Visiting Clare Valley and looking for things to do? Well here’s how I spent 2 days in the region.
I camped at the Auburn Community Caravan park. A small but quaint caravan park. It doesn’t get too crowded and offers a selection of grass, powered or unpowered sites. It’s a beautiful vibe, especially in the evenings: you can walk around the oval, watch and listen to the Ghalas or pink cockatoos, watch horse riders in training or walk along some quiet trails. You can also relax outside your tent or caravan with a book, but be sure to have on mosquito repellent and a good strong fan to keep cool in summer months. There’s a little camp kitchen if you are like me and don’t have your own fridge or stove.
On day 1, I hired a mountain bike and cycled along the Riesling trail. If you like a bit of a challenge you can cycle uphill from Auburn towards Clare (like I did), but most travel sites recommend starting at Clare and making your way down at a leisurely pace. There are heaps of restaurants and wineries that you can stop at along the way. You can read more about my experience here.
Day 2 was a scorching hot summer day for me, so I spent a large chunk of time indoors exploring Martindale Hall in Mintaro. This is a beautiful and well-preserved 19th-century country mansion. Time will fly by as you take in the intricate detailing in the interior design, a collection of furniture and art from various parts of the globe, read about the history of the house and walk through the numerous rooms – all well set up so that visitors can imagine the daily routines of inhabitants of the mansion. One of the most striking features of the house is the central staircase that leads to the upper floor. It’s said that at one point in time 14 servants, 4 of whom resided at the hall, were on call 24 hours a day to look after the needs of two people who lived in the house. The servants had their own side staircase which they could use to move between floors and get to their quarters unnoticed by the house owners or guests. Walking through the house and reading about the various inhabitants takes you back to a different time, one I’ve only seen through books or movies – speaking of which the 1975 motion picture ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ was shot here – Has anyone seen it?
The house is definitely worth a visit, especially if you’re the type of person who enjoys museums, history, architecture or interior design.
And that’s, how I spent my 48 hours in Auburn. Have you explored this area before or are you planning to visit? Let me know in the comments.