Things to Do in the Clare Valley

Between the tastings, you can ride a railway line, walk to a waterfall and borrow a key to a whole town. Weighing up Clare Valley guided tours? Here is what fills the rest of your time in the valley.

The Riesling Trail, Auburn to Barinia

The trail is the valley's spine. It runs 33 km on the old railway line from Auburn to Barinia, and trains do not like hills, so neither will you. Clare Valley Tourism counts around 30 cellar doors along the way.

Most riders start in Clare, at the old railway station near Pinks Reserve, and head south. The only real climb is gentle: from Clare up to Penwortham, the trail's highest point. From there it runs downhill to Auburn. The table breaks the trail into its four sections. The Clare to Sevenhill section passes Sevenhill Cellars, the Jesuit winery that calls itself the first ever built in the valley.

Hiring a bike, and getting back

You do not need your own bike. Hirers in Clare and Auburn carry every size, and many bed and breakfasts lend bikes too. If you are fit you can cover the full 33 km in a day, or you can ride one or two sections and a loop.

1. Pick your bike. A mountain bike or hybrid is fine. Hire shops also rent e-bikes, tandems and vintage cruisers.
2. Book it in Clare or Auburn. In Clare, try Riesling Trail Bike Hire, Clare Valley Cycle Hire or Scoot the Valley.
3. Ask about delivery. Many hirers drop bikes at your accommodation, with helmets and locks.
4. Plan the ride back. Ask for a one-way hire, or call Clare Valley Taxis to fetch your car.
5. Send the wine ahead. Many cellar doors will courier bottles back to where you stay.

Do not drink and ride. Keep left, ring your bell as you pass walkers, and carry water in summer, when days often pass 30 °C.

The Rattler, Mawson, Heysen and Lavender Federation trails

The Riesling Trail is not the only path through the valley. Longer trails cross it, and three loops leave it for the back roads. The loops are harder work, so an e-bike helps.

Rattler Trail:

19 km south from Auburn to Riverton, slightly downhill, past fields that turn yellow with canola in spring.

Mawson Trail:

Links into the Riesling Trail. Its dirt roads give you a different way back from the Rattler Trail to Auburn.

Heysen Trail:

The long-distance walking trail runs through the valley, and the Clare Valley Short Walks use parts of it.

Lavender Federation Trail:

Also runs through the valley. The Mintaro walk follows it out of town.

Spring Gully Loop:

17 km, difficult, from the Tourism Centre along Spring Gully Road to the edge of the park.

John Horrocks Loop:

10.3 km, moderate, round Sevenhill and Penwortham past Mitchell Wines and Kilikanoon.

Father Rogalski Loop:

17 km, difficult, into the Polish Hill River area and Pikes Wines. The loops follow roads, so drive them first.

The Clare Valley Short Walks

If you would rather walk, Clare Valley Tourism has mapped a set of short walks. They take from one to four hours each, and use parts of the Heysen, Lavender Federation and Riesling trails. Several pass somewhere to eat or drink.

Spring Gully Conservation Park

This is the valley's wild side. The park protects the westernmost red stringybark (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha), and it is the only reserve in South Australia with that tree. You can spot up to 50 kinds of birds, and kangaroos and euros graze in the evenings.

Start at Blue Gum Lookout for the Cascades Walk. It leads through grassy woodland to a seasonal waterfall that drops 18 metres after rain. The Ridgetop Walk from the Red Stringybark car park suits wheelchairs. Wymans Hike is steep in places and suits fit walkers.

Heritage: Bungaree Station and Burra

This is Ngadjuri Country, and the Ngadjuri people are its Traditional Owners. The name means “we people”. Europeans arrived in the 1840s, and their farms still shape the valley.

Bungaree Station was established in 1841. It became the headquarters of one of Australia's most successful sheep flocks, and the Hawker brothers planted vines there in the 1840s. You can book a private Behind the Farm Gate tour into its paddocks.

Mintaro is the other heritage town, and its short walk starts at Torr Park. Burra and Mintaro are both towns the shared valley day collects from, so you can base yourself there.

If you are not drinking

Drivers, children and non-drinkers have plenty to do. Start with these.

• Walk to the Cascades. The waterfall at Spring Gully drops 18 metres after rain.
• Find the trail art in Clare. Look for the Steam Train Silhouette, the Flock of Sheep and the Ness Street mural.
• See Aboriginal art. Clare Valley Art Gallery sits beside the trail on the way out of Clare.
• Go underground at Sevenhill. The cellar and St Aloysius' Church are open to look round.
• Buy the Burra key. The Burra Heritage Passport opens the town's sites at your own pace.
• Let the children run. Richardson's Reserve and Playground is on the trail at Sevenhill.

Things-to-do questions

Where these facts come from

Trail, walk and park details come from Clare Valley Tourism and the state parks service, read in 2026.

• Clare Valley Tourism: How to do the Riesling Trail
• Clare Valley Tourism: Clare Valley Short Walks
• National Parks and Wildlife Service SA: Spring Gully Conservation Park
• Clare Valley Tourism: History & Heritage
• Clare Valley Tourism: Getting Here & Around
• Visit Burra

Tours that drive the valley for you

Clare Valley Scenic Wine Tour with Local Stories

Six hours with the local guide, collected in one of seven valley towns, five guests at most, with the tastings and a winery lunch paid.

From $174 per person

Check Availability

Group of Four Private Clare Valley Wine Tour with Lunch

Only your group of up to four, a route shaped around the wines you like, and the scheduled tastings and lunch in one group price.

From $535 per group, up to 4

Check Availability