Doing Barossa with a Baby…in a Britz Motorhome

Firstly, I have to admit if you would have asked me when Poppy was a newborn if I ever thought I would travel with her, let alone go to wineries I would have laughed at you while rocking in the corner. Poppy is almost 7 months old and I was nervous Nelly for a good few months of Poppy’s life… Okay now that I have disclosed that Im not Wonder Woman I can begin with my hot tips. 

Things to consider with the MOTORHOME:

• Get the biggest one available which for us was a 6 berth. It was just the 3 of us and we still felt cramped with the car seat, pram etc etc. Remember everything need to be stowed securely away before you start driving otherwise it all gets a bit crazy. 
• Think carefully about the season and what suits your family the best - if you love the cold… winter is a good option as it is technically low season BUT we found it to be freezing & windy which can be a little challenging with a baby. We also noticed a lot of food shops were closed so if you plan on eating out all the time like we did it might minimise your options. If you are going in peak season, book your caravan park sites in advance! Also, because we had a Britz motorhome we got 10% off - so don't forget to ask at checkin.
• Even tho there is essentially three bed in a 6 berth motorhome, think about potentially bringing a portacot. We found that it got so cold inside at night, despite the heater being on, Poppy ended us sleeping with us. 
• They give you an option to upgrade for extra $$ which means you can get unlimited linen exchange and can bring back motorhome empty with no fuel or gas - We didn’t use the linen exchange option but found it helpful not to worry about locating petrol station close to drop off location.
• There is a toilet and shower onboard BUT if you are going to stay at caravan parks on powered sites maybe don’t use the bathroom it can get messy quickly and smell. 
• You don’t have an extra car to zip around town in so wherever you choose to set up camp think about lunches/dinners/breakfast if you are eating out.
• We unpacked all our clothes etc and stored out suitcases on the top bed BUT if you are using all the beds maybe consider using soft packable bags because storage is limited.
• Tiny things to pack that might help - bags to dispose of rubbish, tiny bit of dishwashing liquid for the odd plate/glass you will use (wine & cheese in the afternoons) 

En Route to Barossa from Adelaide 

I honestly didn’t know what others would think about us having Poppy in tow when doing the wineries but I am so glad we didnt actually care too much and just jumped into the deep end and did whatever we wanted! 

Barossa is located 60km from Adelaide and is spread across four main communities of Angaston, Lyndoch, Nuriootpa and Tanunda. We stayed at the Stamford Hotel for the first night then Tyson went in an uber and picked up the Motorhome from Britz while Poppy had her first sleep of the day. This worked perfectly as we were able to pack up and settle into the Motorhome whilst she slept (well Tyson did all this while I supervised Poppy .. hehe). 

TIP: if you love Italian food visit Andre’s Cucina & Polenta Bar. It was honestly the BEST Italian food we have had to date. We got an extremely generous degustation for $70 per head and we were sooo full ! 

Barossa 

We only had one day in the Barossa, which is totally not enough - you could spend a good few days there and really immerse yourself in the experience (which we will do next time). Being spontaneous we didn’t plan which wineries until we were driving out there - please do not do this !!! Do some research and choose the places based on what wine you like or what works best for your travel directions or family. By the time we got out there it was lunch time so we chose to visit Seppeltsfield. 

Seppeltsfield 

Multiple people had suggested this place and it didn’t disappoint. This winery has a long history, established in the Barossa Valley ust 15 years after the European settlement of South Australia. The architecture is stunning, would make for a beautiful event space. We found it pram friendly with ramps around to ensure safe passage. We ended up having lunch at FINO which is the restaurant there - it was lovely. We ordered the set degustation - it is really the best option we found. However, we were lucky in that Poppy always slept before we had these long lunches - otherwise it would have been a nightmare - not even going to sugar coat it - I wouldn’t recommend a degustation if your kids aren’t feeling it. 

Nuriootpa

We were pretty full and slightly tired after the trip out to the Barossa so off we went to one of our favourite wines - Penfolds. We didn’t realise but Penfolds has a collection of vineyards spread across different locations and has a shop front at Nuriootpa. The ladies here were lovely and spend a lot of the time chatting away to Poppy! 

Barossa Valley Cheese Co was our last stop before caravan park. Super cosy and cute shop where you can taste all the cheese before you purchase - we picked up some cheese, crackers and some Shiraz sauce and went on our way. 

Our caravan park was in Nuriootpa so we headed back there to give us ample time to set up before sun down just in case it was a little tricker than anticipated.  We stayed at BIG4 Barossa Tourist Park - the grounds were beautiful and facilities were clean. 

It was a short 15 minute walk into town from the caravan park which was helpful because having a Motorhome means you either walk to dinner or unplug everything and drive. We always considered how far everything was from the caravan parks for dinners and lunches. There isn’t alot in Nuriootpa to choose from but everything looked lovely. We have a nice pizza from the Main Street - it looks like a house but is actually a fully functioning pizza shop. We had breakfast from Fleur Social in the Main Street - highly recommend this little place  for a quick coffee and breaky. 

We decided to hit the road to McLaren Vale !!! TBC - next blog !  

All things Neutral xoxo