Mengler Hill

Well we again woke to thunderstorm. Not sure if they bounced back from Melbourne, but they were here with just a touch of rain. Still we had a prepared breakfast to come so we just snuggled back under the covers. Even then we got to breakfast early.........like fools we had forgotten that Adelaide is half hour behind........most embarrassing......our host shooed us away.

When we finally came back we again realised that having breakfast made for you is a luxury you should grant yourself on occasion. The stewed pear was a treat.

So fed and rested we set off to explore the Barrossa. We started with a climb into the hills to the west and checked out the whole valley.

Then onto the main road.....winery after winery............sped by, that is not what we wanted. We checked out another spot in the hills to the west of Lyndoch. Real Heysen country with lovely trees and rocky hills. At the lookout was a man who was either waiting for a drug deal or who had had a really bad morning. So we left and visited the lavender farm. No flowers, should have been here last week!

Got a great story about a local community of Germans who settled in the local valley as it was very fertile. They were warned by the local aborigines that the valley was prone to flood. Knowing better they hunkered down. There are a couple of old houses and a memorial to them from the flood seven years later.

One of the things you get when you travel around is the dichotomy between the European and mainly germanic order of the agriculture and the romantic wildness of the surrounds as captured by Heysen. Still those Lutherans persisted, and built churches every couple of miles.

 We drove around a heritage route taking in Bethany, the Mengler family cemetery, Mengler Hill, Angaston, Penrice, Light Pass, Stone Well, Seppeltfield, Greenock,  Noorioopta and Tanunda.

The Mengler family cemetery was a hoot, Marjan was making up stories about one of the Menglers who was in as close to a pauper's grave as could be. She reckons he was cruel to Maria his wife who has a much nicer grave. He must have been a bastard.

Anyway, up Mengler hill t o the sculpture Park and the wonderful views of the valley.

Angaston was a highlight. Gorgeous little town. It also had a dairy, so we bought some cheese, locally made mettwurst, bread and picnicked in the park with a bunch of young German tourists.

We enjoyed a visit to Luhr's Cottage, an 1840's cottage saved as a museum. It was also the local schoolhouse and some of the school books are a hoot. I love the German/English divide as they taught the local Lutherans. Yes Lutherans, the school is spitting distance to two Lutheran churches.
We did not bother to stop for the Seppelt family mausoleum, though there was ample parking for the curious. It looked like too big a hike up the hill. The whole of the way from the main road to the Seppelt winery is adorned by palm trees. Looks really odd. Must look up the Seppelts they sound really strange.

So we got a bit tired and headed back for a nanna nap before our afternoon tea of scones and cream. A walk and drive for some more scenery preceded a BBQ dinner, held around the place of yesterday's sunset picture.

A day in the Barrossa and not one winery!

We did however have a local Chenin Blanc. Not bad.