REX - Regional Express

regionalstopover Right, and below: Brian Fechner baking the traditional way at Apex Bakery; Kingsford Homestead. Next page: Touring the Barossa Valley in a vintage Daimler adds a dash of bling to the journey. bread in a scotch oven exactly the same way his father did in the 1920s. It's possibly the longest-running commercial wood-fired oven in Australia. The bakery's specialties include slow-ferment breads and pies made from recipes dating back to the 1800s. At the tasting rooms of Hentley Farm Wines, which is housed in a restored 1840s homestead, I compare The Beauty, a shiraz made from grapes grown in the lowest and coolest part of the vineyards, and The Beast, with its big, fruity flavour imparted by shiraz grapes picked from high on the hill. A chic new restaurant opened at Hentley Farm Wines in May in the restored 19th-century stables opposite the cellar door. On the menu are non- traditional dishes such as amuse-bouche of smoked raw beef served with puffed jasmine rice. The food is paired with Hentley Farm wines and served in a dimly lit European-style den with velvet chairs, contemporary art, mirrors and chandeliers. The Barossa Valley's rich legacy of historical buildings includes the Georgian-style two-storey sandstone home built by pastoralist and entrepreneur Stephen King in 1856. Kingsford Homestead rose to fame in McLeod's Daughters, but during its time as a movie set for the Nine Network the homestead (aka 'Drover's Run' in the TV series) was allowed to fall into disrepair. The homestead and the surrounding paddocks, which extend to the North Para River, were bought by Barossa business identities Stefan and Leanne Ahrens, who lovingly restored the building to use as their personal weekend retreat before opening it up as a luxury boutique hotel with seven suites. locations. Bethany, the first village in the Barossa, was settled in 1842 by 28 families from Prussia (now Poland). The self-guided Historic Walk of Bethany is a 5km return trail with 22 notable FAST FACT XXIX

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