We travelled to Clare Valley in South Australia with our 9-year-old Kidsetter. Only a 2-hour drive from Adelaide, we based ourselves at the charming Clare Country Club which is nestled amongst beautiful rolling hills within the Clare Valley wine region.
Immediately our Kidsetter made a bee line for the Country Club’s pool ! A fast and great way for Kidsetters alike to make new friends.
We were keen to visit the Mintaro Maze. A living hedge maze, consisting of over 800 conifers, features fountains, twists and turns to trick even the most committed Kidsetter.
And when you do find your way out, there’s plenty more to enjoy, with a range of giant sized games.
A lovely way to spend the afternoon, Mintaro Maze offers a unique experience to be enjoyed by Kidsetters of all ages!
We then visited stunning Martindale Hall.
Built in 1879-1880 Martindale Hall is a Georgian styled mansion, boosting 32 rooms and a large cellar consisting of 7 rooms !
The mansion is flawlessly preserved, and we felt as though we had stepped back in time to the days of gracious living on a large pastoral estate late in the 1800’s to early 1900’s.
Naturally, visiting wineries was next on our agenda. Most of the wineries in the Clare Valley are on a boutique scale. Winemaking in the region stretches back over 160 years and today there are more than 35 cellar doors.
We visited Pikes Wines, first established in 1984 known for their Riesling.
The Pikes Estate is comprised of approximately 100 hectares of rolling slopes in Polish Hill River, an eastern sub-region of the Clare Valley.
We enjoyed the huge lawn area with a BYO picnic then playing soccer, cricket and tennis.
We visited another winery named Sevenhill Cellars. My favourite cellar door due to it’s rich history and distinctive location.
Sevenhill Cellar was the first winery in the Clare Valley established by Jesuits in 1851 to produce originally sacramental wine, now also produces an extensive range of table wines.
Outside, the park-like grounds provide an ideal picnic spot and play space for Kidsetters.
We explored the stately St Aloysius’ Church and its ethereal crypt. St Aloysius’ Church and the College building remain today an integral part of the Jesuit community.
Walking amongst the magnificent vineyard and gardens was breath taking.
Sevenhill Cellars gave our Kidsetter a Scavenger Hunt activity sheet. One of the items on the hunt was Weikert Cottage, a dwelling built more than 150 years ago by the original Jesuits at Sevenhill. It was a great way to keep our Kidsetter engaged and explore the entire property.
Next, we had heard there was a salt lake nearby named Bumbunga Lake near Lochiel. Only a 30-minute drive from Clare Valley I was keen to investigate.
The lake is known to change colour from pink, to white, to blue, depending on the salinity of the water throughout the year. Our Kidsetter was in awe of the color and his imagination went wild creating fantasy worlds. Admittedly we did struggle extracting him when we needed to leave !
The following day we visited Bungaree Station. Fascinating ! We took a self-guided tour of the station which provides an authentic insight into Australia’s pioneering past.
Established in 1841, this iconic property became the headquarters of one of Australia’s most successful sheep flocks, running 100,000 merino sheep, at a time when the country was said to ride “on the sheep’s back”.
Bungaree developed into a small village with its beautiful sandstone Woolshed, Shearers Quarters, Stable Yard, Station Store, Managers House, staff cottages and even the District Council Chambers and a Church.
It is still a working farm, run by the 4th, 5th and 6th generations of the Hawker family today.
The self-guided tour of the historic station complex is an interactive experience for visitors, comprising of a series of audio-posts, signs and displays.
Sites on the tour include the Station Store, Woolshed, Church, Stableyard and Homestead Gardens. Vintage tools, equipment and other artefacts from Bungaree’s 175 years of history are also displayed.
Clare Valley is an iconic destination incorporating a range of Australian history and culture for all Kidsetters.
