Barossa Valley – Women’s Walking, Wine & Maggie Beer Experience

At a glance

Why the Barossa Valley? 

An hour north-east of Adelaide, the Barossa Valley has some of the oldest continuously producing vines in the world. Shiraz vines shipped from France in the early 1800’s remain the relics of French grapes that were entirely wiped out by Phylloxera in their homeland 1850’s. The vignerons of the Barossa are families who have been working this land for generations, and generously offer their deep connection to this predominantly wine producing area with wonderful story telling. Local Barossans are proud of their rich and resilient heritage of the  German Lutherans settlors who migrated from Prussia and Silesia in the 1840s fleeing religious persecution. These hard-working migrants, the forefathers legacy lives on in the stone architecture and well organised farming area of the region. 

Shiraz is the Barossa’s great variety. The old-vine Shiraz from ungrafted vines planted in the 1840s and 1850s, producing wines of depth and character rivalling the very best in the world. But the Barossa is also a place of Grenache, Mataro, Riesling and increasingly, Italian, Spanish and most recently Cypriot varieties brought in by producers who are quietly rewriting the areas adaptive wine story. 

This trip is designed for women who come for the wine and leave talking about the people. We’ve built four days around the Barossa’s greatest pleasures: cycling its flat rail trail through vineyard country, walking a section of the legendary Heysen Trail, cooking a three-course meal in Maggie Beer’s Pheasant Farm kitchen, and finishing with a guided tour of one of Australia’s finest art galleries. It is a trip that moves through a place at exactly the right speed to fall in love with it. 

The Walking & Cycling 

This is a Gentle Wander trip — genuinely active but entirely accessible. Daily activity runs up to four hours and combines bush walking with cycling on flat rail trails and quiet country roads. You don’t need to be an experienced cyclist or hiker; you need to enjoy moving through beautiful places at a pace that lets you notice them. 

The Nuriootpa to Angaston rail trail 

Day 1 begins on two wheels. Well-equipped mountain bikes carry the group along an 18 km flat rail trail from Nuriootpa to Angaston, winding through vineyards and peaceful countryside with the scent of the vines in the air. Angaston is a charming historic village worth exploring on foot before the ride back — boutique shops, quiet streets and a pace of life that feels genuinely unhurried. 

The Heysen Trail 

Day 2 introduces one of Australia’s great long-distance trails. Hans Heysen — the painter whose images of South Australian light and landscape shaped how a generation understood this country — walked over 1,100 km from Cape Jervis to the Flinders Ranges, and the trail that bears his name follows in his footsteps. Our 10 km section takes us through undulating Barossan bush: well-formed trails beneath towering gums, single tracks through farming land, open fields and the particular quiet of a landscape being walked rather than driven through. 

Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park 

Day 3 opens with an 8 km morning hike through Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park, where tall stringybark trees and open landscapes offer tranquil views and a gentle warm-up for the day’s main event. The name Kaiserstuhl — German for “emperor’s chair” — is a reminder of the German Lutheran settlers who shaped the Barossa’s character, its wine traditions and its sense of place. 

The Pheasant Farm Cooking Experience 

This is the moment women talk about most when they come home. Maggie Beer’s Pheasant Farm is one of Australia’s most beloved culinary destinations — a farm-gate institution that has been feeding people’s imaginations as much as their appetites for decades. The cooking school here is not a demonstration. It is a hands-on three-course experience under the expert guidance of a Pheasant Farm chef, in a kitchen that takes seasonal and local produce as its absolute starting point. 

You cook. You eat what you’ve cooked. You drink wines matched to what’s on the plate. And you leave with recipes, skills, and the particular satisfaction of a long lunch earned by your own hands. 

The Farm Eatery at Pheasant Farm represents everything the Barossa does best: food and wine rooted in place, made with care, and shared generously. It is the heart of this trip. 

“Exceptionally well organised trip in South Australia with GirlsTrek. Every detail thought of so we could totally switch off and enjoy the experience.” — Marian Hilda, Tripadvisor, October 2024 

Food, Wine & the Producers 

The Barossa’s food and wine story is told by its people, and we’ve built time into the itinerary to meet them. At Gibson Winery on Day 1, founder “Gibbo” has spent decades championing the small growers of the region — earning himself the nickname the “Dirtman” in the process. His wines reflect that philosophy: honest, characterful, sometimes surprising, always worth the conversation. We taste alongside the story. 

The Artisans of Barossa experience on Day 2 brings together a collective of small, family-owned wineries united by the belief that great wine starts in the vineyard and ends in the glass with as little interference as possible. It is a tasting experience that reframes what the Barossa can be. 

Dining throughout the trip matches the quality of the activities: a warm and relaxed dinner at a historic Barossa restaurant on the first evening; lunch using local produce and a seasonal menu after the Heysen Trail; rooftop cocktails and dinner at one of Adelaide’s hidden culinary gems on Day 3; and a leisurely brunch in Adelaide on the final morning. 

Adelaide: Art, Architecture & the Parklands 

The trip moves from the Barossa’s vineyards to the city on Day 3, and Adelaide rewards the transition. The final morning begins with a 4 km walk through the Adelaide green belt — the remarkable series of parklands that encircles the entire CBD, Colonel Light’s great gift to the city — stopping for coffee along the way. 

GirlsTrek has arranged a private guided tour of the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) — home to over 38,000 works and the country’s second-largest state art collection. Established in 1881, AGSA holds an important collection of Indigenous Australian and colonial art, and is home to the only dedicated Islamic gallery space in Australia. Our guided tour brings the collection to life in a way that an unaccompanied visit simply cannot. 

After the gallery, brunch together and free time to explore Adelaide’s laneways, markets and boutiques before the transfer to Adelaide Airport for late-afternoon homeward flights. 

What to Expect Day by Day 

Day 1 — Nuriootpa / Angaston: Vineyard cycling & Gibson Winery 

GirlsTrek meets you at Adelaide Airport for a private transfer into the Barossa. Mountain bikes collected, the group sets off on the 18 km flat rail trail to Angaston — vineyards on both sides, the valley rolling out ahead. Lunch in Angaston, then a stop at Gibson Winery for the Dirtman’s wine tasting before returning to the accommodation to freshen up for a relaxed dinner at a historic Barossa restaurant. 

Day 2 — The Heysen Trail: Walking like a Barossan, eating like one too 

After breakfast, boots on for the 10 km Heysen Trail section — undulating bush, towering gums, farming land and open fields. Lunch at a local restaurant with seasonal produce and matched wines. Back at the accommodation to freshen up, then the Artisans of Barossa experience — small producers, great wines, good stories. A lighter dinner completes a full and satisfying day. 

Day 3 — Kaiserstuhl & Pheasant Farm: The cooking class day 

An early breakfast and a morning hike through Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park warm up the appetite. Then it’s off to Pheasant Farm for the cooking class: three courses, expert guidance, matched wines and a long lunch to follow. Late afternoon, the group moves to a luxury hotel in Adelaide city and a continuing party at a Roof Top bar. 

Day 4 — Adelaide City: Parklands walk, AGSA & farewell brunch 

A 4 km morning walk through the Adelaide parkland green belt, coffee in hand, before the private guided tour of the Art Gallery of South Australia. Brunch together after the gallery, then free time to explore the city before the transfer to Adelaide Airport for late-afternoon flights home. 

Is This Trip Right for You? 

The Barossa Walking & Wine retreat is perfectly suited to women who are: 

• Passionate about food and wine and want to go deeper than a cellar door visit 

• Comfortable on a bike and happy walking for a few hours — this is active but not demanding 

• Interested in Australian art, culture and culinary history as well as the outdoors 

• Drawn to small producers and authentic stories rather than big commercial experiences 

• Travelling solo and looking for a warm, like-minded group to share it all with 

• Wanting a trip that moves well — between the valley and the city, between activity and indulgence 

The Barossa is genuinely one of Australia’s great food and wine destinations. This trip is designed to let you experience it properly — on foot, on a bike, at the table, and in good company. 

Practical Information 

Getting there 

GirlsTrek meets you at Adelaide Airport . Either at the Qantas luggage carousel or the Atura Adelaide Airport Hotel (your pick-up point is confirmed on booking). Private transfers take the group into the Barossa on Day 1 and return to Adelaide Airport on Day 4. We’ll share all logistics details in your pre-trip information pack. 

What to bring 

Comfortable walking shoes or trail runners for the bush walks, and clothes you don’t mind cycling in (all bikes and helmets provided). One slightly smarter outfit for the cooking class long lunch and Adelaide evening dining. A small daypack, layers for cool mornings and a light rain jacket. A full trip-specific packing list is sent with your booking confirmation, with expert advice and discounts at Paddy Palin Outdoors and LNDR activewear. 

Weather 

The Barossa Valley has a Mediterranean climate, warm dry summers and cool wet winters. Autumn (March–May) is harvest season: the vineyards are at their most beautiful, the weather is settled and warm, and the valley hums with activity. Spring (September–November) brings wildflowers and warming days. Summer can be hot, and we choose not to run the trip before March or after November. Winter is the quietest season with fewer visitors, however there is a particular pleasure of a cold-weather Barossa Shiraz tasted in the place it was made.