The Best Rainy Day Things to Do in the Clare Valley
Nine warm, dry and genuinely good ways to spend wet weather in wine country.
Winter rain is what makes the Clare Valley's dry-grown vineyards possible, so when it arrives, raise a glass to it — indoors. The valley is unusually well supplied with wet-weather options: National Trust museums, a volunteer-run cinema, heritage cellars and galleries in storied buildings. String a few together with lunch at one of the valley's heritage pubs and a wet day becomes the best-planned day of the trip. Start with the 10 best things to do in the Clare Valley for fair-weather alternatives.
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1
SevenhillSevenhill Cellars
Tour the 1850s Jesuit winery, crypt and church — atmospheric in any weather.
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2
ClareBlyth Cinema
New releases with Dolby sound in a heritage Masonic lodge, run by volunteers.
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3Burra
Burra Regional Art Gallery
A dozen exhibitions a year inside Burra's 1860 telegraph office.
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4Clare
Old Police Station & Courthouse Museum
Clare's 1850 police station, now a National Trust treasure-house of local history.
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5
AuburnMostly Books Auburn
A proper secondhand bookshop made for slow browsing on a wet afternoon.
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7
PenworthamPolish Hill River Church Museum
The 1871 church of Australia's first Polish settlers, now a pioneer museum.
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8
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9Clare
Clare Valley Wine & Food Centre
Taste your way through the region under one roof in Clare.
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Country museums and galleries often keep volunteer hours — check opening days before driving, especially midweek and in winter.
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