October 23
Sevenhill to Clare

My plan had been to have poached eggs on toast for breakfast. Unfortunately, try as I might, I couldn't persuade the gas stove to light. The toaster proved more amenable so I had toast & marmalade, instead.

Most of me was tired but nothing seemed worse than that so I set off on the gentle hill back to the Trail.

On the road again	Large local resident

Progress was slow as I stopped to photograph the large sheep in a front garden and then the very ornate cemetery gates. The Jesuit Order owns much of the area, with a Catholic Boys College having been established there in 1856. It also functioned as a seminary and retreat house. The vineyards and gardens were established in 1852, with altar wine being the initial product.

I had been encouraged to visit the winery so I entered the grounds and followed my nose through the woods.

Into the woods ...	... past the pond ...
... and the tumbledown building ...	... and the church

I passed a tumbled down farm building, some dry ponds and the church, eventually finding the cellar door. As the photos testify, it was decidedly dull and murky. Yesterday's clear skies and gentle breeze having been replaced by a still and cloudy day. Luckily, it was still reasonably cool.

Inside I was assailed by a cat, which demanded attention but refused to be photographed. The gewurztraminer, which I had been told was excellent, didn't impress me. The liqueur Tokay was wonderful and, as I later found out at the Greek restaurant in Adelaide, the Riesling was pretty good. They make communion wine of both colours, using Pedro Ximenez as a base.

Sevenhill Wine - underground cellars

Beneath the tasting room was the cellar, where the Tokay was matured. Huge wooden barrels were lined up in rows, each of them dated. The earliest I saw were about 25 years old but there may have been others hiding round corners. The church was plain and simple but beautifully kept. It was very cool, of course, the thick stone walls ensuring that.

I retraced my steps to the Trail, the detour having been about 1.5 kilometres. Just as well it was the start of the day.

Through the trees ...	... and into open country

Initially, the Trail runs through an avenue of trees then enters open territory, with large vineyards, presumably owned by the Jesuits, on either side.

A couple of cyclists swept past to be followed by many more. It was much busier than yesterday.

Cyclists on the trail	Quarry Road Bridge

The first major bridge appeared, a red girder construction. The information board informed me that Quarry Road Bridge was a major construction in its day and was the only major piece of engineering on the Trail.

The abutments had been manually constructed in 1917 but the original bridge structure had been removed in the 1980s. The replacement arch was added in 1995 using local design, engineering and fabrication.

The Trail entered another cutting and then passed an unusual stone wall.

Another cutting	Unusual stone wall

In spite of a throbbing toe - gout probably - I was making good progress, about 13 minutes between each kilometre marker. Three cyclists appeared at once, almost a traffic jam.

Almost a traffic jam	Strange iron posts

	Beautiful flowers
Near the end of the Trail	Smart housing on the outskirts of Clare

Back on the road again, I entered the suburbs of Clare. There were some beautiful flowers, which must have escaped from someone's garden, and some very smart houses. There was also a nest of rather large ants. It will be interesting to see if the photo does them justice.

Not too much later, I reached the junction of the Trail and the road on which I had parked my car. The area was being guarded by two locals, a large but sensible one who had a small noisy friend.

I could see the car ahead but continued along the trail for another 100 metres until I was in front of the cottage that I had occupied on Tuesday night. I then walked down the path to the car, about 25 metres. I offloaded my back pack and rang the cottage manager to thank him for giving me safe parking.

The journey had ended and, gout apart, I was in quite good condition. Had it not been for the toe, I might have considered walking the remaining kilometre or so into Clare to the real end of the line. That seemed like masochism, however, which I don't do, so I stayed put. I must have covered about 30 k with all of the detours. Not a bad effort.

Return to the starting point	and the car where I had left it

I drove back to Salt ‘n Vines, changed my shirt in the car park and staggered into a very posh restaurant. Luckily, there were no other diners to offend as it was only just opening time, so they didn't throw me out. I had a nice glass of Paulette Riesling and an exquisite plate of grilled haloumi with roast tomatoes, asparagus and tapenade. It wasn't cheap but it was very good.

The motel receptionist seemed delighted to see me so I had a shower, a rest and a change of clothes. All were much needed. It seems to be a very standard motel, comfortable, clean and functional. There were no laundry facilities, unfortunately, but I think I have enough clean clothes to last me back to New Zealand.

Back in Clare, I popped into the travel agent's to thank him for organising the bus ride for me and then found a café for a drink. I decided on an iced coffee and negotiated a reduction in the amount of ice cream, explaining that I wanted a drink and not a pudding. What emerged was good and refreshing.

	Clare is a quiet place. Nothing remarkable and only the shops you would expect to find in a rural support town. I paid a visit to the only internet café, which seemed to double as a youth centre, checked through lots of emails and sent a few of my own. By now, the cloud had lifted and it was becoming decidedly hot. Just as well that I finished the walk before lunch.

Driving back down the route of the Trail, I was able to feel a sense of accomplishment. Hadn't I walked a long way! I returned to Crabtree and Stephen Jones to buy the wines I had liked yesterday, then drove up to Paulette Wines and tasted some more.

The building was nothing special but it sat on top of a ridge, offering magnificent views to the East. While I was there, someone shut a heavy roller shutter making the whole place shake. The lady agreed with me that it was like an earthquake & said they often had them in the Clare Valley.

Lastly, I called in at Neagles Rock, a pretty building with nice Riesling and an excellent liqueur Muscat. After that, it was home again for a rest and a session of diary writing.

Neagles Rock	View across the valley from the motel

I joined a few others in the motel restaurant overlooking the valley.

The Paulette sparkling Riesling, which had been tasting at the vineyard, was only $5 for a 200ml bottle, so I had one. It was perfectly drinkable - but that’s about the most enthusiasm that I could manage for it. A good BBQ wine but no more.

Lamb cutlet salad	Flathead & chips

The lamb cutlet salad smelled divine and tasted pretty good, although the lamb could have done with less cooking. The beetroot, rocket and feta salad was excellent. The temperature when I arrived was pleasantly cool. The waiter pronounced that it was cold and switched on a heater. Soft, these Australians.

The flathead was also excellent. They are ugly fish when on the fishmonger's slab but it was cooked to perfection, was very fresh and had slight hints of salmon to it.

Feeling suitably full, I retired to my room, finished off the wine that I had bought at Tim Adams two days ago, and went to bed to rest my weary limbs.

October 24