Description
Bethany Wines
Visit Bethany, the Barossa’s oldest village and explore the history of our amazing wine region.
With some of the oldest vines in the Barossa, Bethany Wines has special place in the region’s winemaking story.
Johann Gottlob Schrapel and his family arrived from Silesia on the George Washington in 1844. This was just eight years after South Australia was settled. Like many Silesian migrants, they travelled by ox cart to Bethany (Bethanien), and established the Barossa’s first settlement.
28 families from from Silesia (now Poland) settled in Bethany in 1842.
It’s still a close-knit community centerd around the church, which was built in 1883 with bluestone from the quarry.
Many of the locals grow grapes and make wine, and trace their family history back to the first settlers. There are 22 locations of interest along a 5km return walk.
Bethany is on the Barossa Heritage Trail, a great way to learn more about the region’s history and traditions.
