Wine and wheels: Riding in South Australia

Being something of a budding wino, I couldn’t resist the chance to take a cycling trip around the Barossa Valley, Australia’s premier wine growing region. Nestled on the outskirts of Adelaide in sunny South Australia, the area strikes a chord and whets the taste buds of any wine lover. It’s the heart of Australian wine production and the nation’s major supplier of wines to the rest of the world.

Not only that, but while it was January in Canada and the northern hemisphere was smack in the middle of winter, the thermometer rarely dips below 30 degrees in this part of Australia at this time of year. Add in some fantastic cycling in the area and it was an easy call to make.

Local cyclists such as Stuart O’Grady and Luke Roberts have long been pounding the roads of this region, but it first came to world prominence as a cycling destination a few years back thanks to the Tour Down Under ProTour race.

It was mid-January when I made the trip and the Tour itself was about to hit the same roads used on our rides. The valley lies just over 50 km from Adelaide, which makes it the perfect destination for pro teams who turn out to train here before the Tour each year and there were certainly plenty of them around whenever our group chose to pedal out. Unlike us, however, they weren’t here to sample the local Shiraz.

We’d come into Barossa through the hills from Adelaide, where I’d spent a few days riding through the surprisingly hilly roads of the suburbs. I could see why it was such a popular destination for visiting cyclists. Leaving the Adelaide Hills behind, the first thing that struck me was how much the landscape changed in such a short distance. The long climbs and meandering roads gradually faded out and, like a recovering heart rate profile, things smoothed out, making it friendlier riding for the legs and lungs.

The valley itself is fairly flat, with just one real hiccup thrown in to get you sweating – Mengler’s Hill, a regular King of the Mountain shaker in the TDU. We spent a couple of days riding in the valley and chose to base ourselves in Tanunda, the town at the heart of the local wine and tourism industry. The towns in this region have a European look to them, as many of the early settlers and original wine producers were from Germany. The town is also at the foot of Mengler’s Hill, so we had to deal with it before we even had time to straighten our helmets (which are mandatory in Oz.) The climb is quite steep in places, but not long enough to cause too much damage. The views through the trees as you climb are quite special, although you’ll probably be panting too much to appreciate them. Huge wide-open vistas over a patchwork-quilt like valley dotted with small lakes is what you’ll see if you glance over your shoulder. The whole wine region is panned out before you from here, and it looks surprisingly dry and arid, but nonetheless spectacular.

As soon as you pass over the summit, you find yourself hurtling down through agricultural farm roads, which are peaceful and great to ride. On the horizon is the town of Angaston, a sleepy, but interesting place, and worth the slight diversion. Old Lutheran churches and Germanic-style buildings characterise the place. Heading back from here is a treat. The road led us to Springton, a small outpost seemingly frozen in time. Although we took the main road, we also checked out the dirt roads around here, which are excellent if you’re up for a little rough and tumble riding. Just make sure you have decent wide-profile tires that can handle the terrain.

Facilities are sparse once you get away from the main tourist hubs – just the odd shop and pub where you can find a staple meat pie and a tinny of beer, so it’s worth stocking up on water and food before you hit the roads for long rides, especially considering the heat. Springton was the turnaround point for us, so we swung back toward Williams Town. This is a beautiful stretch of road meandering its way through the countryside. We passed a couple of the professional teams and the national team riding this stretch, as well as numerous local cyclists, so it’s not exactly a secret, but at least we were in good company.

With the sun beating down, we returned to Tanunda, part one of the pilgrimage almost fulfilled. You couldn’t make a pilgrimage to a wine region like Barossa without partaking of the local holy water, can you? That would be a sin.

Heading off road

South Australia has some great mountain biking, from city-based marked trails to long outback adventures. Kangaroo Island is a popular ‘rough stuff’ ride (but isn’t real mountain biking), while the Mawson Trail makes for an epic adventure. The trail is a mix of back roads, fire roads and dirt roads. It starts just north of Adelaide and runs 900 km through the hills and countryside to the Finders Range, where you’ll also find more fun trails. There are several marked-loop rides around Riverton and you can take on multi-day supported tours from here to Alice Springs. Check out www.southaustralia.com for downloadable maps and links.

More information

The Lonely Planet guide to Adelaide and South Australia is a good starting point for finding information on the region. The Lonely Planet Cycling Australia Guide (out of print, but still around) also has details of a 300 km multi-day tour of the region, which starts from Adelaide. For information on the local cycling scene, visit www.sa.cycling.org.au and www.bikesa.asn.au.

When to go

Summer in the region starts around October and runs through March, with December through February being the driest and warmest stretch. During this period, rain is very uncommon and temperatures can get seriously hot with highs over 40 degrees at times. Canadian summer months can be wet and chilly in South Australia, so it’s not a good time for cycling.

Getting there

Adelaide is well-served by international airlines (often via Melbourne or Sydney) and if you book early you can get some good deals. Getting around by bike is easy, as there is not much traffic. You can get a rental car from the airport to reach further destinations such as Kangaroo Island, but expect to pay around $400 per week for a reasonably-sized car. The Barossa Valley region is about 55 km northwest of Adelaide, which means either a long ride or just over an hour by car. You could probably ride the valley in three days, so when combined with the local Adelaide Hills and the Fleurieu, you could easily put together 10 days of riding without going too far from town.

Where to stay

There are lots of lodging options, ranging from simple cabins to four-star hotels. Rates are similar to those in Canada, although exchange rates have bumped up the costs. January can be busy because of school holidays and the Tour Down Under, so it pays to plan ahead.

Where to eat

You’ll find loads of great cafes and restaurants in the region, serving every kind of food imaginable. You can taste such delicacies as kangaroo and crocodile in some restaurants, although the ‘pie floater’ is deemed to be the local dish. It’s basically a meat pie turned upside down in a dish of watery mush peas.

Barossa wines and wineries

Although the Barossa Valley is just 25 km long, it produces more than 20 per cent of Australian wine, making it the major wine-producing region in the country. It was first settled for wine production in 1842 by predominantly German immigrants, who divided things up into small farms and to produce wine. Rather than having huge wineries, Barossa features around 80 mostly small, boutique vineyards producing excellent white Rieslings and fruity red Shiraz varieties among others. Be sure to check out the Barossa Wine Centre in Tanunda.