This post is going to be a little different. I know many of you are probably wandering about the man behind the camera who takes these photos. Naturally I’m an Aussie, that goes without saying I’m a father of two who loves telling jokes. I actually did a YouTube video of one of my favourite jokes that I thought just might amuse you.

A Barossa Valley Vineyard

As my regular readers would know I’ve recently visited the Barossa Valley and as one os want to do when visiting that beautiful place you tend to take a lot of photos. This one is a photo of just one of the many vineyards you will see in the Barossa.

It’s just a matter of parking the car, getting out, admiring the view and then selecting the photo, or photos, that you want to take.

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The Barossa Valley is such a beautiful place that one could easily dedicate a blog to it. You shouldn’t be surprised then to see quite a few posts about it right here on Scenic Adelaide. One thing you have to know about the Barossa is that it can be well suited for those looking for cheaper holidays. There is so much to see and do, way more than just visiting the bountiful supply of wineries. I will be covering some of them in future posts.

If you’re just wanting to have a bit of peace and quiet then the Barossa is a great place to be. Full of quiet towns and surrounded by plentiful supply of photographic subjects. If it takes you a little longer to get from one destination to the next it’s only because you keep pulling over to take a photo of something that caught your eye.

While on the road from Angaston to the Tanunda Chateau I noticed a sign that said Mengler’s Hill Lookout and so I had no choice but to make a little detour. It only took a couple of minutes to arrive there and I’m glad I took the time to go and check it out.

The View From Mengler Hill

As you can see from the photo below it is a really panoramic view.

You really want to make sure you take your camera because your bound to want to take some photos of the view. The problem is that many people as so take with the view that they fail to miss the park below them that has many sculptures made from local marble and black granite during the 1988 Barossa International Sculpture Symposium. In case you’re wandering the lookout was named after an early vine grower in the area

Unfortunately we didn’t have time to wander through the park as it was getting late and we really wanted to see Chateau Tanunda. Believe it or not we just exited the lookout when, only seconds later, I had to pull over once again to take this shot.

It’s like I said earlier, there’s lots that will captivate your attention when you’re driving around the Barossa Valley.

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I know that a lot of people, it doesn’t matter if they did a mauritius holidays or one in lovely Adelaide, find that once they get home they forget some vital information about something they saw while on holiday that they wish that they could remember. That is why I always buy a book or two when I’m away. The only time I didn’t do it was when in the States this year and I’m still regretting it.

You may even find that buying a book beforehand is a great idea as reading about the place where you are going to holiday helps you to map out your itinerary a lot better. Failing that you could always visit this blog and hope that I’d written a post on whatever it is you’re looking for.

As I live in Adelaide I don’t actually own a book on the place so I feel uncomfortable recommending any. That is why I went to Amazon to find a book as people who have bought a book on Amazon tend to leave a review and I’ve always found reviews helpful when making a purchase. This book is called Lonely Planet Central Australia: Adelaide to Darwin (Regional Travel Guide) But before we get to that I want to show you a nice photo I took while driving through the Barossa Valley on the weekend.

Lonely Planet has been researching Australia's dusty backroads for 32 years. This new, meticulously researched guide to Australia's center will enrich any travels in the region, whether short excursions from Darwin, Alice or Adelaide, or epic road trips all the way from the Great Australian Bight to the Top End.Lonely Planet guides are written by experts who get to the heart of every destination they visit. This fully updated edition is packed with accurate, practical and honest advice, designed to give you the information you need to make the most of your trip.In This Guide:Indigenous cultures, identities and arts explained in depthDriving advice and outback safety for 4WDs, 2WDs and bikesGreen Index and tips on environmentally and culturally responsible travel

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After leaving the 40′s Cafe we were in the car for less than a minute when I spotted the Angas Park store and as I started to pull over Nadia started to wing; “Oh dad, we just got in the car, do we have to stop already?” So I started to pull away when Anna, the wife, was saying how it’s supposed to have a huge selection of dried fruit and Nadia being on a bit of a health kick suddenly exclaims. “dried fruit, I love dried fruit!” and so I do a U turn and park under the shade of a tree. As you can see it has quite an attractive entrance but that’s nothing compared to what you get inside.

It’s not a large store but it’s packed with heaps and heaps of goodies. As you can see from just one aisle it has a whole heap of dried fruit. All of them dried and many of them covered in chocolate, both dark and white.

It’s not just dried fruit either, as can be seen from the photo below they also have a selection of jams, preserves, specialty olive oil and other delicacies.

Now I know a lot of people are looking for Bargain Holidays these days but when it comes to buying quality you have to expect to pay that little bit extra and it’s no different at Angas Park. These guys have come a long way since they started as a humble dried fruit packing shed in 1911 on the very same site that the Factory and Angaston Retail Shop stand today. If you’re looking to buy quality sun-dried Australian fruit this is definitely the place to be.

We certainly took advantage of their delightful products. Nadia bought some dried strawberries coated in white chocolate as well as that huge chocolate freckle you see on  the right. I bought a dried fig bar covered in pink icing and Anna bought the ingredients for a Christmas pudding which came complete with a recipe. Honestly if you’re looking for something different for Christmas you should really pop in for a visit because I’m sure you will find something that will make a unique gift, especially for the kids.

Man I just love coming to the Barossa Valley.

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One thing I didn’t expect to see while visiting Adelaide’s Botanical Gardens was a museum. Then again if you were going to have a museum in a botanical gardens you would expect it to house something to do with botany and even though I didn’t have time to check it out completely I did have a quick look inside and it was stepping back in time.

As you can see the exterior of the building looks pretty new but that’s only because it was refurbished in 2009 with the help of a nice grant by the government in 2007. I’m sure in giving the grant they wanted to please locals as well as those who choose to spend their holidays 2012 and beyond.

What makes this building special is that the interior has not changed since the museum first opened in 1881, which is why I said it was almost like stepping back in time. Upon walking in and looking around you will noticed that much of them original displays and display cabinets have survived, many of them sporting the original labels.

If you’re ever in the Adelaide Botanical, Gardens you should definitely pop in to the Museum Of Economic Botany.

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In my last post I spoke about my quick trip to Adelaide’s Botanical Gardens and to tell you the truth I just didn’t have the room to display all the photos I took that day. If you haven’t read that post you should really head on over and check out The Adelaide Botanical Gardens A Great Place To Visit not just for the content but because there are some great photos there, especially the one of the Victoria Amazonica.

I’m sure that most people visit the local botanical gardens while on their holidays, especially if it happens to be spring. Being spring in Adelaide was one of the reasons why I popped in for a quick visit it our botanical gardens. I expected to see a lot of color from the many blooming flowers and I wasn’t disappointed.

Take this yellow one for example, I don’t know what it was called but I wasn’t the only one to enjoy it as it had a lot of visiting ants. Perhaps it had something besides sheer beauty that the ants enjoyed.
Not too far from this one I came across this one with the brilliant white petals. I wish I had the time to take note of the names of these flowers but like I said in the previous post time was short on that day. Still, maybe one of you guys could tell us what these flowers are called.

OK, now how about something a little more delicate like this pretty pink number.

For the last flower of the day I reckon it just has to be this little orange number. A bit weird looking but it had enough of a presence to attract a bee, but then maybe the bee didn’t have time to visit those other flowers yet.
Phew, all that photo taking sure does tucker a fellow out. Lucky for me I found this park bench in a shady spot where I could rest up a little before heading on home.

Yep, you should definitely make time to visit the Adelaide Botanical Gardens, especially if you love taking photos.

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I was on my way back from the City going down Hackney Road when I suddenly decided to stop at the Adelaide Botanical Gardens. I mentioned it last when I wrote the post on Adelaide’s Bicentennial Conservatory and I thought, it being a beautiful spring day and all, that I would stop for a little stroll around the beautiful gardens. I was only there for about a half hour or so and I was still able to take some nice photos and I simply have to go back again when I have more time.

Walking through Adelaide’s botanical gardens I couldn’t help but notice all the people quietly strolling by or even sitting on the manicured lawns just enjoying the lovely spring day. It’s no wonder that so many who choose to holiday in this beautiful city of ours stop by for a visit.

It was really a pleasure walking through the gardens even for the short period of time that was allowed me. Even though it was getting a little warm in the sunshine it’s amazing how cool it was once I got to Murdoch Avenue and yes it was name after Rupert Murdoch. As you can see from the photo on the left it’s surrounded by huge trees and so you get to walk under a canopy of leaves. The change from coming out of direct sunlight to coolness of the shady environment was quite dramatic. I walked down Murdoch Avenue until it exited and there right on the left was something I’ve never seen before, the Amazon Lily Pavilion, an energy efficient glasshouse that was built in 2007! Man, I couldn’t believe it was that long since my last visit.

Amazon Lily Pavilion

The old Victoria house which was built in 1867 used to stand in it’s place and even then it house this remarkable water lily and the guys at the botanical gardens say fit to maintain the tradition. The glasshouse itself looked pretty modern but no where near as remarkable as the Bicentennial Conservatory. Being a glasshouse and all I’d expect it to get pretty warm in summer but today it wasn’t all that bad. There are quite a few plants around the perimeter although still inside,  of the pavilion itself but I pretty well skipped that because I wanted to see what the lily itself looked like.

The first water lily I saw was beautiful but it wasn’t all that spectacular. It was the Blue Nile Lily also known as Nymphaea Caerulae and was a plant that was sacred to the Egyptians who believed that in the beginning darkness ruled the world and then then this beautiful lily rose from the abyss and when the flower opened it’s petals revealed a young sun god sitting in its golden heart who banished the darkness and allowed life to begin. Now that is what I call a dramatic entrance.

It wasn’t until I gazed to the center of the pond that I saw the center piece of the pavilion, the Victoria Amazonica.

 Victoria Amazonica

This flower just happens to be Guyana’s national flower and many say it’s an appropriate choice for a county whose name means “land of many waters. There is a particular story of a girl who fell in love with the moon and one night while gazing at her lovers reflection in a pond she slipped, fell in and drowned. The moon taking pity on her turned her into the Amazon waterlily which only blooms at night when the moon is watching over her. Strange that this particular flower was blooming in the middle of the day.

What was also amazing was the huge lily pads. When I first saw them from a distance I thought that they were fake but upon a closer look they were obviously real. If you want to know more about the botanical gardens you should head over to the Adelaide Botanical Gardens government web page.

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A couple of posts back I told you about a great meal we had at the The German Arms Hotel Hahndorf and I thought it only fitting that I told you a little about Hahndorf itself as it is a prime tourist spot. I know every time we have overseas visitors we always make it a point to take them there.

Hahndorf is a small town only 30 minutes from the city. I’m sure when people originally moved there it was for the beautiful surroundings and the peace and quite. I reckon that became a thing of the past once the tourists found out about it. Now it gets so busy that at times it can be a bit of a chore to find a car park. While that may be a bit of a pain for the local residents I’m sure the business owners are loving every minute of it.

Hahndorf is named after Danish Captain Dirk Meinhertz Hahn, who was captain of the Zebra. The town was settled by Lutheran migrants and you can see from the buildings and such that there is definitely a German influence. The German Arms Hotel that I mentioned in that previous post being a prime example.

There are many different types of stores up and down the street, some to tantalize the palate and other to tempt you with souvenirs. As you walk up or down the main street, depending on where you managed to park your car you should keep an eye on the side streets as some of them also lead to some interesting stores.

One shouldn’t forget the many craft outlets as well as some of the stores that offer collectables and historical souvenirs. I’ve always found it interesting to sit outside one of the many cafes sipping on my cappuccino as I watch the tourists strolling by.

I reckon it doesn’t matter what you have a hankering for you’re bound to find something that you will like in Hahndorf. If you have kids a good place to stop is Treats of Hahndorf that offers everything from boiled sweats to ice-cream.

If you like to sample cheeses and other dairy products you can’t go past Udder Delights.

And if you like leather goods and the like then I recommend having a look at the Leather Smith Bush Gallery.

These are only a sample of what Hahndorf has to offer and if your in the area I recommend you stop by and have a look around.

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Last Friday I decided to go for a little drive to Hahndorf and who better to take with me than the wife. Although a fairly cold day the sun was out so I thought a country drive would be nice so we headed off to Hahndorf. We’ll leave that for another post though as this one is about our experience at the German Arms Hotel, a hotel that has been in existence since 1839. This hotel is steeped in history and what better place to read about it than at their own website.

As you can see from this photo the hotels breathes rustic charm, something that you see a lot of in Hahndorf. What I love about this hotel is that they tried to maintain that when they refurbished the hotel in 1990 by using 500 year old timbers. I’ve seen some classic hotels which in my opinion were butchered because they tried to meld the old architecture with new.

From Scenic Adelaide

As we walked inside we weren’t disappointed to find the charm we felt on the outside was continued on the inside. We were greeted by a warmth that radiated from more than that just the fireplace we walked past as we were led to our table. Although they had a pretty extensive menu which included both Aussie and German tucker we settled for their Famous Giant Hahnburger.

As I am want to do I took a photo of the burger so I can post it in this blog. What you’re seeing here isn’t my burger, it’s my wife’s and yes she did attempt to eat it with a knife and fork and believe me, that alone made the whole trip worthwhile. As to the burger, we both had different experiences when it came to our opinion of it.

As far as appearances go it made you hungry just to look at it. The wife found it a little dry but that could be because the meat patty was a lot bigger than she was used to. I, on the other had thoroughly enjoyed it. Sure the patty was thicker than what you would get in MacDonalds or Hungry Jacks but at least it was actual meat that you were eating. As far as I was concerned, I loved it as it was most flavoursome and not bland like those I just mentioned. I don’t know what herbs and spices that mixed in the patty but it added to the overall taste sensation.

This next photo is of a chair just outside the entrance. It’s been there for as long as I can remember and as you can see it is a little worse for wear. Perhaps they are waiting to find some well aged leather that would do it justice?

Finally, I leave you with this photo of the smiling German Bartender who resides just outside the German Arms Hotel.

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You may remember my post Of Flying Saucers, Rats And Ned Kelly, Scenic Sights Of Adelaide where I showed you some really cool sculptures that I came across on the way to Port Hughes, well one of the small towns I passed through was Moonta. I actually stopped there to buy some cakes to have with coffee when meeting up with our friends over at Port Hughes. If only I had known they were famous for their cornish pasties I would have bought a couple of those as well.

Moonta happens to be one of the three towns known as The Copper Triangle, the other two being Kadina and Wallarroo. Although it’s some 165 kilometres north-northwest of Adelaide it’s well worth the trip if you like checking out old towns. While there I had a quick look at the hardware store which was also the local antique store which had a lot of unique stuff I’d never seen before. It also had your normal range of antiques. I sure wish I knew more about antiques as I’m sure they would have some stuff there that might have been worth a little cash.

While there I did manage to take a couple of photos. This first one is of the Uniting Church which is at 88 Bay Rd. As you can see from the photo it’s got a real gothic appearance. Apparently it used to be a Methodist church and was built around 1873.

Another building of note is the Town Hall which also doubles as their theatre.

Looks cool doesn’t it? This building was built in 1885 and the clock tower and clock were added in 1907.

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