Adelaide to Barossa Valley: the five ways to get there

Kristie Lau-Adams Kristie Lau-Adams
hero media
Whether you’re cruising down a scenic route, hitching a bus ride, soaring through the skies, or using your mightiest pedal power, the journey from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley is worth every effort

Situated just over 75 kilometres north-east of Adelaide Airport, the magnificent Barossa Valley is bursting with some of the world’s best wineries, cellar doors and foodie experiences. And the good news is there are several ways to make the trip up there. Just one to one-and-a-half hours via car, and far less than that if you’re hopping on a light plane or helicopter, the journey from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley is rarely complicated.

Driving to the Barossa Valley from Adelaide

Got your own set of wheels? The most direct route from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley is via the Northern Connector, which will get you to Tanunda, central Barossa, and home to plenty of restaurants and shops, in around one hour.

Car driving Seppeltsfield Road in the Barossa
If you want the most direct route, driving is your answer. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

You can also get to Tanunda via Main North Road, which will take you through Lyndoch, home to some of the finest luxury accommodations in the Barossa Valley, before arriving in Tanunda. This route takes about one-and-a-half hours.

If you’re longing for scenery, get onto North East Road from Adelaide Airport and meander through Tea Tree Gully, Chain of Ponds and Williamstown before venturing into the Barossa Valley from the south. It’s another one-and-a-half-hour journey.

Convertible driving past Kellermeister Wines in the Barossa
There are some good scenic drives on the way to the Barossa. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Public transport

If you couldn’t manage a car, splitting a taxi from Adelaide Airport to the Barossa Valley between a group won’t set you back as much as you might think. Clocking in somewhere between $150 to $200, it’s obviously as direct a journey as going in your own vehicle.

More affordable, however, is the Adelaide Metro railway service. Catch a one-hour train from Adelaide Railway Station, right in the middle of Adelaide’s CBD, to Gawler Central before transferring to the Barossa via a local LinkSA bus. The 810 bus travels from Gawler Central to Nuriootpa, a top-notch destination for the region’s best winery experiences, via Lyndoch and Tanunda.

Although train and bus services run daily, the journey from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley via public transport is probably the trickiest way to go about things, so check all schedules via their websites just prior to departure day to ensure you’re on track.

Two women hopping off tram at Moseley Square in Adelaide
Hopping on a train to the Barossa is the most affordable option. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

By air

Getting to Adelaide from anywhere in Australia is easy given Adelaide Airport is serviced regularly with direct flights from cities right across the country. Fly in from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and more by checking the website of your preferred airline for flights. Once you’ve arrived at Adelaide Airport, you can choose from a range of public transport options, in addition to tackling the approximate one-hour journey in your own vehicle or hire car. You’ll find more information on all domestic and international routes, plus regional and charter services on Adelaide Airport’s website.

In the mood for something special? You can also travel via light plane to Parafield Airport, located 45 minutes south of the Barossa Valley and 18 kilometres north of central Adelaide. But if it’s the most luxurious of experiences you’re after, Australia by Air offers private chartered Barossa helicopters. And while we’re talking choppers, don’t miss a spin with Barossa Helicopters, who offer a range of food and wine experiences once you’re in wine country.

Barossa Helicopters flying above vineyards
There’s no better way to see the Barossa than from above. (Image: Dragan Radocaj)

Tours

Explore the best of the region with your own personal tour guide thanks to a range of brilliant tours that travel from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley. Adelaide Sightseeing is a reliable, highly rated option, offering full-day tours from the CBD to some of the region’s most well-known and best-loved wineries.

There’s also Barossa Unique Tours, which provides trips to and from Adelaide in a fleet of classic wheels; a 1966 Ford Mustang convertible, a Jaguar XF and a motorcycle trike. Barossa Taste Sensations dial the festivities up a notch with their ‘Multi-Day Food and Wine Tour’ of the region. You’ll need to book your own overnight accommodation, but these smooth operators are the ones to know if you’re looking for Barossa’s finest indulgences.

Bethany Wines in the Barossa at sunset
See the region’s best wineries through a tour. (Image: Michael Waterhouse Photography)

Weekly travel news, experiences
insider tips, offers, and more.

Bike

Work for your supper by making your way from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley on a bike. Offering the ultimate scenic route, hopping on two wheels is one of the greatest things to do in this neck of the woods, with various routes winding their way from central Adelaide to wine territory.

Cyclists riding past vineyards in the Barossa Valley
If you fancy a challenge, make your way from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley on a bike. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Jump on a train from Adelaide Railway Station in the CBD to Gawler and get on the 40-kilometre, car-free Barossa Trail to Angaston, offering stops in Tanunda and Nuriootpa. You’ll cover some of the region’s best wineries, plus a range of historical sites. There are also various rides from Adelaide along Gorge Road to Williamstown, plus another one along Lower North East Road that links up to Chain of Ponds Road. The South Australian Government offers all the details you’ll need via their ‘Cycle Instead’ initiative.

SuperCycle cyclists in the Barossa Valley
The ‘Cycle Instead’ initiative will have you working up a sweat. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Find more experiences, accommodation, eating and entertainment options in our Barossa Valley travel guide. 

Kristie Lau-Adams
Kristie Lau-Adams is a Gold Coast-based freelance writer after working as a journalist and editorial director for almost 20 years across Australia's best-known media brands including The Sun-Herald, WHO and Woman's Day. She has spent significant time exploring the world with highlights including trekking Japan’s life-changing Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage and ziplining 140 metres above the vines of Mexico’s Puerto Villarta. She loves exploring her own backyard (quite literally, with her two young children who love bugs), but can also be found stalking remote corners globally for outstanding chilli margaritas and soul-stirring cultural experiences.
View profile and articles
Hare's Chase in the Barossa Valley, SA
Barossa Valley

This SA winery officially has the best shiraz in the world

Australia adds another trophy to its growing shelf of wine awards.

Read more
InterContinental Barossa Resort and Spa
Barossa Valley

The Barossa Valley is set to unveil its first luxury resort

One of Australia's most celebrated wine regions is set to unveil an exceptional new $100 million resort.

Read more
nature views from a fining dining table at Appellation at The Louise
Barossa Valley

18 Barossa Valley restaurants to add to your dining hit list

With exceptional dining reimagined at the speed of light, there’s always something interesting to sample at the best Barossa Valley restaurants.

Read more
Barossa Valley wineries
Barossa Valley

30 wineries you need to visit in the Barossa Valley

Crafting a vineyard-hopping weekend itinerary is thirsty work so let us whittle down the most exquisite Barossa wineries to two fine mixed dozens.

Read more
hero media

Good food, beautiful nature & history: your guide to a long weekend in West Gippsland

(Credit: Rob Blackburn)

    Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
    Continue
    From rainforest walks and scenic drives to historic gold-rush towns and standout regional dining experiences, you can find it all in West Gippsland.

    Hover over West Gippsland on Google Earth and you’ll see vast tracts of land spread out like green velveteen around the Toorongo Falls Reserve. It’s a landscape that feels almost impossibly lush for a region sitting little more than an hour from Melbourne.

    Track southeast in late autumn and early winter and you’ll see pockets of the Mt Baw Baw Plateau dusted in snow. In addition to the forests of mountain ash veined with creeks and rivers, there are pastures and farmland cross-stitched together to form pretty patchworks.

    But West Gippsland isn’t defined by scenery alone: in addition to its awe-inspiring nature, a Venn diagram of the region includes gold-rush history and great culinary experiences.  Spend a long weekend here and it quickly becomes clear how often these three overlap.

    Getting there

    Messmates Dining west gippsland
    Spend the weekend eating and exploring in West Gippsland. (Credit: Messmates Dining)

    Getting to West Gippsland involves as easy drive – it’s just over an hour out of Melbourne along the Monash Freeway.

    Not driving? Catch the train from Melbourne on the Gippsland line, terminating at either Traralgon or Bairnsdale, and hop off at Warragul or Drouin.

    Visit historic villages

    Walhalla historic township
    Wander into Australia’s Gold Rush history at Walhalla. (Credit: Rob Blackburn)

    The West Gippsland region is on the Traditional Lands of the Kulin and Kurnai nations, specifically linked to the Bunurong, Gunaikurnai and Wurundjeri Peoples, whose connection to Country stretches back thousands of years.

    European settlement occurred in the 19th century as timber cutters, farmers and gold seekers pushed into the region’s dense forests. Small towns grew around sawmills and railway lines, and many of those gold rush settlements, timber towns and railway villages still shape the character of the region today.

    The most evocative of these is Walhalla Historic Township, a remarkably preserved gold-rush township tucked deep in the mountains. In the late 1800s, it was one of Victoria’s richest goldfields. Today visitors can step inside that history at the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine, where underground tours reveal the scale of the mining operation that once powered the town’s prosperity. Nearby, the Walhalla Goldfields Railway retraces part of the original narrow-gauge line through the valley, offering a slow journey past forest and river scenery.

    Further west, Noojee is a classic mountain village. It’s surrounded by dense forest and waterfalls and has become a natural base for exploring the Baw Baw region. Just outside town, Noojee Trestle Bridge stands as one of West Gippsland’s most striking relics of the rail era. The towering wooden structure is the tallest surviving trestle bridge in Victoria and today forms the centrepiece of an easy scenic walk with wide views across the valley.

    Alpine Trout Farm west gippsland
    Catch your own lunch at Alpine Trout Farm. (Credit: Nicky Cawood)

    At Alpine Trout Farm near Noojee, visitors can fish for trout in mountain-fed ponds before enjoying the catch prepared fresh onsite. It’s a simple experience that reflects the area’s long connection to the surrounding waterways.

    Back in Warragul, the region’s main service town, the story shifts from heritage to modern regional life. With galleries, restaurants and sweeping views across the rolling farmland of Gippsland, the town has become a lively hub linking the district’s past with its evolving food and cultural scene. Drive through the town and you’ll find heritage buildings, old pubs and weatherboard cottages that hint at the area’s early days as a frontier landscape.

    In other towns the past survives in quieter ways – a historic hall here, a century-old bakery there.

    Walks, waterfalls and wild places

    Toorongo Falls in west gippsland
    Stroll Toorongo Falls Reserve. (Credit: Nicky Cawood)

    Even simple roadside stops can feel cinematic in West Gippsland. The region also delivers plenty of opportunities to lace up your walking shoes.

    One of the region’s most rewarding nature escapes lies just outside Noojee at Toorongo Falls Reserve. A network of walking tracks winds through the cool-temperate rainforest where towering mountain ash trees filter the light and the air smells of rich, damp earth. The 2.2-kilometre trail to the viewing platform overlooking Toorongo Falls is short, but spectacular, as the water cascades down over moss-covered rock faces into a cool, green gully in Little Toorongo River.

    Further north, the Mount Baw Baw Alpine Resort offers year-round adventures. In winter, the mountain attracts skiers and snowboarders. The warmer months are just as compelling, with scenic drives to see alpine wildflowers, mountain bike trails and panoramic hiking routes that open across the plateau.

    Cyclists and walkers looking for a more relaxed pace can follow the Rokeby Neerim Rail Trail, which traces a former railway line through farmland and small Gippsland villages. The mostly flat trail passes rolling paddocks, creeks and historic bridges, making it an easy way to drop it down a gear when exploring the countryside.

    Taste the best eats of West Gippsland

    Hogget Kitchen west gippsland
    Taste the best of the region at Hogget Kitchen.

    For many travellers, the real drawcards of West Gippsland are the food and wine. The region sits in the heart of Victoria’s fertile dairy country, and that agricultural backdrop has helped shape a dining scene where seasonal produce and local provenance take centre stage.

    Hogget Kitchen has helped put Warragul firmly on the radar for serious regional dining in West Gippsland. Here, head chef and owner Trevor Perkins runs the kitchen alongside well-known winemakers William (Bill) Downie and Pat Sullivan. Hogget Kitchen lives up to its promise of exceptional destination dining; what lands on the table depends largely on what nearby farms have harvested that week as well as a wine list from Wild Dog Winery and other Gippsland producers.

    Warragul is also where you’ll find Messmates Dining where the kitchen team is led by Michelin-trained chefs. The Euro-leaning bistro and wine bar brings a polished edge to the local dining scene using produce sourced from across West Gippsland.

    For something more casual, the century-old Noojee Hotel is the kind of hub that every traveller dreams of finding after a long drive. Expect generous pub classics served on the sunny deck in summer or beside the crackle of a log fire in winter.  Nearby, rustic Toolshed Bar, Bistro & Cabins is the place to go for a wood-fired pizza topped with smoked local trout paired with Gippsland wine, making it a rewarding stop for lunch or an overnight stay.

    Time your visit with the Truffle Festival

    Food lovers visiting in winter should consider timing their trip to coincide with Noojee Truffle Festival, running from 10 July to 2 August 2026. The inaugural event celebrates the region’s emerging truffle industry with tastings, special menus and events built around one of winter’s most prized ingredients.

    Start planning your long weekend in West Gippsland at visitgippsland.com.au.