Clare Valley late June
Submitted: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 16:52
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Deeks
We have a week without the kids so naturally...we are off on holidays without them. We are hoping to spend about a week in the
Clare Valley area in our van between about the 25th June to 1st July. This is Vic school holiday time but not SA holidays (they start on the 2nd July). Any recommendations on where to park the van and any idea if the area would be busy at that time of year and thus needing to book ahead. Thx.
Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 17:09
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 17:09
Hi Deeks
It will not be busy then, as it is heading into winter. The local caravan seems to get reviews, with easy access to the town facilities.
Make sure you pack your heater and warm cloths for nights and early morning. The days could be any ones guess, from fine mild days to a few wet days to keep you on your toes. If you are into bike riding, the Riesling Trail is
well worth the time to ride and explore the area.
Lots of great things to see and do in the area, from
Martindale Hall and the fine old buildings in
Mintaro, and the
Burra Passport Tour is
well worth it as
well. The back roads are great driving and Spring Gully is very pretty as
well.
Enjoy our
Clare Valley.
Cheers
Stephen
AnswerID:
600203
Reply By: skulldug - Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 20:01
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 20:01
Deeks,
We stay at the
Clare Race Course in preference to the caravan park.
Auburn has a great park with friendly managers who light a fire each night. It's location is as good as
Clare in terms of wineries and other attractions.
I agree it will be cold and not crowded.
Enjoy your trip. It's a great area.
Skull
AnswerID:
600214
Follow Up By: Member - nick b - Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 20:39
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 20:39
agree with the Auburn C/Park is a great spot ... But didn't think much of the
clare race course for camping sorry .....
also the Riesling trail on bike is a must for me !!
cheers
FollowupID:
869514
Follow Up By: Motherhen - Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 23:48
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at 23:48
The small but
well appointed community managed caravan park at the Auburn sports ground was a real favourite.
FollowupID:
869517
Reply By: Crusier 91 - Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 07:40
Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 07:40
A bit of history out the back of
Burra, east of Mt Bryan. A few hidden ruin homesteads just off the
Heysen Trail. You can take all the back tracks from
Clare to
Burra, a lot more scenery than the black top.
On the way up, the
ruins of SA's first rural
police station is on the back roads between
Gawler and
Clare.
Well worth it.
AnswerID:
600269
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 21:48
Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 21:48
Hi Cruiser
What date and what
ruins are you refering to as the first rural
police station?
From what we are told, a
police station was built in 1840 at
Bungaree, and then as the
population grew in
Clare, a new courthouse, station and cells were built and first occupied in
Clare by 1851.
Just interested, that all.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
869647
Follow Up By: Crusier 91 - Friday, May 20, 2016 at 07:29
Friday, May 20, 2016 at 07:29
Hi Stephen,
Its on a side dirt road off the back track that basically runs parallel to the eastern side highway from outside of
Gawler and comes out a few kms before Worlds End.
There is a great write up on a site. The small station was built and manned by 3 policeman to combat livestock rustling.
If you blink you will miss it. We only found it by chance, the missus needed to stop for a
toilet break, turn down this road and bingo.
Ive been trying to find it on google without success. Will keep searching for location at let you know.
Come to think of it, I think I have a photo
Cheers
FollowupID:
869655
Follow Up By: Crusier 91 - Friday, May 20, 2016 at 08:09
Friday, May 20, 2016 at 08:09
Found it!
A few
ruins hidden out the back of Mt Bryan/
Burra
We always set the sat nav to off road only when travelling and always find something of interest. It beats the tourist black top travelling hands down. Many of the sites we've stumbled accross aren't advertised and only locals know about them. There's heaps of raw colonial history out there.
Cheers
FollowupID:
869662
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Friday, May 20, 2016 at 08:46
Friday, May 20, 2016 at 08:46
Thanks for that Cruiser. You would not happen to have a waypoint for that?
Still not sure what dirt roads you took, but if you came out near Worlds End Creek, sound like you must have come through Emu Downs.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
869666
Follow Up By: Crusier 91 - Friday, May 20, 2016 at 08:59
Friday, May 20, 2016 at 08:59
It was in our first travels a few years back and didnt even think of marking our finds at the time.
I think you could be on the right track with location, but from memory it was 1/3 of the way from the southern end, still relatively flat/rolling pastures. Some of the way looked like it hadn't been travelled on for a long time.
I'll keep searching for location, may take me a while.
FollowupID:
869667
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 18:30
Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 18:30
Hi Cruiser
I know we're that
Police Memorial is, it's on the blacktop north of
Kapunda, not on the
Clare road.
I will try to head over there in the next few weeks, grab a waypoint and get it into the
Places system.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
869800
Follow Up By: Crusier 91 - Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 19:25
Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 19:25
Cheers for that, I'm not having any success locating it via the internet. I figured the only way to find it is to physically go to it as
well.
But its way off the black top. All dirt roads..
FollowupID:
869807
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Monday, May 23, 2016 at 19:50
Monday, May 23, 2016 at 19:50
Hi Cruiser
I now know where it is, and yes it is a very long way from any main road and is northwest of
Eudunda.
I have spoken the the chap that made and painted the tiles and was sorry to hear that some absolute moron shot the brass
plaque and it has now been removed. Thats the good thing about living in the country, it does not take long to track something down when I have my mind set on it.....lol
I will head over that that soon and once I have a waypoint and lots of images, will add
the spot into
places.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
869856
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Saturday, Jun 11, 2016 at 17:49
Saturday, Jun 11, 2016 at 17:49
Hi Cruiser
Not sure if you follow the
Places page, but I visit the site last week and have now added it to the "Places"
It is located on Boggy Road, south of
Ngapala. Not sure which way you went from there, but if you followed the top of the Range on Scenic Road, you would know of the unreal
views to the east.
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
870596
Reply By: Member - pete g1 - Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 18:06
Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 18:06
hi ho..
Cold.. June - July....u betta believe it !!
Burra; hugely important mining history.
gr8 relics to view / walk through & via self conducted tours.
Listed for consideration on World Mining
Heritage list...Cornwall of the South.
suggestion;
Day trip; go to
Burra tourist office & buy their 'explorer' booklet / map, about $2-4
You have 2 alternative routes;
4x4 or high clearance SUV, lightweight 4x4 tracks & made roads..we used a rear wheel drive Merc Sprinter.
Northern route.
Takes you east over ranges thru old Mongalata gold fields, north along ranges east of Mt Bryan, to
Pandappa Conservation Park, eventually emerging west at
Tarcowie, a historic railway town. Back south through Mt Bryan - good pub.
Southern route.
Thru scenic grazing & historic areas, few mining relics.
ohhhhh..... dont forget the
Clare wineries...........
sleep
well
AnswerID:
600438