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South Australia (Clare Valley) |
| Seven Hill | |
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village of SEVENHILL has the valley’s oldest winery, Sevenhill
Cellars, on College Road (Mon–Fri 8.30am–4.30pm, Sat 9am–4pm).
This is still run by a religious order and mainly makes sacramental wine,
though the brothers have diversified into table wines, sweet sherry and
port, doing everything from growing the grapes to bottling. The sandstone
building has a tasting room with lots of character and history, and
there’s an old Catholic church in the grounds.
Nearby on College Road, Thorn Park Country House is an 1850 stone and slate building in a gorgeous setting; it offers B&B and a beautifully indulgent dinner. Sevenhill Hotel, on the Main North Road, is a classic country pub serving popular inexpensive meals daily except Sunday. |
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the west of the Main North Road, Spring Gully Conservation Park has
the last remnant of red stringybark forest in South Australia. There are
steep gullies, waterfalls, wildlife and, in spring, lovely wild flowers;
free camping is allowed outside the fire-ban season. Nearby, attached to
boutique wineries signposted from Sevenhill, are three excellent restaurants
serving gourmet meals from deliciously fresh local produce; all are
moderately priced.
Eldredge Wines, Spring Gully Road (tastings daily 11am–5pm; lunch Fri–Mon and daily during school holidays, closed two weeks at the end of February; restaurant bookings tel 08/8842 3086) is located in a small farmhouse fronting a dam; Skillogalee Winery (daily 10am–5pm; tel 08/8843 4311 lunch bookings advised) is in a wonderful spot with a backdrop of a clunking windmill, bushclad hill and vineyards, and holds meals and tastings by the fire in the 1850s cottage or on the verandah; Kilikanoon Wines (Sat & Sun 11am–5pm; tel 08/8843 4377) serves legendary weekend lunches in its old cottage, or outside under vines. |
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