Winter's day wanderings...

Rain, heavy cloud and windy at times; A perfect opportunity to take a drive in the countryside.

Today I had big plans to get a lot done. First off was to see a mate in the hills, a place called Kersbrook. The problem is he forgot I was coming. After a chat and coffee I left deciding that I'd take a drive in the country, hit some 4x4 tracks and take a picture or two.

Below are some images I took today of various things. There's no really story to it I guess, they're just random. The region I went to today was my back yard growing up and I spent a lot of time there. It also happens to be a world-renowned wine region. It doesn't look its best this time of year but I had a good time nonetheless.

This first image was taken in Mt Crawford forest which is a pine logging area. They grow, cut and replant there so it's sustainable I guess. I've been going there for years and can remember picnics with my family as far back as my memory goes. My truck is parked at centre of shot.

Here's a section of replanted trees. I was unable to go into the best parts of the forest due to logging.

These little guys were sheltering from the rain. They were a bit skittish so I wasn't able to get that close. You get the idea though.

After leaving the forest I came across this driveway which looked cool. I'm not a great photographer so probably didn't capture it properly but you get the idea. It looked inviting though so I pulled over for a shot.

As I mentioned above the Barossa Valley is renowned for it's vineyards and wine. The vines will look a lot better with leaves but that's some way off at the moment. I guess some blue sky might have made this a better shot but the weather wasn't playing ball.

Here's some more vines, this time at the Jacob's Creek visitor centre. I'm not much of a drinker but have had a glass or two over the years from here.

These guys weren't friendly, but then again I didn't ask permission to photograph them. Maybe that's why! How green and lush is it though! (Rhetorical question) This was taken at my mate's farm in Kersbrook. They're his cows.

This is one of the buildings at Chateau Yaldara just outside Tanunda. They do tastings and tours and also have an excellent shop full of local produce like jams, cheeses, preserved fruit, chutney and the like. If you're visiting the area it is has to be on your agenda.

Here's another in black and white.

Unfortunately in winter there's not a lot of colour around but one can always count on daffodils right?

Here's one of the out-buildings at the winery in black and white. This winery was established in 1847 and most of the buildings are from back then. They have been restored or re-fitted to suit the requirements of a modern winery.

The next two images are of a swinging bridge next to the winery. It is blocked off now but as a child my parents would bring my older brother and my next youngest brother here for picnics. There was the little creek to play in, catch tadpoles and fall in...Which happened a lot. This bridge always frightened me though. It would swing and sway around and I never felt safe.

And in colour.

I did this one to see how it would come out as well. I'm not sure. I think @tarazkp got all the photography skills in my family.

On my way back home I stopped into a little bakery in Lyndoch. The whole Barossa Valley was largely settled by German immigrants and so has a distinctly German flavour. This bakery has been around since I can remember and to my knowledge has not changed much. These days they cater for all tastes but back in the day it was German cakes all the way. I love it and no matter the time of day if I go past I stop.

Today it was for one of these...A vanilla slice. Ok, ok I had a steak and mushroom pie as well!

Growing up with this area in my back yard was amazing. I would drive up after school, once I had my license, and wander about, follow dusty roads to wherever they went and sometimes just pull over and read in the warm sunlight. It's very tourist oriented now, much more than 30 years ago but that's not a bad thing. Visitors from all over the world come there to taste the wines and foods of the region. It's a great place to visit and I suggest you do so. You can do the wine and food thing, shop for antique's, take a helo ride over the vineyards and mountains, a push bike or Harley Davidson ride or simply relax in a B&B or at the Novotel...It's all there.

So, I hope you have enjoyed my winter's day in the hills. I did. :)