Adelaide, Barossa Valley and Kangaroo Island

[Kyo]

A good example of a smaller winery was Henschke, where the cellar door was a much more intimate and smaller room, where a very good selection of wines were available to taste.

No Hill of Grace on offer for tasting? Even for a fee?

[Kyo]

Nice photos and reminds me of my trip there early last year (also to Kangaroo Island), looking forward to the rest of the TR

Didn't get to go to Maggie Beer's

[rao67]

I lived in Adelaide for 5 years, Your write-up and photos brought back many fond memories. Thank you for a lovely report.

[CarbonMan]

Thanks, yflyer! Beautiful pics as usual.

Looks like Adelaide and Barossa Valley has changed dramatically since I was there more than 2 decades ago. That was the era when they were trying very hard to push wine sales into Asia to displace the cognacs. How things have changed since.

[Gunnar Smithsen]

Henschke a boutique winery? Torbreck a "cult" winery... Dios mio... Hahaha...

Nevermind a tasting of HoG for a fee, where's The Laird from Torbreck?

[Kyo]

Henschke's HoG is definitely very well regarded... am hoping to try some next week, actually

[yflyer]

I couldn't help myself!

Always enjoy reading your TRs.

Thanks, eminere! More to come...

[yflyer]

No Hill of Grace on offer for tasting? Even for a fee?

Nope! No Grange available for tasting at Penfolds either, but someone did mention to me that she knows a place in Adelaide that sells Grange by the glass. Must be an awfully expensive glass!

Nice photos and reminds me of my trip there early last year (also to Kangaroo Island), looking forward to the rest of the TR

Didn't get to go to Maggie Beer's

Wow...you seem to have gone everywhere!

I wouldn't say Maggie Beer was a must-visit (her stuff is available all over Australia after all) but it did make for a nice pit stop after a long drive.

[yflyer]

I lived in Adelaide for 5 years, Your write-up and photos brought back many fond memories. Thank you for a lovely report.

You are most welcome, rao67! Must have been five very pleasant years living there...

[yflyer]

Thanks, yflyer! Beautiful pics as usual.

Looks like Adelaide and Barossa Valley has changed dramatically since I was there more than 2 decades ago. That was the era when they were trying very hard to push wine sales into Asia to displace the cognacs. How things have changed since.

Thanks, CarbonMan! Time for you to make another visit to Adelaide!

And yes, many Asians & Chinese visiting Barossa this time of year...

[yflyer]

Henschke a boutique winery? Torbreck a "cult" winery... Dios mio... Hahaha...

Well everything is relative, isn't it

Nevermind a tasting of HoG for a fee, where's The Laird from Torbreck?

Interestingly enough The Laird 2008 was on the tasting list, although I don't know if they actually had a bottle ready to pour...

[yflyer]

Henschke's HoG is definitely very well regarded... am hoping to try some next week, actually

I'm envious! Heard a lot of good things about HoG (apart from the $$$)!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR...

The distances on Kangaroo Island are such that exploring the land in your own vehicle is almost mandatory. The ferries are used to transport both cars and trucks/trailers which bring produce and supplies to/from the island.

Before boarding the ferry, car passengers disembark, leaving only the driver in the vehicle.



You then drive onto the ferry, where marshallers are on hand to guide the drivers into fairly tight parking spaces, after which the drivers are free to leave their vehicles and enter the passenger cabin.

The 45 minute crossing can either be smooth or choppy depending on the weather.





The passenger cabin itself is quite comfortable, with both seating and tables for dining. A snack bar sells food and beverages. Some of the ferries are even trialling complimentary wifi (which we had on the return journey). Toilets were clean as well.



If the weather is good, you can wander outside on the deck to view the scenery.



The ferry docks at Penneshaw, on the Eastern part of the island, which is more than 60km from the commercial centre of the island, Kingscote, where we stayed.

[yflyer]

The scenery upon arrival was simply stunning. I was almost at a loss for words to describe how beautiful the place was.





It was a 60+ kilometre drive from Penneshaw to Kingscote, (1.5 times the length of Singapore!) and as it was not peak holiday season, there were really few vehicles on the road. The main risk (mainly in the early morning or at dusk) was running over wildlife, such as small kangaroos or other animals as they crossed the road. In fact, Hertz insurance would not cover any damage or accidents that occurred on Kangaroo Island between sunset and sunrise. In any case, driving in the hours of darkness is probably not recommended, especially for notoriously accident prone Singaporeans driving on holiday...

[yflyer]

Our base for exploring the island would be a service apartment in Kingscote, a spacious 2-bedroom apartment with a sea view.