Mintaro Maze, Mintaro, South Australia

The Mintaro Maze is a garden hedge maze that was originally planted by the Morris family in 1995.

How complex you find it will depend on how good your sense of direction is. It's not the largest of mazes but it is big enough to disorientate and have you second guessing about whether you've followed a path already.

Whilst the main goal is to find your way to the centre of the maze (and out again by the exit - not the way you came in) you can also play the Mintaro Maze Game, a questionnaire sheet of things to look out for as you explore the entire maze complex.

I'd highly recommend playing the game as it will make for a more engaging experience and will make your visit that much more fun.

It's also a great place for adding photos and selfies to your Instagram account (which I noticed a few people doing - myself included) as the maze is well cared for with many statues and scenic spots that make for great pictures.

Once you've solved the maze you can browse the maze shop/cafe or play one of several outdoor board games like, giant chess, giant Jenga, Noughts and Crosses, and more. We spent quite a bit of time solving a stepping stone maze that looks impossible on initial attempts.

We spent the afternoon at the Maze, taking a picnic lunch with us. Our two grandsons (aged 5 and 6) really seemed to enjoy the maze experience, but surprisingly loved learning how to play giant chess so much that they played several games.

This wasn't the biggest Chess set but other people wanted
to use the giant chess set (apparently).

The whole experience is good for something to do in an afternoon. Entry fees do apply, and may seem a little expensive at first but is comparable to the price of a movie and a way more interactive experience. Check their website for opening times.

A really good double experience is to visit Martindale Hall in the morning (particularly in the morning if you have young children), and then follow it up with the Maze in the afternoon (where your children can de-stress after being told time and again not to touch anything in the hall by touching everything at the Maze).

Exploring the two sites makes for a bit more of an expensive day but you will get a discount on entry at the maze if you've already paid for Martindale (and vice-versa).

We enjoyed our time at the Mintaro Maze. Regardless of whether you feel the maze is hard or not, there's still plenty to do, making it a more unique experience than simply a picnic at the park.

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