The Barossa Scenic Drives Day

Wine made the Barossa famous, but its landscape is the quiet star - and the best way to read it is from the road. This loop strings together the valley's great scenic drives, climbing the eastern ranges for big views and dipping into the quieter back-country before circling home.

The plan

Begin on the Barossa Valley Way, the vine-lined spine of the region, to get your bearings. Then climb Mengler Hill Road over the eastern ranges to the celebrated lookout and sculpture trail, where the whole patchwork valley opens below. Drop into the cool Eden Valley high country for a different landscape entirely, loop past the Hill of Grace vineyard and its lonely church, then descend toward Williamstown and the green reservoir country at the valley's southern edge. Break the drive with a long lunch and let the views do the rest.