Barossa

The Barossa lies about 60 kilometres to the north of Adelaide and encompasses the Barossa Valley and the Eden Valley. The area is about 20 kilometres wide and 30 kilometres long. When Colonel William Light, the first surveyor of the colony of South Australia, saw the area he was reminded of Barrosa in Spain, the site of a British victory over the French in the Spanish Peninsula War. Frequent misspelling, however, eventually led to the name Barossa.

Early settlers in the Barossa included Lutheran dissidents from Prussia (particularly from the provinces of Silesia and Brandenburg) and middle class English free settlers. The mix of the cultures of these two dominant groups has created the distinctive culture of today's Barossa. Most significantly, the Prussians brought with them knowledge of wine-making and this has become the region's most important industry. They brought other skills too such as smoking meat, cheese making and baking. The Prussian settlers also had a fondness of music and a strong work ethic. The English settlers also brought a love of fine music. They had the wealth to sponsor the burgeoning wine industry in the mid-1800s and the connections to build a customer base in the wealthy of London.

The region now has over 50 wineries including some of Australia's largest producers and some of its smaller, individual winemakers. It is also well known for its regional foods such as wursts and other smoked meats, cakes and breads, pickles and preserves and fresh fruits.