A fleet of blue 'Bounce Around the Barossa' buses are now ready for AFL Gather Round, providing South Australians and visitors a free hop-on-hop-off service connecting towns, wineries and other businesses across the iconic wine region.
It comes as the Malinauskas Government announces footy fans can ride for free on the Adelaide Metro network to every game and ground with a valid Gather Round ticket.
Travellers on the Bounce Around the Barossa service can stop and experience more than 45 local businesses and townships, stay for a tasting, enjoy a long lunch or take in a cooking demonstration.
Special AFL Gather Round associated events will be hosted at selected venues, including Barossa Distilling Co, Artisans of the Barossa, Barossa Valley Cheese Company, and Seppeltsfield Wines
Travellers can get off and on various stops, stay longer at locations or jump on multiple routes to experience the most of the Barossa with the buses operating from Thursday 10 April to Sunday 13 April.
The services, which are free for AFL Gather Round ticket holders and others seeking to soak up the unique Gather Round atmosphere, will operate from 9:45am until 5pm each day.
The buses will depart from Gawler Train Station, with all three routes connecting to Tanunda - the heart of the Barossa with a leafy historic street waiting to be explored.
In addition to Bounce Around the Barossa, a special Adelaide Metro bus shuttle service will be taking fans from Gawler Railway Station to Barossa Park and back.
Gawler train services will run every 15 minutes before and after both games at Lyndoch.
To catch the extra Gawler train services, Gather Round ticketholders are encouraged to travel from Adelaide Railway Station or Park 'n' Ride from designated stations at Mawson Lakes, Salisbury, Elizabeth or Smithfield.
Fans staying in the Barossa will also have the option of catching a special Barossa Park 'n' Ride bus shuttle, with stops at Angaston, Nuriootpa, Tanunda and Williamstown, and the Nuriootpa and Tanunda caravan parks.
Footy Express bus, train and tram services will transport footy tragics to and from each of the five games at Adelaide Oval, with free travel for ticketholders from 12pm until last service Thursday, 10 April and Friday, 11 April and all-day across the weekend.
Five dedicated bus shuttles will also operate direct to Lyndoch and back, and to and from both games at Norwood Oval, departing from the Festival of Footy at Elder Park, King William Road.
The Norwood bus shuttle will start earlier and run later on Sunday, 13 April to ensure a hassle-free ride for fans kicking on at the Norwood Food & Wine Festival.
Plan your trip, get real-time updates and explore your Gather Round transport options at www.adelaidemetro.com.au.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
Whether you're going to a game, or just keen to soak up an amazing atmosphere, the Barossa is going to be the place to be in Gather Round 2025, and Bounce Around the Barossa is the way to do it.
These buses are free, departing the Gawler Railway Station, and will connect you with 45 different stops, each of which will be marking the occasion with something special.
I encourage every visitor to our great state, and every South Australian to plan ahead this week and get involved. There is something for everyone.
To help everyone get around Gather Round, we're putting on more than 1900 extra tram, bus and train services across four massive days.
Nearly half of the 222,000 ticketholders used free Adelaide Metro services across the Festival of Footy last year and we expect fans will once again jump aboard.
