The exertions of the previous day had taken their toll so we left the hotel late. The walk to McDonalds (to use the WiFi and forcing us to eat chips) took us past the Cross Country course that is being created in Victoria Park near the hotel. The Australian Horse Trails are the only Olympic standard event in the Southern Hemisphere all year and is comparable to the Burley Horse Trials. The venue is right next to the city centre and the jumps are HUGE. The staff we chatted to were putting the finishing touches to the fences and the perimeter wire fences were also being erected. It all looked stunning and so accessible that we were amazed that there was little publicity given to the event in all the papers we have read since being here. It seems that there are so many other events (South Australia has the tagline "The Festival State") that the uniqueness becomes lost which is such a pity. If you are interested in coming to see this world class event it starts on Thursday 17th till Sunday 20th.
Blog updated we headed to Hertz to pick up the latest hire car. We will be keeping this till we reach Sydney on 24th.
The main destination was the Barossa Valley, famous for its wineries (76 in all) with a particular strength for Shiraz. There are many well known brands in the region. We started at the McGuigan Barossa Valley. The location is particularly photogenic and we enjoyed a couple of tastings. Next on the list was Jacobs Creek. A much more commercial enterprise with something for everyone including a small wildlife park for the kids to see kangaroos and emus etc. The wine was ok but there was an impersonal feel to the place and for me it has lost its appeal.
Finally we wanted to see a smaller family concern and headed to Bethany Wines. A great little cellar door experience that had more of a buzz to it than the previous stop but perhaps that might have had something to do with a minibus party that were very lively. Nicola enjoyed a few reds - all Shiraz and charmed Kate (the assistant) so much that she was allowed to taste the 2005 multi medal winning vintage that retailed at $85 per bottle! This was the 2005 GR10 Reserve Shiraz awarded Double Gold this year at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, apparently every judge awarded gold which is rare for a Shiraz, naturally Bethany Wines were honoured whilst I was privileged to taste it. Delicious. Drove home via a Lookout point over the Barossa Valley.
Back to the hotel in time for happy hour watching David Attenborough talk about life in frozen lands. The bar only had six clientele, but perhaps this was the quiet before the storm, as from Thursday the hotel was fully booked and prices doubled, so in fact what had seemed at first to be our most expensive accommodation turned out to be not so bad after all.