Mintaro

• Summary
• Weather for Mintaro

Mintaro is a beautiful drive 11 kilometres north-east of Leasingham. Established in 1849, Mintaro is part of a State Heritage Area and an absolute must for visitors to the region.

Stroll through the old streets to appreciate the sort of village charm you might encounter in the English Cotswolds or Dales. It's still very much a working region, and has a definite Australian ruggedness to it, but the people of Mintaro have maintained the bluestone buildings and the essence of rural village life. You'll discover stone churches, cottage gardens, an antique shop (where CJ Dennis lived for most of his childhood), a ruined flourmill and interesting cemeteries.

There are also several small vineyards, two cellar door outlets, the 'The Magpie & Stump' historic pub, a hedge maze, a cosy restaurant, a water wise classical garden, plus quaint bed and breakfast houses.

With enormous slate deposits, quarried since the mid 1850's there is no other South Australian town to rival Mintaro for such wide use of this durable and versatile grey stone. Many of the buildings feature Mintaro slate from the local quarry. This slate was famous around the world for providing the playing surfaces on billiard tables. It was used extensively in the finest houses of Adelaide, including Parliament House, and is still being used to pave the state capital. The quarry is still working.

Nearby Martindale Hall is visited by some 25,000 people every year. An exercise in Georgian opulence, it was the country seat of Edmund Bowman, the son of a wealthy pastoralist. He had it built in 1880, complete with a cricket pitch (which hosted the English XI), a boating lake, a racecourse and a polo field. Film director Peter Weir used the hall - both its prim exterior and its Italianate interiors - for the ladies college in his 1975 film, Picnic at Hanging Rock.

The best way to see this unique village is on foot. Wander past some old stone churches, an 1850 country pub called the Magpie and Stump, a grand manor house, a converted granary and stables. You can browse for antiques, meander through a nursery and cottage garden, or enjoy wines from two boutique wineries and delicious local fare from a choice of several cateries