As we need to be back in Sydney in 9 days time, we had to make this the last destination of Austin’s original travel plan and leave Kangaroo Island and Wilsons Promontory for another time.
Driving South towards Clare, the landscape starts to look almost European, with undulating hills, paddocks of wheat and green meadows. Then, descending on the eastern side towards Clare, the first wine hills appeared.
The oldest winery of the area is Sevenhill Winery. 
It all started off with Silesian farmer, Franz Weikert, and 130 Catholics from Austria and Germany travelling to Adelaide in 1848 to seek political and religious freedom.
Short of financial means, Weikert and one of the Jesuit brothers settled at the northern edge of the colony, at Clare, and established a Jesuit Mission.
The church, Jesuit college and the ruins of Weikert’s cottage along with religious shrines are still part of the vineyard.
The first sacramental wine was planted in 1851 and soon after the Jesuit residence and college. Here the two brothers of Saint Mary MacKillop, Donald and Peter, were educated, and Mary had once stayed in the Weikert cottage.
Mary’s brother Donald later became the superior of the Daly River Mission established by the Clare order in Darwin.
In the meantime, the "sacramental wine” has financed a lot more than the college and is still growing strong.
After doing some tasting we got lost driving on the valley’s scenic route, but not due to the wine tasting, as Austin had stuck to water. This way we saw many more picturesque corners of the wine country than most other tourists and found a Vineyard called Skillogalee.
We returned to the family run vineyard and restaurant the next morning. Sitting under an old olive tree and overlooking the sun drenched grapevines, we had a delicious breakfast and shared warm potted smoked trout with tomato, basil, cream & parmigiano reggiano with home made crusted bread and baked eggs with baby spinach and Italian cheese. 
Yum on both counts!
We found out that “Skillogalee” is the Celtic word for a gruel that was fed to prisoners. Irish explorer, Horrocks, replicated this gruel made from grass seeds and water after he and his party ran out of food. It saved their lives. So he called the creek running along the current vineyard “Skillogalee”. I have to say, I much preferred our breakfast menu to a bowl of gruel.
So, now we are homewards bound and are looking forward to see everyone again!