Tanunda, Barossa Valley

Today we drove around the Barossa Valley. First, we visited a lavender farm. Lavender cultivation thrives in this dry region. While grape growing also doesn't require much water, it certainly needs more. The farm primarily sells its lavender as products through its shop and shipping. These products include soaps, perfumes, oils, salves, sweets, candles, and more. On the way to the farm, we saw our first living kangaroo in the wild and a few beautiful birds. Unfortunately, we couldn't photograph the rabbit that hopped in front of the car. It was likely a hares due to its large size and long ears. Hares, like rabbits, were also released in Australia.

After the lavender farm, we visited the Barossa drinking water dam. It has two interesting features: 1. Construction began in the 19th century. 2. If you quietly say something at one end of the dam, it can be heard loud and clear at the other end. Additionally, it forms a beautiful reservoir that attracts several birds.

Our next stop was at the Lou Miranda Estate winery. There we had an Italian antipasto platter for a light lunch and tasted the wine. We were quite impressed this time and bought a bottle from 1896.

After the winery, we went to a viewpoint overlooking the Barossa Valley, where the Barossa Valley Sculpture Park is located. The short hike and the sculptures were very lovely. Although they are modern, some are made by First Peoples. There is also a monument honoring the pioneers from 1992 (!). It bears the title of a Bible verse: The Lord has given us this land. In 2025, the text was further supplemented: Long before this land was given to the settlers, it was given to those already here.

Back in Tanunda, we confirmed our ferry crossing to Kangaroo Island. As mentioned before, there are still phone booths in Australia, and calls within Australia are free.