Melrose
Much to Dezziz delight, first up on the agenda was a walk along a trail up towards Mt. Remarkable. The walk is through a property and the trail zig zags all over the place. We got lost a few times, but it was beautiful. This is the view over Melrose. The region grows canola, wheat, fava beans and various other crops. And all were in full bloom. Magnificent fields of green and gold.
Quirky artwork. The trail - and town - is famous for it's mountain bike tracks.
We love all the lush green grass.
Amazing tree.
And lots of beautiful spring flowers.
This was Jacka's House. Good money in beer!
So many pretty flowers.
So after our exhausting (?) walk it was off to the Royal Exchange (circa 1865) for lunch. Not quite sure about this seating out the front, but the meal was excellent.
Pretty good free farmstay!
Some canola growing nearby.
The canola is so vibrant. Love it.
Another stop a bit further along at the Stone Hut Bakery. Highly recommended in the travel book. Yet more pies added to the freezer.
Next on the list, Mad Bastard Wines. The vintner here, Mark Barry, is a son of Jim Barry. Needless to say the wines were very approachable. More in the cellar!
He has a very quirky sense of humour.
Lovely little cellar door.
We tried all the Mr Mick's wines at the Clare Tourist Information Centre. They have a Friday night happy hour hosted each week by a different local winery, including tapas. Even better, the Centre is on the edge of the caravan park. No driving home. A very jovial time had by all. And the wines were beautiful.
This was our favourite for both location and the wines. Skillogallee. A picture perfect day for a late lunch. The food was sensational, and the wines extremely approachable. My favourite - Sparkling Riesling. More bottles added to the cellar!
Oh yeah....happy days. After all the outback hiking and dry and dusty environs of the Flinders, we are revelling in being civilised again.
All set. A practice around the caravan park. Not quite sure how this is going to end after riding to a couple of wineries!
Our last day of Clare winery rounds kicked off with lunch at Paulette's. This had been recommended to us by several people, and we weren't disappointed. The view over the valley was magnificent. The wines, of course, very approachable, and the desert to die for!
Just down the road a visit to Pikes Brewery and winery.
What to have, what to have?
Des happily settled in with a dark ale while I nipped over to do some more tastings!
The original home at Pikes.
Leasingham
24th-27th September 2017
We broke our shortest drive record today. From Clare to Leasingham. An exhausting 14 kls! A lovely little caravan park, and saving a few dollars with more facilities. Gotta be savvy.
Perfect day for a drive in the countryside to Martindale Hall.
The magnificent entry hall.
The timber flooring is stunning.
Very popular back in the late 1800's and early 1900's was the "trophy room". Filled with weird and wonderful souvenirs from travels. This was incredible. Access was not permitted, but the view from the door was amazing.
A porcupine quill box. Beautiful.
Samurai Warrier's costume.
African head hunter's mask.
And of course no Manor is complete without the Library. All walls lined with books. Not to mention the pool table. This is where the gentlemen would "retire" to for brandy and cigars!
Incredible collection of books. And so old.
Some of the riveting tomes for your reading pleasure!?!?
This is the bell system. Each square is linked to a room. When the bell rang it would show who had called for staff to attend them and off they would run. Situated in the hall outside the staff dining / kitchen room.
The staff dining room / kitchen.
The main dining room. The manor can be hired for functions. Stunning.
Upstairs landing. All the bedrooms lead off this area, including the maids and nanny.
The master suite. Massive room.
Complete with ensuite and a bath you could do laps in.
A Chinese screen hand embroidered with silk. It was absolutely beautiful.
Close up of the embroidery. Perfection.
The sewing room.
Let me in the gate!
The winery has a fabulous museum.
Beautiful engraved barrels.
The main cellar door and museum building.
A group of them were at Annie's Lane when we arrived. Lots of fun admiring them.
The owner of this little gem was from Hervey Bay, and only too keen for us to hop in for a photo! We didn't even have to ask.
Checking out all the nitty gritty.
A couple of the motorbikes in front of the main building.
The craftsmanship and restoration is admirable.
Auburn
More lovely old heritage buildings.
The hyacinths are out in full bloom everywhere. So pretty.
Lovely little church.
Flowers everywhere.
Since the Riesling Trail bike ride ended abruptly with the swooping magpie incident, I decided to go for a walk along the Trail from Leasingham up to Watervale and back.
Stunning day. Spring is finally here and the days are warming up. Perfect for walking again.
The fruit trees and vines are all starting to bloom.
Acres of vines ready to sprout.
Beautiful wild irises are all along the path and fields.
Mintaro
Mintaro is a small heritage village about 30 klms from Leasingham. Not far from Martindale Hall. It is like stepping back in time to the late 1800's.
The most amazing old fig tree.
Fascinating snooping around the old ruined buildings.
Right on cue a vintage car to set the scene. They were all gathering at Martindale Hall for lunch and display.
Before heading over to Martindale Hall for another wander around the cars, lunch at Reilly's Cellar door. Fabulous lunch and yet more delectable wine.
Motorbikes were pretty basic back in the day.
The owners get right into period costume.
Love this old business truck.
Early you beaut ute.
More passionate owners.
The Hall was a perfect setting.
18th - 20th September 2017
After three and a half weeks exploring the Flinders, it was time to move south to the Clare Valley. Bring on the Riesling!!! A big drive today - 300 klms! The day started in Copley, just north of Leigh Creek with 27 degrees, dry and dusty and ended in Melrose. Lush, green rolling hills and pouring rain. And a chilly 9 degrees! Two camps couldn't be more different.
The town of Melrose, nestled at the foot of Mount remarkable is the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges. Established in 1843 by the first pastoralists, it would be difficult to find another town with quite the same rustic charm.
The town of Melrose, nestled at the foot of Mount remarkable is the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges. Established in 1843 by the first pastoralists, it would be difficult to find another town with quite the same rustic charm.
We found a fabulous free camp on the outskirts of town. Dashed from the car to our Penthouse de' Move Along and got cosy for the night. It's days like this we are so grateful not to be in canvas anymore! The next morning greeted us with sunshine - time to explore the quaint town of Melrose.
The old swing bridge over the creek.
Quirky artwork. The trail - and town - is famous for it's mountain bike tracks.
We love all the lush green grass.
Amazing tree.
And lots of beautiful spring flowers.
The Jacka's Brewery (formerly T.B.Marshall's Flour Mill). The flour mill operated from 1878 - 1890. Jacka's Brewery operated from 1890 - 1933, when it closed during the Great Depression. Sadly not brewing anymore!
This was Jacka's House. Good money in beer!
So many pretty flowers.
So after our exhausting (?) walk it was off to the Royal Exchange (circa 1865) for lunch. Not quite sure about this seating out the front, but the meal was excellent.
Heading out of town Dez noticed that the van brakes were misbehaving and not releasing! A U-turn back to town and underneath to see what the problem was. After some tinkering and murmuring he felt it might be O.K. so off we go again. Ummmm....nope! While under the van a very energetic young man named Sean stopped to see if he could lend a hand. Long story short we ended up at his farm property where he had a mechanic business.
More tinkering and checking. At first thought it might be the wheel bearings. By this time it was getting dark, so he put everything back together for a test drive. Too late to do anything more so he set us up on his neighbour's property. It was fantastic. They have made their own free camp down the back by a creek.
Pretty good free farmstay!
Next morning back to the shed. Turns out when Dez had accidentally left the caravan handbrake on, the brakes did not release, so they got all filled up with brake dust and needed some serious cleaning out.
All back together, and working perfectly. Sean was a typical country bloke. Nothing was too much trouble at all. He spent several hours solving and fixing our problem. And the bill -- $100. What a bloke!
So while the boys were playing with the van I wandered over to the shearing shed. Turns out it is the oldest communal shearing shed in the district. I would have loved to see it in full swing, which had been just the week before. There were still remnants of wool about the place, and it had a distinct aroma of sheep and lanolin!!!
Some canola growing nearby.
The canola is so vibrant. Love it.
A quick stop off at Jamestown to use the Public Weigh Station to check on our weight. It has become very important to have all the GVM, Tare Weights, Ball weight, ATM's. Dose your head in. But if you get pulled over for a check weigh and are over, it could be trouble.
Another stop a bit further along at the Stone Hut Bakery. Highly recommended in the travel book. Yet more pies added to the freezer.
Clare
19th-24th September 2017
Another wine region to conquer. I have been looking forward to this one immensely. The Clare Valley is renowned for it's Watervale Rieslings - my favourite tipple. Bring it on!
Day one and off to one of my favourites. Jim Barry. It's great visiting favourite wineries and tasting their cellar door only wines.
Next on the list, Mad Bastard Wines. The vintner here, Mark Barry, is a son of Jim Barry. Needless to say the wines were very approachable. More in the cellar!
Lovely little cellar door.
We tried all the Mr Mick's wines at the Clare Tourist Information Centre. They have a Friday night happy hour hosted each week by a different local winery, including tapas. Even better, the Centre is on the edge of the caravan park. No driving home. A very jovial time had by all. And the wines were beautiful.
Another day and another round. This was at Shut The Gate wines. A fabulous setting. Select your own gourmet spread from the fridge and they present it for you. Along with more delectable wines, of course!
This was our favourite for both location and the wines. Skillogallee. A picture perfect day for a late lunch. The food was sensational, and the wines extremely approachable. My favourite - Sparkling Riesling. More bottles added to the cellar!
The winery has an interesting history. The old stone cottage built in 1851 by a Cornish miner, John Trestrail, who settled here and operated the property, then called Trevarrick Farm. He and his wife had 17 children of whom 13 survived - he was a religious man who, it is said, did not approve of drinking!
Oh yeah....happy days. After all the outback hiking and dry and dusty environs of the Flinders, we are revelling in being civilised again.
The Clare Valley is known for it's Riesling Trail bike riding / walking track along the old rail line. Time to see if I remember how to ride a bike!
All set. A practice around the caravan park. Not quite sure how this is going to end after riding to a couple of wineries!
Turns out it was short lived. Magpie breeding season and they were in full swoop. I only lasted about ten minutes, and didn't even make it to the trail before being swooped by four maggies. So took the bike back and the lovely lady even gave me a refund. Really disappointed I didn't get to go for a big ride, though!
Clare is the "capitol" so to speak of the area. Lovely main town area and small mall where we had lunch. Restocked the fridge. Laundry done. The domestics still catch up with us.
Our last day of Clare winery rounds kicked off with lunch at Paulette's. This had been recommended to us by several people, and we weren't disappointed. The view over the valley was magnificent. The wines, of course, very approachable, and the desert to die for!
Dez had never had Afffogato before and now would like to have it on a regular basis. Dream on Dezzi. However, this was superb. Home made, mouth watering ice-cream, a shot of espresso, and a shot of Tia Maria. Get in my belly. So delicious.
Just down the road a visit to Pikes Brewery and winery.
What to have, what to have?
Des happily settled in with a dark ale while I nipped over to do some more tastings!
The original home at Pikes.
Just up the road from the caravan park we noticed a sign for leathergoods and saddlery. Dez has had a favourite belt for years. And has never been able to find a replacement. He really likes the buckle on the old one. So off in to see old made saddler and have a new belt made onto the old buckle. He was amazing. What I imagine the Tenterfiield Saddler to be like. He made a beautiful new belt for the princely sum of $40.00, and a new leather strap on my wallet/bag for a fiver. What a find. A true craftsman.
Leasingham
24th-27th September 2017
We broke our shortest drive record today. From Clare to Leasingham. An exhausting 14 kls! A lovely little caravan park, and saving a few dollars with more facilities. Gotta be savvy.
Perfect day for a drive in the countryside to Martindale Hall.
Martindale Hall is a Georgian styled with Italianate influenced sandstone mansion which has significant heritage value in South Australia. Built in 1879 – 1880 for Edmund Bowman Jr. at a cost of £30,000 it has some 32 rooms and boasts a large cellar of some 7 rooms.
Edmund surrounded the home with a polo ground, a racecourse, a boating lake and a cricket pitch.
William Tennant Mortlock acquired the property in 1891 due to Edmund’s finances suffering severely - first during the 1885 onwards drought, followed by a depression in Australia which led to a dramatic fall in wool prices.
To visit Martindale Hall today is a unique experience of a living museum, a step back in time to the days of gracious living on a large pastoral estate late in the 1800’s to early 1900’s. Where a rumoured 14 servants, 4 of which lived in the hall and on call 24 hrs a day, looked after the needs of two people. Such was the extravagant upper class lifestyle of the wealthy pastoralist.
The current caretakers tell tales of a ghost. A child born a cretinoid. Several people have reported seeing this child ghost. One lady in particular claims the child got into bed with her when it ws used as a guesthouse and would not stay the night. Another incident a child visiting for the day did not want to leave as he was playing with a boy. No one else could see him. Believe it....or not!
Edmund surrounded the home with a polo ground, a racecourse, a boating lake and a cricket pitch.
William Tennant Mortlock acquired the property in 1891 due to Edmund’s finances suffering severely - first during the 1885 onwards drought, followed by a depression in Australia which led to a dramatic fall in wool prices.
To visit Martindale Hall today is a unique experience of a living museum, a step back in time to the days of gracious living on a large pastoral estate late in the 1800’s to early 1900’s. Where a rumoured 14 servants, 4 of which lived in the hall and on call 24 hrs a day, looked after the needs of two people. Such was the extravagant upper class lifestyle of the wealthy pastoralist.
The current caretakers tell tales of a ghost. A child born a cretinoid. Several people have reported seeing this child ghost. One lady in particular claims the child got into bed with her when it ws used as a guesthouse and would not stay the night. Another incident a child visiting for the day did not want to leave as he was playing with a boy. No one else could see him. Believe it....or not!
The magnificent entry hall.
The timber flooring is stunning.
Very popular back in the late 1800's and early 1900's was the "trophy room". Filled with weird and wonderful souvenirs from travels. This was incredible. Access was not permitted, but the view from the door was amazing.
A porcupine quill box. Beautiful.
Samurai Warrier's costume.
African head hunter's mask.
And of course no Manor is complete without the Library. All walls lined with books. Not to mention the pool table. This is where the gentlemen would "retire" to for brandy and cigars!
Incredible collection of books. And so old.
Some of the riveting tomes for your reading pleasure!?!?
This is the bell system. Each square is linked to a room. When the bell rang it would show who had called for staff to attend them and off they would run. Situated in the hall outside the staff dining / kitchen room.
The staff dining room / kitchen.
The main dining room. The manor can be hired for functions. Stunning.
Upstairs landing. All the bedrooms lead off this area, including the maids and nanny.
The master suite. Massive room.
Complete with ensuite and a bath you could do laps in.
A Chinese screen hand embroidered with silk. It was absolutely beautiful.
Close up of the embroidery. Perfection.
The sewing room.
Maid's quarters. The staff accommodations were very generous.
We really enjoyed looking around this property and getting a feel for the genteel life back in the 1800's / early 1900's. It was like being on the set of Downton Abbey!
Watervale
I am in heaven. Annie's Lane. Let me at the Riesling - and whatever else I can taste!
A beautiful property, and superb wines at a very reasonable price. You guessed it. More for the cellar. And a pair of lovely engraved glasses to drink it from. Very happy with this visit.
Let me in the gate!
The winery has a fabulous museum.
Beautiful engraved barrels.
Now....down to business.
The main cellar door and museum building.
During our stay in the Clare Valley, the Australian Veteran Car Club were holding their annual rally. Roughly 130 Veteran cars, and a few motorbikes gathered in the region. We have never seen so many beautiful old cars. And the owners only too happy to show them off and have a chat. Members had come from all over Australia to attend - from Townsville, Perth, Tassie NSW and Victoria.
A group of them were at Annie's Lane when we arrived. Lots of fun admiring them.
The owner of this little gem was from Hervey Bay, and only too keen for us to hop in for a photo! We didn't even have to ask.
The craftsmanship and restoration is admirable.
Auburn
Later in the day a drive just down the road to the village of Auburn, and a walk around.
More lovely old heritage buildings.
The hyacinths are out in full bloom everywhere. So pretty.
Lovely little church.
Flowers everywhere.
Since the Riesling Trail bike ride ended abruptly with the swooping magpie incident, I decided to go for a walk along the Trail from Leasingham up to Watervale and back.
Stunning day. Spring is finally here and the days are warming up. Perfect for walking again.
The fruit trees and vines are all starting to bloom.
Acres of vines ready to sprout.
Beautiful wild irises are all along the path and fields.
Mintaro
Mintaro is a small heritage village about 30 klms from Leasingham. Not far from Martindale Hall. It is like stepping back in time to the late 1800's.
The most amazing old fig tree.
Fascinating snooping around the old ruined buildings.
Right on cue a vintage car to set the scene. They were all gathering at Martindale Hall for lunch and display.
Motorbikes were pretty basic back in the day.
The owners get right into period costume.
Love this old business truck.
Early you beaut ute.
More passionate owners.
The Hall was a perfect setting.
The Clare Valley region did not disappoint. Beautiful spring weather. Inviting cellar doors. Plenty of history. Add this one to your list. So easy to get to, being only 100 klm north of Adelaide.
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