Barossa Valley Wine Trails

The Barossa Valley is world renowned for the quality of it's wines as the amazing dry climate produces some of the worlds best white wine. There is ample accommodation and here are many scenic attractions for the discerning tourist, such as the renowned Barossa Reservoir Whisper wall. Sample the Barossa Valley Wine for yourself and take home some sparkling distilled sunshine from South Australia.

The elegant curve of the Barossa Reservoir, is better known as the "Whispering Wall". The reservior water comes through a tunnel over two kilometres through the hills from a weir on the South Para River. The tall, thin, dam, which is curved against the pressure of the water, was radical at the time of construction over a 100 years ago. The wall is one sector of a perfect circle, and the soundwaves bounce in a series of straight jumps along it to the other end. Hence it is known as the Whispering Wall.

Revolutionary Concept
"The Barossa Reservoir's boldness of design deserves to rank with the most famous dams in the world". So said the American Engineer's News. Famous then and now.
The idea of this tall, thin, concave, dam, curved against the pressure of the water, attracted international attention and was featured in the Scientific American. The design came from the Irish-born Alexander Moncrieff - as a government engineer, he was remarkable. He never took a holiday in forty-two years and he left a considerable emgineering legacy.

What To Do ........
The idea is that one person stands on one side of the dam and the other person walks over the walkway to the other side. Stand close to the silhouette, look along the wall, and speak as though to someone ahead of you. The effect is quite remarkable - One speaks in a normal voice, or even whispers to be heard quite clearly from right across the other side, but the sound appears to be from someone standing right in front of you.... It is one of those delightfully eerie and miraculous effects which has been produced by accident.

Proposed in 1899 and completed in 1902, the Barossa Reservior was one of the first cement arch dams in the world, and was considered very innovative as modern design. It was recognised as a 'National Landmark' by the Institute of Australian Engineers. More than 10 metres thick at its base, it tapers up to just the width of a narrow pathway at the top. The aggregate mixed on site was 'flown' in by flying fox and big quartz boulders plus forty tons of old Gawler horse tram tracks were laid in for added strength. This reservior holds 4500 megaliters of water and is a critical part of the local economy.