Springton, South Australia: Travel guide and things to do

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Springton, South Australia: Travel guide and things to do

Springton, SA

Springton, SACredit: Adam Bruzzone

Located 63 km north-east of Adelaide, Springton was originally known as Black Springs. It is a small township at the south-eastern extremity of the Barossa Valley and is known primarily because the earliest European settler, Friedrich Herbig, lived in a hollowed out red gum which still stands in the main street.

Prior to European settlement a small number of Aborigines were well established in the district. They lived on a diet of grass seeds (made into a kind of damper), kangaroos, wallabies, possums, lizards and fish and protected themselves against the winter cold with possum skin rugs. Their life was simple but perfectly in tune with the climate, flora and fauna of the region.

Soon after the arrival of colonists in South Australia in July, 1836 expeditions were sent out to explore the hinterland. By December 1837 explorers had reached Lyndoch and by 1838 other explorers had reached the Murray River passing through the Barossa Valley. The valley was named by Colonel Light after Barrosa (Hill of Roses) in Spain where he had fought against the French in 1811 in the Peninsula War. The spelling mistake was never corrected.

By 1839 Colonel Light, the Surveyor General of South Australia, was selling off large tracts of land in the valley. The first settler in the area was Friedrich Herbig, a German tailor turned farmer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855. He travelled to the Barossa where he leased 80 acres from George Angas. Desperately poor he decided to live in the famous Herbig Family tree. It was out of these humble beginnings that Herbig went on the dominate the early life of the town eventually owning over 400 hectares of land where his 16 children grew up.

Things to see

Herbig Tree and Homestead Heritage Centre in the main Street
The Herbig Tree, located in the town's main street, is another extraordinary chapter in the German history of the Barossa. Friedrich Herbig was a tailor turned farmer who arrived in South Australia in 1855. He travelled to the Barossa where he leased 80 acres from George Angas. Desperately poor he decided to live in the famous Herbig Family tree. It was a large, hollow red gum. It was between 300-500 years old, had probably been struck by lightning, had a huge area inside and secondary growth was starting to occur above the old trunk. A year after his arrival Herbig married Caroline Rattey, an illiterate 18-year-old peasant girl, at Lyndoch. He took her back to live with him in the tree and it was there that the first two of their sixteen children were born. In 1860 Herbig and his family moved out of the tree to a two room pine and pug hut he built about 400 metres away. By 1864 the family was living in a stone cottage. The Heritage Homestead centre includes the original cottage, a barn and a cellar. It offers a rare insight into the life of the early Barossa Valley settlers. Details: Contact (08) 8568 2757.

Winery
Karl Seppelt Grand Cru
A winery specialising in cool climate wines from the hills around Springton. The setting for wine tastings in an old stone building which has been restored. It is located on Dewells Road which is south-west of Springton. For details of opening times contact (08) 8568 2378.

Craneford Winery
The building, in the main street of Springton, was built as a blacksmith's shop in 1892. Today Craneford specialises in rhine riesling, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon which it serves with all meals in the Cafe C restaurant. For details of opening times contact (08) 8568 2220.

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