Padthaway, South Australia: Travel guide and things to do

Located 291 km south-east of Adelaide, Padthaway is really little more than a few houses surrounded by Hardy's Padthaway Vineyards which stretch from the hills across the valley.

Robert Lawson, a successful Scottish businessman moved into the area with his wife Eliza in 1847. He had acquired 21,500 hectares and subsequently increased the holding to 32,000 hectares. He built a relatively small cottage in 1847 and lived in the cottage for the next thirty years. It still stands on the Padthaway Estate. It was on the basis of this modest start that the Padthaway Estate was developed so that now it is one of the most impressive residential complexes in South Australia.

Things to see

Padthaway Estate
The Buildings
Padthaway Estate is set on 50 hectares of red gum country. The Homestead was once the centre of an 80,000 acre property owned by the Lawson family. The current proprietors purchased the land from the descendants of Robert Lawson. The original Lawson cottage nestles in a glade and overlooks the courtyard surrounded by the old stables, the original kitchen, the workshop, the blacksmiths shop and overseers rooms. The shearers quarters have been restored to their original condition. The homestead garden was redesigned by the Victorian landscape gardener Ellis Stones in 1948 in the style of an English home with formal areas, walled gardens, orchard, patio, glade and outbuildings all sheltering behind luxurious hedges and English trees.

The Vineyard and Winery
Padthaway Estate Winery
Located on the main road in Padthaway this winery based around a 45 ha vineyard was established in 1990 and specialises in red and white table wines and sparkling wines derived from cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay grapes. It is open seven days for tastings and sales. It is the cellar door for all Padthaway regional wines. For more details contact (08) 8765 5039.

Padthaway Conservation Park
Located 1.5 km east of Padthaway this 984 ha park is situated on a former coastal dune and is characterised by stands of yellow gum, ribbon gum, brown stringybark with extensive acacias and banksias. It is also home to the rare long-billed corella.