Clare Valley | |
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  Clare Valley Clare Valley | |
| Coordinates:33°50′1″S138°36′36″E / 33.83361°S 138.61000°E /-33.83361; 138.61000 | |
| Country | Australia |
| State | South Australia |
| Region | Yorke and Mid North[1] |
| LGA | |
| Government | |
| • State electorate | |
| • Federal division | |
| County | County of Stanley |
TheClare Valley is avalley located inSouth Australia about 100 kilometres (62 miles) north ofAdelaide in theClare and Gilbert Valleys council area.[1] It is the river valley formed by theHutt River but is also strongly associated with the roughly parallelHill River. The valley is traversed by theHorrocks Highway and the towns in the valley along that route from south to north areAuburn,Leasingham,Watervale,Penwortham,Sevenhill andClare. The geographical feature has given rise to theClare Valley wine region designation, a notablewinegrowing region of Australia.[2]
The valley is formed by theSkilly Hills andBungaree Hills on the west with theStony Range rising on the valley's east. TheTemperate Grassland of South Australia cover most of the area.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(January 2018) |
The original inhabitants of the Clare Valley were theNgadjuri people. It is believed that they had major camping sites atClare andAuburn, as well as other areas outside the valley.[3]
The first European to reportedly explore the Clare Valley wasJohn Hill, who did so in early April 1839, visiting and naming theHutt River.[4] Its nearby twin, theHill River, was later named in his honour. On returning to Adelaide, he reported his findings of potentially good farmland to his friend and associate,Edward John Eyre. Eyre in turn informedJohn Horrocks, who had only arrived in South Australia during March 1839. Eyre later explored the Clare Valley on the return journey from hissecond 1839 expedition to the northern regions of South Australia. Horrocks set out with his servant, John Green and established himself in the area now known asPenwortham.[5] This became the first permanent settlement in the valley.[citation needed]
By 1840,Edward Burton Gleeson had set up theInchiquin pastoral run to the north which was later developed into the town of Clare[6] and in 1848,Jesuits were settling into the place which would become the town ofSevenhill. Settlers came from places includingEngland,Ireland,Poland andSilesia during the 1840s, producing a rich heritage of architecture and villages, which remain largely intact.[citation needed]Vineyards were planted alongside those first villages and winemaking has continued ever since.[citation needed]
On 16 February 1983, the Clare Valley was affected by theAsh Wednesday bushfires. Although there were no fatalities in the area, over 6,100 hectares were burnt out, causing $5 million worth of damage.[7] The railway line between the Clare Showgrounds andPenwortham was severely damaged, and resulted in its eventual demise. The old rail route has since been transformed into a bicycle and walking track known as theRiesling Trail. This 35 km sealed trail links the villages of the valley.[citation needed]
The Clare Valley is a popularwine tourism destination. Known for its cool climate white wines, most notably itsRiesling, it is home to an estimated 50 wineries throughout the region.[citation needed] Some of its most well known and popular wineries includeTaylors Wines, Annie's Lane,Grosset Wines, Jim Barry Wines, Seven Hill Cellars, Kilikanoon and Skillogalee.[citation needed] Kilikanoon (2013) and Jim Barry Wines (2020) wonJames Halliday's Winery of the Year award.[8]
Held in late May, after harvest, the Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend is a festival celebrating food and wine. It is spread over three days, with many of the local wineries and restaurants hosting events,tastings and music.[9]
The Clare Valley is also known for its walking and cycling trails being home to stretches of theRiesling Trail,Rattler Trail,Mawson Trail andLavender Federation Trail.[citation needed]
TheBlenheim Music and Camping Festival, a two-day music festival, was an annual event between 2009 and 2018. TheShaolin Afronauts, Max Savage and the False Idols,Tony Joe White,Marlon Williams, Timberwolf and Kaurna Cronin played at the 2015 event.[10][11]
The festival organisers decided to take a break in 2019, to allow the property to regenerate after prolonged drought and the impact of people camping in the paddocks.[12] It was intended to run its 10th event over theEaster weekend in 2020; however the restrictions enforced owing to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Australia prevented this.[13]
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