Hills and following the "old Princes Highway."

Why, when you can nearly fly down along the main highway to Murray Bridge in no time!

Because, we want to see the small towns of interest along the way.

If you take the "old" route, then you will pass through Hahndorf, Littlehampton, Nairne, Dawsley, Kanmantoo, Callington, detour to Monarto Zoo, and finally arrive at Murray Bridge.
On the way back to Adelaide, take the M1, and you will be there in approx 1hour.

Visit Second Valley, Rapid Bay, Kangaroo Island and Deep Creek Conservation Park. Check out my Second Valley VT page for more information by CLICKING HERE.

Take a trip down the coast to Coonawarra, Mount Gambier and Robe. It would be worth spending a couple of days doing this as it is quite a drive. You can always got on to Melbourne if you fancy a longer trip....

my tip is to da the tour from Adelaide to Alice Springs with Groovy Grape. They do a 7 day trip and show you the Flinders Ranges, Coober Peedy, Ayers Rock.... you will sleep under the stars and have a good time with an nice tourguide. (this is no comercial add but the truth :) )

Port Augusta: If you are traveling by road in South Australia, you will most likely go through Port Augusta. You will find it useful as a stopover but if you really want to see the bush, stay at accommodation out in the Flinders Ranges. The Arid Lands Botanic Gardens are a great place to visit if you are interested in Australian native flora. The Wadlata Outback Centre, in the centre of town, is also worth a look. Conveniently, the main supermarket is open until midnight. Port Augusta can be a bit rough, so stay off the streets at night. If you see trouble brewing up ahead, it might be best to find an alternate path.

Coober Pedy and the outback. One of Australia's most famous outback towns, Coober Pedy is 850km northwest of Adelaide. The mines here provide more than half of the world's opals. Everything here is underground and that is what makes it so interesting. Houses, churches and even the motel is underground. Close by is Lake Eyre. Lake Eyre is a salt water lake that us usually empty but at the moment it is full of water and looks amazing.

I found this on the drive from Blyth to Snowtown, near the Clare Valley. It's a long drive from Adelaide to see it - about 3 hours - but if you're out that way, it might give you a smile. ^_^.

Robe is a cute little town we came across on our way to Adelaide...a nice spot to stop for a break... It's on the coast just below Adelaide on the eastern side...