Forget watching period drama films, one of Barossa Vintage Festival’s most beloved events offers a chance to see and experience life as it once was.
Fittingly held at one of the Barossa’s oldest areas, the Bethany community is once again presenting ‘Step Back In Time,’ a full production of historical activities, working displays and experiences.
Co-convener, Anna Schrapel, explained how the entire church complex is transformed to provide a glimpse into how the early Europeans would have lived in the area.
Taking a walk around the site, there is certainly something to pique the interests of any visitor.
Anna points out the location where the Barossa Valley Machinery and Preservation Society will set up old steam engines and displays, and also where the team will place early agricultural equipment on show.
“Our ancestors and Bethany were very self-sufficient, did everything themselves, so that's…a lot of what you see here as you walk through,” Anna shared.
Anna said the newly re-thatched barns and sheds will be home to both demonstrations of historical cooking and craft.
“We have the old-fashioned noodle-making for the fantastic chicken noodle soups we set up…old sauce pans and preserving units and things like that,” Anna said.
“We have the fantastic blue wagon... This is (an) authentic early German family wagon which would have been used for the local farmer to take his produce to a market.”
Another section of the traditional thatched barns will be used to house an array of animals, from ducks, chickens, goats and even a Clydesdale horse.
Under the largest of the thatched shelters will be even more demonstrations of traditional artisan crafts, including rope-making, milk separating and butter churning.
History will be brought to life before peoples’ eyes.
“We have a milk separator display here and butter churning and you know, (put) the cream in the churn and it's…turned and turned and turned and then the kids get to pack the butter (into) butter mounds and things like that,” Anna said.
Another favourite is decorating traditional German Honey Biscuits.
“One lady is actually making 300 (honey biscuits),” Anna said. “So, we offer a gold coin donation for the kids to come in and they're offered the chance to decorate the honey biscuit and of course, eat it as they go.”
Among the other offerings is the Schoolhouse Gallery Heritage displays, which include a tribute to ‘Lutherans on Service’ and poignant stories of life in the Barossa during world conflict.
Overall, Anna is pleased to bring this enriching event to the 2025 Barossa Vintage Festival saying, “I'm excited, I think we've got an amazing team."
