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Below you will find General Information on and around The Clare Valley.
The left hand column contains information specific to this area - double click on your
interest.
Auburn, Clare, Leasingham, Watervale, Penwortham, Sevenhill, Mintaro, Burra
The Clare Valley
Following the Barrier Highway just less than a hundred kilometres
north of Adelaide, Highway 83 branches off towards the historic and
enchanting township of Auburn. The town was originally
established in 1849 to service the hundreds of bullock and mule drawn
wagons, carting ore from the copper mines at Burra. Over the next few
decades Auburn developed into an important regional centre, and today
its main attraction are the twenty or so 19th century buildings which
enable visitors to step back into an by-gone era. Auburn also lies
on the southern fringes of the renowned Clare Valley wine region, and
the valley's largest producer, Taylor's Wines, is nearby.
The Clare Valley is South Australia's second most important group of
vineyards (behind the Barossa), noted for its rieslings and earthy
cabernet sauvignons. The majority of the 26 wineries are can be found
along the 26 kilometre stretch of Highway 83 (Main North Road) between
Auburn in the south, and the charming town of Clare in the north
(see Wineries under Things To Do). Clare is an ideal place to base
winery tours, hosting a good range of accommodation which includes a
wide choice of cosy B&B's. The town is also worth exploring in its own
right, featuring many lovely old buildings, a number of museums, and
lots of handsome pubs and restaurants offering great meals and
atmosphere. In amongst the Clare Valley vineyards, the tiny towns of
Leasingham, Watervale, Penwortham, Sevenhill, and Mintaro
provide some other nice accommodation alternatives (predominatly B&B's).
43 kilometres east of Clare on the Barrier Highway, Burra is
yet another gorgeous historical township, boasting a reputation of
being one of the country's best preserved mining towns. Copper brought
an estimated 10 million dollars to Burra's economy between 1845 and
1867, and this early prosperity is easy to envisage after a quick stroll
through the town centre. The streets of Burra are seemingly overflowing
with historic sites, and the best way to see them is by following the
Discover Historic Burra leaflet available from the visitors
centre on Market Square. The leaflet's eleven kilometre trail takes in
around 60 of the historical buildings and museums, including several
good antique stores and the town's original copper mine.
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