lavici

please tell me how i could saunter (love that word) around barossa valley from adelaide, solo without a car? any tours any of you wonderful people could recommend? i reckon that i don't particularly care for tours, but i also reckon that if i'm not driving, and i want to check out the plentiful lay of the land i can't be a choser... janine

speckles

Hi Janine. How are you getting to the Barossa in the first place? The public transport train only goes as far as Gawler, which is about half way between Adelaide and the Barossa.

I googled and found the following company which offers small group tours (max. 6 people) as well as private tours. I have never used them so can't comment in that respect.

http://www.barossavalleytours.com/day.html

I believe there is very little public transport in the Barossa and it would not be geared towards tourists. To get around to various wineries and other places you really need a car or go on a tour.

Are you planning on staying in the Barossa or just doing a day-trip from Adelaide?

speckles

Oooppps, I just looked at the prices for the website I quoted and they are quite expensive.

I've done another google on "Barossa Valley tour" and quite a few things have come up, including this tour for $75 from Adelaide:

http://www.groovygrape.com.au/barossa-valley-tour.php

lavici

hi speckles : happy easter well,thanks! i will check them both out ASAP. my preferred itinerary is: hobart-melbourne-adelaide/b.valley-sydney(for a conference)
or hobart-sydney-adelaide-melbourne which considering it will be in may is not as logical per the seasonal weather.
i was going to take the ghan up to alice springs from adelaide, but now i'm not so sure if i will be able to do it before or after my sydney conference
i was thinking of getting to adelaide by either the overlander train from melbourne, or the indian pacific from sydney, i love trains and we don't have any in venezuela so for me it's a treat to see the landscapes change, and i do have the time.. it all depends on how many days i finally end up spending in tasmania. so, after spending 2 or 3 days in adelaide( what would you suggest?) i wanted to explore a bit of barossa valley in a tour, and then and maybe stay at "the miner's cottage" and/or jacob's creek retreat --which in the map seems to be quite close from gawler, or at least in the same surrounding area-- each for a night or two...
http://www.greenwoodguides.com/listi...#BarossaValley
i will check out the websites you sent me any other suggestions will be very welcome.... thanks janine

speckles

Hi Janine. The problem you may have is getting from Adelaide to the Barossa without a car. There may be some shuttle buses, but you will have to search for them. Once there, though, the Barossa is lovely.

Where you stay might also depend on transport as there is not much of it up that way. Tanunda is a nice town and I think there are a handful of wineries within walking distance, but most wineries require transport.

Here is the SA Tourism Commission's official website, which might have more info for you..

http://www.southaustralia.com/Barossa.aspx

As for Adelaide, where do you plan to stay and what do you want to do here? There are two main areas for hotel accommodations: city centre and Glenelg beach. Both the airport and interstate train station (Keswick Terminal) are between the city and Glenelg, so there would not be much difference in cost and time in getting to a hotel in either location. There is also a tram (20-30 minutes) which runs between the heart of the city and Glenelg.

lavici

hi speckels: i was checking out several tours that melodie recommended called 'a taste of the south' they offer various wonderful tours. there's one that i really liked: a walking tour that would either starts in adelaide or picks me up at my hotel in adelaide( i still haven't chosen one, the one i wanted has no availb.) and one walks during 6 days around barossa, mac laren and clare vales visiting small boutique wineries, staying at really nice B&B's and lunches/diners at yummy places. so i asked for a quote, and if at the end they could drop me off at tanunda to stay, explore at leisure, and relax a couple of nights before continuing on my aussie travels.( still deciding on uluru to go or not to go... i'm a libra) i'm sure it's not going to be very cheap, but for one thing it takes all the logistics out of my solo hands, and as i love walking( it's about 4 hours daily) and i love autumn, it could be a lot of fun for me even if i'm not a big wine drinker, except for my half a glass mandatory evening merlot for health ...happy easter! janine

lavici

speckels i forgot to thank for the websites, i wrote to both tours and they have been very helpful. i'll check the barossa for directions just in case, and i'll let you know as soon as i get my quote for the walking tour if i don't flip out when i read it... (lol) janine

speckles

Hi again. I've just picked this website up off another travel site. It was recommended by someone in Adelaide.

http://www.primeminitours.com/tours.htm