Discover colonial architecture, historic goldfields, galleries, markets, county streetscapes and a lavender farm; take a Maggie Beer Cooking Class and see a tree that was home to a family. Indulge in culinary heritage of early German settlers - the Barossa wineries, brewers, bakers, butchers and artisans. And revel in the Angaston difference - the cultural cuisine of early British settlers - on a Self-Drive holiday of the Barossa Valley food and wine trail.

Take the Princess Highway northbound from Adelaide today to Gawler Historic Town, then eastbound on to the bucolic countryside and indulgent pleasures of the vine clad hills and dales, orchards and historic country towns, of the Barossa Valley wine region, first settled by German immigrants who thoughtfully brought with them the culinary delights and vintners skills of the 'old country', to delight us.

Savour the tastes of the Barossa Valley Wine Region where some of the aged Shiraz wines date to the early 1840's and where generations of families continue the craft of their forbearers, keeping the business in the family for 6 and 7 generations and where even local schools include winemaking in their agriculture studies. See the German heritage of the Barossa Valley at places like Hahndorf in the architecture of steep, sloping roofs and the many stone built Lutheran churches created by master stonemasons in the 160 years since settlement in the Barossa Valley Wine Region. Explore the grand Seppelts Estate, established in the mid 1800's with a planting of some 2000 exotic date palms and a hilltop mausoleum - create your own wines at the Winemakers Laboratory and visit of the welcoming cellar doors of the Barossa Valley Wine Region. Taste the culinary heritage of Barossa in fresh local fruits dried to match local cheeses and the splendours of Maggie Beer's creations, try out the country town bakeries - sample the Germanic cream buns, the heavy, delicious Bienenstich cake and ice creams. Discover cafes and restaurants where sausages, Bratwurst and Mettwurst, feature strongly on the menu and compare the difference in culture and cuisine to the Angaston area, where settlers originated from Scotland or England creating, together with their German cousins, a gourmet food and wine culture in a wine producing region widely considered to be one of the best in the world for your indulgence.

Time today to taste some of the unexpected treasures and pleasures that you have discovered; perhaps a quaint old church with historic graveyard, a new winery, galleries or boutiques, or superb cafes and restaurants featuring fresh from the farm local produce grown in the rolling hills and dales of the Barossa Valley, so close to Adelaide.