Day 162 / 2017 Murray Bridge to Adelaide

Moving on from Murray Bridge out next destination was Adelaide. We decided to follow the Bowhill and Hunter Roads towards Blanchetown instead of driving down the M1 through the Lofty Ranges as we had planned to stay in Gawler which is on the North side of Adelaide near the Barrossa Valley wine region. This saved us going through the centre of Adelaide as there is no real freeway or bypass through or around the city like other major Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, etc.... The road out mostly followed the western bank of the Murray River. We turned towards Gawler onto the A20 which is the Sturt Hwy, crossing over the Murray at Blanchetown. The modern road was fairly easy to drive, passing through the Barrossa we made a point of going back there later in the week.

We booked into the Gawler Gateway Tourist park which about 5 Km West of Gawler. We chose this park as it was easy to access and only a short walk away from the Metropolitan train station Kudla which we planned to use to travel into Adelaide instead of driving in. We find catching the local puplic service is sometimes more conveinent than trying to drive into major centres especially if you are unfamiliar with the roads. It was also already North of Adelaide which saved us having to navigate our through Adelaide with the caravan when leaving.

Next day we decided to catch the train into Adelaide. This just happened to coincide with an World Cup soccer game so the trains were a little busier than usual but we still managed to score a seat. We were surprised to see that the trains still ran with Diesel locomotives as other Cities we had been to were all running with Electric trains, at least around the metropolitan areas. There was plans to electrify by 2014 but has been postponed. Arriving in Adelaide city we disembarked the train and took in the city sites. We crossed over the river Torrens and ended up at the Adelaide oval. We were going to take a look inside and at the Don Bradman collection but there was a major sporting event on that evening so security was not allow any of the public in.    

We then took a walk down to the river and came across a River tour. Purchasing tickets and after a short wait we then boarded the boat. It wasn't particularly interesting as there wasn't a lot of water to navigate and it was just a basic sight seeing cruise with the comintary not very interesting, I don't think I would rate it. Maybe serving some refreshments (wine?) might have made it a bit more interesting. From there we walked back into the city for a futher look around. we wandered down Rundle Mall and a few of the other streets looking into the windows of some of the retail outlets.  We then took the Tram out to Bonython Park as the old Gaol was located there. It took a bit of effort to find the old Gaol as there were no signs that could point us in the right direction. Eventually we found it. The Gaol was a self guided tour which suited us. You could walk around looking at the different conditions that the prisoners lived with. You could also see how the building architecture and expected conditions changed as the prison was expanded over the years during its time of operation from 1841 to 1988. You can see some of the efforts efforts to keep prisoners inside such as the broken glass cemented into the wall to prevented them from climbing out.  

Next day we took a drive through Gawler to the Barossa Valley Wine region. First Stop was Jacob Creek Wines. This had a modern visitors centre and you made to feel welocome as you walked in the door. We were treated to a free wine tasting and ended up buying 3 bottles of their wine. We also wander their visitors centre which you could see the history, via a visually displayed timeline, of wine making in the area. Next stop was the well known Chateau Tanunda. Again you were treated to a Wine Tasting exprience as well as history about this winery. Tanunda had been producing wines for over 120 years in the local area and is still a family run business. Leaving Tanunda we drove up to Mengler lookout were the Barossa Sculpure Park is located. Here we had a picnic lunch while overlooking the town of Tanunda. We then took the walking through the various scuptures on display around the park. 

Next on the list was Wolf Blass wines. I have had these wines (bought through a Bottlo) before and quite liked them. Its a big winery and look very professional but we felt the reception was not so welcoming. The people at the tasting desk seemed more interest in how the Staff were going to receive their wine packs than serving customers. Maybe we just didn't fit their patron profile. Our last stop was Maggie Beer's Farm. There were no demonstrations on while we were there but we could see the demonstration area and seem to be setup like a TV Studio we guessed for filming her live cooking segments. There we lots of condiments from producers of the local area and other delicious products to choose from. Unfortunately Maggie wasn't there so we didn't get to meet the Australian Culinary legend.  

Following day we though we would try the Train again. While the station wasn't next door to the caravan park it was only a 900 metre walk along a quiet road. Our next destination was Glenelg Beach. This is a coastal suburb about 13 km from the city and one of the best experiences it to get there by tram. There is a Tramstop right outside Adelaide city Train station and runs every 15 minutes. The tram termiates at Glenelg so makes it pretty hard to miss the stop. Glenelg is pretty much a typical seaside stop, there is the pier to walk out on, a number of eateries, pubs and retal outlets. During the summer months it is a popular place for swimming although it was a bit to cold for us when we were there. There are some amusment centres such as a water park with slides and Ferris wheel. We had lunch at one of the local cafes and while walking back to the tram stop we spied a Waffle shop we just had to try.

On our last day in the area we decided on a small road trip into the Adelaide Hills, they are easly accessed just above Gawler. Our first stop was the Big Rocking Horse near Gumeracha. This is quite a large structure and is billed as the biggest rocking horse in the world standing about 18 metres high. You can climb up through the inside to lookout platforms. There is one platform around the saddle area and another one at the top of the head. To access the platforms you need to use a series of steel ladders so would make it a bit difficuilt for those with mobility challenges. There is also an Animal farm and a nice cafe and picnic area. The souvenir shop has loads of wooden toys, well worth a look. From there we travelled over to the Barossa Reservoir near Williamstown heading back towards Gawler where there is  wispering wall which also serves as the Dam Wall. You can stand at one end, talk in a normal voice and the sound travels along curvature of the wall created by a parabolic effect due to the wall makes up part of a perfect circle. At almost 150 metres away someone standing at the other end can hear you conversation quite clearly. The area also has a great pinic facility, the whole attraction is free.