As well as its champion rieslings, Clare produces some excellent reds. On a modest 17 acres in the Skilly Hills, Mark and his partner, Skye, grow dry-grown, small-batch reds. Chalked up in the timber tasting room were one riesling, the Prancing Pony, and reds including a mataro, a sangiovese and a grenache. Mark’s ancestor Walter Hackett emigrated to Australia from his farm in Sussex in 1852 and became a successful grain merchant. The “squire” was Mark’s grandfather, Joseph Robert Sussex Hackett, who established the first Angus beef stud in the Clare Valley. “His standard attire was a buttoned-up jacket, tie and cap,” said Mark, pointing to a photo of Joseph on a fine stud.
In contrast to the gentle contours of the Clare Valley, our steep-sided climb to the Blue Gum Lookout in Spring Gully Conservation Park culminated in a thumping Australian panorama. The view unfolded across the Blyth plains to the Barunga Ranges, or “hummocks”. The park shelters 30 native orchids and protects the red stringybark gum (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha), which gave the species its name.
Tim’s allocated five hours of walking and exploring time before lunch didn’t account for what happened next. Walking on private land towards Spring Gully Conservation Park, I caught sight of one, three, four, six… a glorious mob of kangaroos, bouncing up and down in a neighbouring field. It reminded me of parents’ day at the sack race. Through the border wire, one roo fixed us with its gaze before hopping forwards and waiting for us – a game that continued for some time.
Source link : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/oceania/australia/south-australia/walking-trail-vineyards-wine-tasting-clare-valley-australia/
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Publish date : 2023-08-24 03:00:00
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