How To Spend a Weekend in the Barossa Valley (but Not As You Know It)

A Culture Hit: Wonderground Gallery

Amid 30 acres of vines on an 80-acre site, Wonderground Gallery is a glorious heritage family homestead, which has been renovated and reimagined as a regional art space. The five light-drenched rooms display up to 100 artworks which change every seven weeks. There are also tastings of the venue’s wine made under the label Mirus Vineyards offering a drop of courage to make that big art purchase. Owners Renee de Saxe and Kirsty Kingsley are also turning the nearby Marananga Community School (abandoned since the mid-1990s) into a restaurant and arts collective to open in late 2024. 130 Heinze Road, Seppeltsfield, wondergroundbarossa.com.

The best luxury stays and cellar doors in the Barossa Valley Discover the most luxe accommodations and cellar doors for your next trip to the Barossa Valley. By Jane Rocca

What to do in the Barossa Valley aside from wine tasting

Though the region is adored for its wine, that’s not all it has to offer. Case in point: Wonderground, the Barossa’s first commercial contemporary art gallery. Gallerists and artists Renee de Saxe and Kirsty Kingsley are all about championing local artists and elevating the art experience in the region. They host exhibitions, yoga classes, prepare picnic hampers and bring a bougie luxury to the countryside for those who want city-like attention to detail.

A trip to South Australia’s Barossa wine region is a treat for the senses, blending a celebrated wine culture with world-famous food and accommodation.

For a final treat on our visit, it’s off to the Barossa’s newest art gallery and cellar door, Wonderground, founded by artists Renee de Saxe and Kirsty Kingsley. A former farmhouse, it is now the venue for eclectic exhibitions and offers the perfect aside from visiting wineries and indulging in the local culinary gems.

A gallery, a hangout for creatives and a pit stop on the wine trail in the Barossa.
A protean new space in South Australia’s Barossa region is redefining the purpose of galleries.

An extract from an article that appears in print in the eleventh edition, Page 24 of T Australia with the headline: “Blank Canvas”

Tip: Look for Renee de Saxe’s cyanotype work and make an appointment with the concierge to visit her new independent gallery Wonderground, nestled in an immaculately restored cottage.

Fresh out of Australia’s Barossa Valley, Wonderground wine blends art and viticulture in more ways than one. The winery’s first range features wrap-around labels adorned with original artwork painted by the brand’s Co-founders and artists Renee de Saxe and Kirsty Kingsley.

The Barossa Art scene is now benefiting from one of Kirsty’s current passions, being the new ‘Wonderground’ Art gallery
and Cellar door.

The Louise has developed a model that supports local businesses while sharing the rich behind-the-scenes stories that make the Barossa. “
We partner with local businesses such as Wonderground Art Gallery, artisan wine producer Tscharke Wines, Maggie Beer’s The Eatery and Coast and Co tours.

If a long and convivial afternoon feast in the Barossa, complete with a much anticipated wine launch and art viewings, sounds just the shot, tickets are on sale for an unique autumn event on April 25 and 26, over the leisurely span of 12.30 to 5pm. The setting is on 32ha property of Mirus Vineyards and Wonderground the valley's first commercial contemporary art gallery, which is housed in a converted heritage homestead that oozes charm

Already boasting a string of successful art ventures under their belts – including the SALA award-winning 100 Barossa Artists – duo Kirsty Kingsley and Renee de Saxe have teamed up again, this time to transform a century-old farmhouse in the Barossa Valley into a contemporary art gallery and cellar door.
Overlooking the rolling vineyards of Seppeltsfield and Marananga, the space has been developed with the aim of having a permanent dedication to the exciting contemporary art scene in the valley.