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| View over
Clare (pic: S.A. Tourism Commission)
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Clare
Substantial township in the heart of one of
South Australia's premier wine growing
districts.
Clare is the major township in the Clare Valley.
Located 136 km from Adelaide it is an ideal
place to stay if you intend exploring the thirty
wineries which stretch from Emerald Estate in
the north to Grosset Wines south of Auburn in
the south.
John Horrocks', the explorer, had arrived in
Adelaide on his birthday, 22 March 1839. One of
his first contacts was with the explorer Edward
John Eyre and, on Eyre's advice, he established
a sheep station in the Hutt Valley near the
present-day town of Clare.
Though a pastoralist, Horrocks began to
explore the surrounding area over the next few
years and was the first man to use camels for
exploration. An impressive character with a
commanding manner he was nicknamed 'the King of
the North'. Mount Horrocks and Horrocks Pass, to
the north of Clare, are named after him.
Clare itself was first settled in the early
1840s by Edward ('Paddy') Burton Gleeson. The
area was variously known as The Twins (after the
two gum trees where Gleeson first pitched his
tent), Inchiquin (after the name of his
property), Gleeson's Village (for obvious
reasons) and eventually Gleeson, to remove
confusion, named the township after County
Clare, his home place in Ireland.
He had purchased 500 acres and by 1842 he had
it surveyed and some of it divided into small
blocks. It was also around this time that he
planted crops leading to the claim that he was
the first person to reap a grain in South
Australia.
By 1848 David Kenny, another Irishman, had
leased land from Gleeson and established the
town's first pub. Clare District Council was
formed in 1853 and by 1868 the town had a
corporation which was dominated by Gleeson who
became known as 'the King of Clare'.
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| A vineyard in
the Clare Valley (pic: S.A. Tourism
Commission) |
The town prospered as a major service centre
and a transportation node, a situation which was
greatly helped by the arrival of the railway
line in the 1880s. Today it is the centre of the
Clare Valley and is surrounded by vineyards
(mainly to the south), cereal cropping and sheep
farming.
Things to see:
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Riesling Trail
This is a truly fascinating recent tourist
attraction. The old railway line between Auburn
and Clare has been carefully covered over with
easy-to-walk-on gravel and opened up as the
Riesling Trail. The idea is that people can walk
or cycle up the Clare Valley away from the main
road. They can experience the quiet beauty of
the area and, eventually, there will be numerous
sideways off the main Trail which will encourage
visitors to divert to wineries and craft shops.
At the moment it is just a very charming and
pleasant walkway/cycleway. Bicycles can be hired
in Clare.
Bungaree Station
Located 12 km north of Clare, Bungaree was first
settled by Europeans when George Hawker chose
the site for his head station in 1841. It grew
to become one of the great South Australian
properties with its own farm cottages, manager's
house, shearing sheds, church (St Michaels
consecrated in 1864) and local council chambers
(built in 1868). It is now recognised as one of
Australia's finest merino studs. It is a real
living museum and visits can be made by
appointment. The Bungaree Homestead, a glorious
two-storey building, is a comment on the success
of the property. It is one of Australia's finest
19th century houses. Visitors stay in the
shearers quarters. They don't spend the night in
the homestead. Contact (08) 8842 2677.
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| The Clare
Court House |
Old Clareville Museum
Located in Lennon Street this historic
cooperative winery has been converted into a
museum of wine making. It also has a restaurant
and a gift shop. It is open seven days. Contact
(08) 8842 1222.
Old Police Station Museum
Located on the corner of Victoria Rd and West
Terrace and open weekends and public holidays
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. this museum is located in
Clare's oldest building which dates from 1850.
It has an attractive gabled porch and
diamond-shaped window panes. It records the
region's history through furniture, clothing and
equipment. For details (08) 8842 3656.
Wolta Wolta
Shortly after the arrival of 'Paddy' Gleeson in
the district, John Hope, another Irish migrant,
moved into the district. He built his homestead
in 1846 and continued to add to it until 1870.
The Hope family still own the house which has a
fine collection of interesting antiques. The
home was badly damaged in the 1983 bushfires but
has since been restored. It is open for
inspection on Sundays. It is located to the west
of the town - follow Victoria Road west and turn
north at Neagles Rock Road. Contact (08) 8842
3656.
Lookouts
If you continue south on Neagles Rock road you
will arrive at Neagles Rock Lookout which offers
an excellent view over the Clare Valley. Equally
impressive is Billy Goat Hill Lookout in the
middle of town - turn off the Main North Road at
Lennon Street (to the east) and then turn north
in Union Street until you reach Wright Street
which offers access to the lookout.
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| Autumn in the
Clare Valley vineyards
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Wineries
Knappstein Wines
Located 2 Pioneer Avenue, Clare this 44.5
hectare family winery was established in 1976
and specialises in red and white table wines
derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling,
gewurztraminer, sauvignon blanc, Merlot,
cabernet franc and shiraz grapes. It is open
seven days for tastings and sales. For more
details contact (08) 8842 2600.
Jim Barry Wines
Located on Main North Road, north of Clare this
family winery was established in 1959 (Jim Barry
started planting the vines in 1947) and
specialises in quality red and white table
wines, ports and sparkling wines derived from
cabernet sauvignon, riesling, Merlot, Malbec,
chardonnay and shiraz grapes. It is open seven
days for tastings and sales. For more details
contact (08) 8842 2261.
Emerald Estate
Located on Main North Road, north of Clare this
18.5 hectare family winery was established in
1989 and specialises in red and white table
wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling,
chardonnay, semillon, pinot noir and shiraz
grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and
sales. For more details contact (08) 8842 2450.
Leasingham Wines
Located at 7 Dominic Street, Clare this historic
winery was established in 1893 and specialises
in dry red and white table wines and sparkling
wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, riesling,
chardonnay, semillon, Malbec, Merlot, sauvignon
blanc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days
for tastings and sales. For more details contact
(08) 8842 2555.
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| Harvesting
grapes in the Clare Valley (pic: S.A.
Tourism Commission) |
Duncan Estate
Located on Spring Gully Road, south of Clare
this 7 hectare family winery was established in
1968 (the first wines were produced in 1984) and
specialises in red and white table wines derived
from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, chardonnay,
semillon, pinot noir, Malbec, Merlot, sauvignon
blanc, Grenache, traminer, Petit Verdot and
shiraz grapes. It is open seven days for
tastings and sales. For more details contact
(08) 8843 4335.
Wendouree Cellars
Located on Wendouree Road, south of Clare this
small, historic family winery was established in
1895 and run by the family until it was sold in
1970. It specialises in red table wines derived
from cabernet sauvignon, riesling, Malbec,
Muscat of Alexandria, Mataro and shiraz grapes.
It is open six days for tastings and sales. For
more details contact (08) 8842 2896.
Tim Adams Wines
Located on Warenda Road, south of Clare this
small winery was established in 1986 and
specialises in red and white table wines and
fortified wines derived from cabernet sauvignon,
riesling, semillon, Malbec, Grenache, cabernet
franc and shiraz grapes. It is open seven days
for tastings and sales. For more details contact
(08) 8842 2429.
Sevenhills Cellars
Located to the south of Clare and east of
Sevenhill on College Road this is probably the
most famous vineyard in the Clare Valley. It was
established in 1851 by the Jesuits and is still
run by the Jesuits. While it specialises in red
and white table wines it also produces and
exports altar wines. Its wines are derived from
cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, Merlot, riesling,
semillon, tokay, Verdelho, traminer, Grenache,
Touriga, frontignac, cabernet franc, ruby
cabernet and Pedro grapes. It is open
Monday-Saturday (closed Sundays and religious
festivals) for tastings and sales. Tours are by
appointment. For more details contact (08) 8843
4222.
Eldredge Wines
Located on Spring Gully Road west of Sevenhill
and south of Clare this 53 hectare winery was
established in 1994 and specialises in red and
white table wines derived from cabernet
sauvignon, sangiovese, riesling and shiraz
grapes as well as other grapes which are bought
locally.
