Barossa Valley - Hill of Roses Anu Mihkelson

The Barossa Valley in South Australia derives its name from the Barrosa Ridge in Andalusia Spain, where Colonel Light, the first Surveyor General of the Colony of South Australia fought in a battle won by the British against the French in 1811. He had found similarities in the landscape of rounded hills and valleys but registered the miss-spelt name. Despite this mistake there are now thousands of roses growing in the Barossa Valley!

Today the Barossa Valley is a tourist destination famous for its wines and gourmet foods. It is about 40 km from Adelaide and 725 km from Melbourne where we began our journey. Adelaide friends of the Melbourne Swedish Church, Karin and Ian Parson, had invited the Scandinavian Choir of Melbourne’s Swedish Church, to sing during the Barossa Valley Vintage Festival and a busload of friends of the Church were going along too.

The road northwest from Melbourne passes through the former goldmining region near Ararat with its wide main street and solid 19th century buildings. Our bus stopped outside the grand former Town Hall, now gallery and library, and we walked up the main street for a morning coffee break. In 1857 a group of Chinese walking from Port Adelaide, also known as Port Misery, on their way to the Bendigo-Ballarat goldfields, found gold at Ararat and it became a boomtown until the mid-late 20th century.

The countryside then changed to wheat fields, now showing burnt black stubble after the harvest. The silos were full and after a bumper harvest, additional storage was made possible under giant blue plastic covers. Horsham, and Nhill with its delicately painted silos, and the Giant Koala - a cafe stop with its concrete replica - are part of this, the Wimmera region.

Driving a little further on we passed the Seppelts Great Western Estate, known for its champagne-style wines that grow in the cooler ranges. We caught glimpses of the Grampians, crossed the Murray River into South Australia which brought a time change, the clock being turned back 30 minutes from EST. Taking a trip through this country brings reminders and discoveries of early pioneering, present day large-scale agri- business including sheep and cattle, and a vastness and diversity in a small section of the Australian continent. The sun was setting as we began a slight descent into the Barossa Valley. The evening light on the particular eucalypts growing here cast their silhouettes against the yellow hills, making the last section of the drive and close of day, quietly blissful. It was late when we arrived at Tanunda and we headed straight for dinner and then onto our accommodation passing arched signs synonymous with famous, familiar wine labels along the route. For my friend, Irina and I, the room was at Lyndoch Hill, while others stayed at Tanunda.

Next morning, waking to the warbles of magpies we took a walk among the extensive gardens of our establishment that stretched to vineyards in the distance. Roses

1 everywhere, some 30,000 according to the welcome letter, in 22 acres of property, with 5 km of paths, archways of wisteria, rose archways being planted, beds of other perennials and tall pines and eucalypts scattered shade, and a rose garden opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. Each day before breakfast we explored a new section - the vegetable garden, the wedding garden, even encountered some wallabies nibbling on the periphery, parrots flying from tree to tree, and in the evening gazed at the scattered spill of diamonds in the sky- the Milky Way, found the Southern Cross and felt lucky. We had experienced visions that are forbidden to us living among the city lights.

After a breakfast of Bircher muesli, yoghurt, homemade apricot jam and rhubarb compote, toast and coffee we joined the others and headed for a welcome at Angaston Uniting Church. The church is a bright cream coloured stone and blue stone church. A concert by our choir will be given here the following day. A little further down the road was the Zion Church where a wine press stood in the corner near the altar! We were returning here for our Sunday Service but now we headed for a guided tour to learn a little about the settlements and history of this part of the Barossa Valley.

Colonel Light arrived in South Australia and chose the sight on the Torrens Rivers, Adelaide, for the first free settlement in 1836. Britain's reigning monarch was King William IV and his consort, Queen Adelaide. She was by birth from the duchy of Saxe- Meiningen and christened Adelheid Amalie Luise Therese Carolin. Today Adelaide has a population over 1 million and has been known as the 'City of Churches' since the 19th century. This was the beginning of many German connections in South Australia.

Our motel, Lyndoch Hill, was close to the town of Lyndoch named by Colonel Light in 1837 after his friend Lord Lyndoch. Lyndoch claims to be the first settlement and by 1840, consisted of '100 souls'.

One of the valley's early settlers was Dr Ferdinand von Mueller, a geographer and botanist who explored and travelled in South Australia for 5 years collecting 800 flora specimens, then moved to Victoria where he soon became government botanist for Governor La Trobe. He became the founder of Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens and National Herbarium. He had arrived in Adelaide in 1847, worked with a chemist in Rundle St but the abundance of new plants attracted him more. He took part as a botanist in expeditions in Australia including journeying to Moreton Bay. He promoted the ill- fated Burke and Wills expedition though he didn't approve of Burke as leader. A German, Becker, who was a talented scientist and artist, accompanied Burke and Wills but died on route to cross the continent.

George Fife Angas was a British businessman who sought to invest in South Australia. He bought land hoping to sell it on to settlers. One group of settlers that approached him were German Lutherans from Prussia seeking religious freedom from oppressive decrees made by King Frederick William III. In 1836 Angas agreed for his South Australian Company to meet the cost of transport for a whole congregation accompanied by their pastor to travel from Hamburg to South Australia. Angas funded another two shiploads and other groups followed, including Moravian Protestants who had migrated to

2 Germany after fleeing religious persecution there. Tanunda has a long tradition dating back to 1840s of Germans arriving from Posen, Brandenburg and Silesia, many having already travelled by road, canal and river to reach Hamburg. Some were farmers others were carpenters, blacksmiths, craftsmen, tradesmen and miners from the Hartz Mountains and there were 'economic' refugees too. Mainly Cornish miners on the other hand settled at Angaston and by 1860 it had a population of '2435 souls living in 406 houses'.

Nuriootpa, originally called Angas Park, now the commercial centre for the Barossa, attracted a mix of German and British settlers. Its origins came with the establishment of an inn attracting bullock teams as well as settlers on the route between Adelaide and the copper mines at Kapunda. In 1849 Coulthard opened Red Lion Inn, a gum slab hut, on the site of the present Vine Inn where we were to dine on our final night of our trip.

Life was tough, droughts occurred, and many died. Crops failed and animals perished. Poor roads also hampered taking produce to Adelaide for sale. Nevertheless the communities established schools and provided medical help as best they could while forming congregations around a Lutheran Church.. There had been some 80 churches at one time, with only one Catholic Church in the Valley. Many were now closed or accommodated other congregations. Our lunch stop was at the cafe of the South Australian Company, the business initiated and chaired by GF Angas.

A highlight of our tour was Mengler's Hill Lookout and Sculpture Park, named after a local vine grower according to the plaque which also indicated we were 56km from Adelaide. Another plaque commemorated Johannes Menge, a German who had lived in England and had met GF Angas. I wondered if there was a miss-spelling here, where 'Mengler' was 'Menge'? Angas encouraged him to travel to South Australia and work for his South Australian Company. Menge arrived in Adelaide and found exploration of greater interest. As a geologist, he recognised the soil in the Barossa area was well suited to agriculture and assisted the new arrivals to go on to Barossa. And so the planting began. German settlers brought with them cuttings of grape vines wrapped in wet hessian to survive the long voyage and started the present day industry where the Barossa Valley produces some of the world's best wines. The wine labels today are indicative of the German family origins. Johannes Gramp planted vines at Jacob's Creek in 1847 and produced the first wine 3 years later. Also in 1847 Menge helped produce the first bi- lingual newspaper. Menge went on to predict the discovery of gold and opals and wrote Australia's first book on this country's geology. The sculptures on Mengler's Hill are recent invited artwork and add flavour to the expansive view of the hills, settlements and farms below. The village of Bethany, our next stop, was directly below our viewpoint. Our group photo was taken on top of the hill.

Bethany was the first village together with Angaston to be established in the Barossa Valley. Bethanien, later changed to Bethany, was settled by a group of 28 German families, including 34 children and 83 adults, who originated from Prussia, arrived on the vessel, Skjold, in 1842. They were in the care of pastor G.D. Fritzche. The voyage took some 4 months and sadly, many perished on the way.

3 The village was laid out with houses in the front and fields, upto 1km long, stretching out at the back. There was water from the Tanunda (also known by its Biblical name, Kedron) Creek and families grew grain, potatoes and other vegetables as well as ran some cattle and horses. They had a herdsman who would lead the animals to pasture on the Common in the morning and bring them home in the evening for milking, announcing his arrival with a blast from his horn. Life was harsh as they had to build their huts and there was not much in timber supplies or even food. The early church services were held under a tree or in people's huts. Then a building with mud walls and a thatched roof became the first church built in 1845. Initially the settlers leased their land from George Fife Angas but they soon made it freehold through hardwork, with mortgages paid off by 1857.

The Barossa Valley Festival was in full swing in Bethany, with demonstrations of farm implements, sales of produce (Irina and I indulged on fresh figs) and a tour of the old school house by the Zion Church. Here an exhibition of artefacts, posters, letters and photographs provided an overview of the history of the people through the past 175 years or so. During the 20th century world wars, the names of people and streets were changed from German to English, (Bethanien became Bethany), German migration was halted for a period until 1925 and there were internments. The display was informative as were the activities in the church grounds.

Another early arrival at Bethany was Pastor Heinrich AG Meyer who had arrived in 1840 as a missionary to Aborigines at Encounter Bay. Lutherans sought to teach in the local language and Meyer made a great effort to learn and record the language. Much of his acquired vocabulary assisted future linguists and has been an important resource. However the whalers and injustices inflicted upon the Aborigines by other settlers made most of them flee and he had to abandon his school and mission at Encounter Bay. Funds from the Lutheran Church in Dresden as well the South Australian Government were scarce or not forthcoming and many plans failed, though the enthusiasm to commence elsewhere with their mission work and schools continued.

Importantly Bethany Lutherans made significant contributions in recognising the Aboriginal people. They established missions in remote parts including the Birdsville Track and Hermannsburg, on the Finke River in Central Australia, where Albert Namatjira began to paint in the 20th century. Pastor Strehlow in 1894 began to record the written language of the local Aranda people at Hermannsburg and was involved with the local people in translating the Bible and hymn writing.

Seppeltsfield, a magnificent winery surrounded by 2000 palm trees in avenues planted by returned soldiers, through the philanthropy of Seppelt, and now growing tall, creating avenues of vines was beginning to show their autumn tones. Seppelt arrived in 1850 and first planted tobacco, wheat and vines. We browsed the Jam factory with its designers' and craft studios displaying work in leather, millinery and handmade shoes. Local families on outings enjoyed a picnic area, as we walked around, admiring the huge wine storage tanks, the landscaped grounds and a noted a highly acclaimed restaurant. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall made a visit here in 2016. I noted from the internet that Seppeltsfield won the 2017 Global Best Wine Tourism award, awarded in

4 Portugal and 2017 Australia Best Tourism Winery at the Qantas Australian Tour Awards. And we have been there!

Next day we were again picked up by bus from Lyndoch Hill and driven early to Tanunda. Along the way we noted the scarecrows that were visible in fields and people's gardens. I snapped Donald Trump with my camera, standing (or was he dumped) in a field. Many remarkable ones kept appearing for the scarecrow competition. A witch with a sign, 'Don't drink and fly', one man stood on a garden rail pretending to be a statue next to his stuffed wife, gazing at the passers-by. He had a lot of patience, hardly moving and looking very much the part. I felt like offering him a cup of tea. BBQs came out, chairs, even lounge suites appeared alongside the footpath of the route as people emerged from their houses waiting for the 175th Barossa Valley Vintage Festival parade to come by. Police cars preceded and then it reached Tanunda, after already travelling some several kms. The community appeared to be thriving, young and old involved, with many floats featuring wineries and community activities, the agricultural services, schools, cultural and emergency and care facilities of the area. There is more to the Barossa than wine!

Later we took a walk down the main street of Angaston and passed several parks and gardens, dropped in at Schulz's German butcher, displaying its original 1950s tiles and boards. The telegraph house had a plaque indicating its origins in 1880, and first telephone connection in 1911. The stone Old National Bank building stood prominent. Then it was time for a pie at the German bakery, watch the local people go by and mark our travels on the map.

The highlight for our visit was the afternoon concert at Angaston Church by the Scandinavian Choir and accompaniments by Baroque violin (Lucinda Moon, viola da gamba (Keren Bruce Westerlund) and harpsichord (Urban Westerlund, musical director). The program featured Scandinavian Spring and Summer Music including Baroque music from Scandinavian manuscripts. The acoustics were superb and the performance was uplifting, receiving a standing ovation from the local people and our visitors. A reception followed, providing bountiful nourishment and opportunity to meet and talk with people. A magnificent building in cream stone, glowing in the evening sun, stood next door. It was the Angaston library.

After locating the Southern Cross in the star filled sky we headed off for a taste of steak for dinner, and some sing-along.

Sunday morning and we headed off to the Zion Lutheran Church Service. This was a traditional service welcoming the northern spring conducted by Pastor Gunnar Olofsgård and featured again the Scandinavian Choir. After all, 1 May was coming, the first day of the northern spring. Here at the antipodes it was the end of the harvest in the valley; we gave thanks for that too.

Spiritually invigorated and refreshed with coffee and cake afterwards from the local hospitality we were off to visit Chateau Yaldara. Along the route I glimpsed and shot a photo I am proud of, of Jacob's Creek, a tiny stream alongside the road. Johannes Menge

5 lived for some time in a cave on the banks of Jacob's Creek and grew vegetables but it was the possibility of viticulture that he predicted. At Chateau Yaldara we were served a choice of red or white wine with a selection of cheeses and meats. There was wine to buy and gardens to admire.

Our afternoon visit was to the Whispering Wall, a dam wall that curiously allows sound to travel along the wall to be heard at the other end of the curve. The road signs began to look familiar, somehow we had been here before. Actually, the bus driver was lost. The dobermans guarding gates were barking by this time, local people must have glanced twice at the traffic, probably wondering what the 'happening' here among the hills was all about, but we didn't mind; it was a chance to observe nature. When we finally did arrive at the wall, had a walk, tested the acoustics and admired the gum trees, it was close to sunset.

Our final dinner was at Nuriootpa, for me, a huge steak with broccolini.

Next morning it was an early start for the ride back to Melbourne. The road took us now south to Hahndorf, a popular tourist village. On the way signs pointed to Williamstown where gold was mined in 1868, the discovery predicted by Johannes Menge in 1840.

Hahndorf is named after a Dane, born on the island of Sylt in the North Sea, Captain of the Zebra bringing a group of Germans from Altona (near Hamburg) in 1838 to Port Adelaide. He helped them locate to the Barossa Valley where they became established in about 5 years and were able to grow potatoes, wheat, vegetables and graze cattle.

The main street presented a display of autumn colours and low, stone cottage-like shops offering crafts and eateries offering German-style food. Of course we found the German Cake Shop, then the German Pantry. A coffee and piece of bee sting cake went down well while our eyes gazed about the ambience and delightful and varied artefacts - decorated plates, clocks, bier steins, and furniture with a German theme- the decor of this cafe. We had arrived around 10 am and the town wasn't ready for its daily influx of tourists just yet after a busy weekend of the Festival. Hans Heyson, (born in Hamburg emigrated in 1884 to Adelaide), an acclaimed artist, had his studio at 'The Cedars', a farm close to Hahndorf. His daughter, Nora, was born at Hahndorf and became an artist herself. So much more to see but not on this trip!

Our long drive was broken by some fun competitions organised by Katarina and Gunnar whereby I'm certain we all learned some useful facts too. We arrived safely back through driving rain. Thank you to our bus driver, Peter.

Community involvement in the Barossa Valley was obvious wherever we visited. Pride in their townships, the plantings and gardens of roses, public parks and houses, absence of graffiti and litter was most evident for us city dwellers. The 5 days spent together had been an interesting and most enjoyable visit. Some of us had been to the Barossa before

6 but it was pleasing to see how beautifully cared for and loved the land is, the community pride in its bounty had blossomed as had the roses.

Thank you all for your company and the music (and of course, the singing), especially Katarina and all involved, for the superb organisation!

(Visit to Barossa Valley 20-24 April 2017)

Further Reading: www.southaustralianhistory.com.au www.barossa.com Germans, Monteath, P., Wakefield Press, 2012