Stories
Longer reads, travel guides and field notes from the Clare Valley.
Cornwall in the Outback: The Story of Burra
When copper was found at Burra in 1845, thousands of Cornish miners crossed the world to dig it. They brought their skills, their chapels and their pasties.
June 2026 · 6 min read
The Godfather of Australian Riesling
One winemaker, working out of the Clare Valley, did more than anyone to shape the bone-dry, lime-scented Riesling style Australia now exports to the world.
June 2026 · 6 min read
A Perfect Day in Mintaro, the Slate Village
The tiny heritage village of Mintaro packs an extraordinary amount into a few slate-built streets. Here's how to make the most of a day.
June 2026 · 5 min read
Old Vines: Why Clare Valley Grenache Is Having a Moment
For decades it was an afterthought. Now sommeliers are chasing the Clare Valley's old-vine Grenache for its perfume, lightness and savoury charm.
June 2026 · 6 min read
The Secret Swimming Holes of the Clare Valley
The Clare Valley bakes in summer - but tucked into its gorges and creeks are a handful of swimming spots that locals have always known about.
June 2026 · 5 min read
The Jesuits Who Planted the Clare Valley's First Vines
In 1851, a group of Austrian Jesuits arrived in a remote valley north of Adelaide and planted vines to make sacramental wine. Their cellar is still going.
June 2026 · 6 min read
How to spend a perfect day on the Riesling Trail
You do not need to be a serious cyclist to ride the Riesling Trail. Hire a bike in Auburn, roll gently north, and let the cellar doors and bakeries set the pace.
June 2026 · 4 min read
The best time to visit the Clare Valley, season by season
Should you come for the May Gourmet Weekend, the autumn vines, or a quiet winter by the fire? A season-by-season guide to timing your Clare Valley trip.
June 2026 · 5 min read
The road to Burra: copper, Cornwall and a town that saved a colony
Burra's Monster Mine was once one of the richest in the world. Its copper, and the Cornish miners who dug it, helped keep an infant colony afloat. The story is written all over the town.
June 2026 · 6 min read
A walk through Mintaro, the slate village time forgot
Mintaro looks much as it did 150 years ago - a village of slate cottages, a grand Georgian mansion nearby, and a hedge maze to get lost in. Here is how to spend a morning in it.
June 2026 · 4 min read
Why Clare Valley Riesling tastes like nowhere else
Lime, slate and steel - Clare Valley Riesling has a signature so recognisable it has become a benchmark. The reasons lie in the dirt, the elevation and the air.
June 2026 · 5 min read
Where to eat in the Clare Valley
A guide to eating well in the Clare Valley, from winery restaurants to revived country pubs.
June 2026 · 3 min read