Day 29: Mon 13 Mar 23 - Barossa

Mon 13 Mar 23 - Barossa

11 Deg to 25 Deg, another lovely warm day with no wind. We're loving this good turn of weather. This morning we were up and about early and on the road to Gawler by 0900, while everyone else in the park seemed to be packing up and leaving. On the way we stopped briefly in the small town of Lyndoch (11 km from Tanunda), but there wasn't anything of particular interest so we continued to Gawler (a further 15 km). We parked at the Information Centre, and armed with a local guide, set off to explore Gawler. We hadn't realised that it is a public holiday in South Australia today, so all the shops, businesses and museums were closed.  We found a coffee shop that was open in the main street, and not surprising it was very busy. While drinking our brew, we struck up a conversation with a local sitting at the next table, and he recommended a few good smaller lesser known wineries to visit during our stay, and being an avid traveller to the Yorke Peninsula, offered plenty of good advice for our visit in a few days. After our brew, we continued along the main street where Gawler has a lot of lovely old buildings that have been brought back to life very nicely. We followed the river walk back to the other side of town to Light Square where there is a plaque commemorating the inaugural visit of HMAS Gawler (the crew) in the town of Gawler on 26 April 1986. HMAS Gawler's Home Port was in Darwin, and I joined HMAS Gawler as an AB Cook in Darwin on 20 May 1986 - three weeks after this visit. I still remember being disappointed that I missed out on the trip. When the ship decommissioned (in July 2006), sadly Gawler was sold for scrap metal. After a couple of hours in Gawler, we continued 13km to the Whispering Wall on Barossa Reservoir. It was a nice drive, but the Dam is not that exciting. Apparently a person 'whispering' at one end of the dam wall can be heard at the other end of the wall, but not for Noel and I. It seemed to work for others, so maybe we're just deaf. We continued our drive to the small town of Williamstown, to look at some nice murals depicting the local history, before continuing back to Tanunda via the very well established Chateau Yaldara winery (for photos only), then the lesser known family run Kies winery near Lyndoch. Kies looked very nice, but it was lunchtime, and it was far too busy and noisy for us. They also said that majority of their stock was sold out anyway, so we continued on our way back to Tanunda. On the way, we decided to extend our stay in the Barossa by one more night, so we will now leave for the Yorke Peninsula on Thursday. I filled the afternoon with some minor maintenance on the awning bracket which has come adrift again, then I went for a nice 20+km ride through the winefields out to Nuriootpa and back again, while Noeleene went for a walk through Tanunda and returned to do some cleaning. 

Gawler Pioneer Park War Memorial

Gawler Pioneer Park War Memorial

Gawler Pioneer Park War Memorial

Gawler Pioneer Park

Gawler

Gawler

Gawler

Gawler

Gawler -Main Street

James Martin - Obviously worthy of this Public Tribute

Gawler - Main Street

Gawler - Main Street

Gawler - Main Street (I’ve noticed that many of the really nice old buildings in towns that we visit are courthouses or occupied by Lawyers)

Gawler - River Walk

Gawler - Park Tile Mural

Gawler - Park Tile Mural


Gawler - Park Tile Mural

Gawler - Church

Gawler Church in disrepair

Gawler - In Light Square is this plaque beneath a tree commemorating the inaugural visit of HMAS Gawler (the crew) in the town of Gawler on 26 April 1986. HMAS Gawler's Home Port was in Darwin, and I joined HMAS Gawler as an AB Cook in Darwin on 20 May 1986 - three weeks after this visit. When decommissioned (July 2006)  Gawler it was sold for scrap metal. 

Gawler - Light Square and HMAS Gawler plaque 


Whispering Wall - Barossa Reservoir. 

Whispering Wall - Barossa Reservoir



Whispering Wall - Barossa Reservoir


Williamstown

Historical Murals in Williamstown

Historical Murals in Williamstown


Historical Murals in Williamstown

Historical Murals in Williamstown

Historical Murals in Williamstown

Historical Murals in Williamstown

A small winery - Ries Family wines

Chateau Yaldara

Chateau Yaldara

Chateau Yaldara

Chateau Yaldara

Chateau Yaldara

Our piece of real estate when we returned from Gawler (It didn't stay like that for long though - a campervan with a young family and a whining kid arrived late in the afternoon and set up to our right - hoping it's only an overnight stay, but i doubt it with all the crap they've spilt out everywhere, it would take two days to gather it all up).

Afternoon Bike Ride - Tanunda Main Street

Afternoon Bike Ride - Tanunda War Memorial

Afternoon Bike Ride - Tanunda (Chateau Dorrien Winery)

Afternoon Bike Ride - Tanunda (Chateau Dorrien Winery)

Afternoon Bike Ride - Tanunda Old Town Charm


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