South Australia

Welcome to serene and surprising South Australia, where world-class food, wine and hospitality combine with spectacular coastlines, prehistoric geological attractions and an endless array of cultural experiences for every traveller. Start your journey in amazing Adelaide and the beautiful Barossa Valley, before exploring the highlights of Mount Gambier, the Ikara-Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island and so much more in between.

ADELAIDE, BAROSSA & CLARE VALLEY

A trip to South Australia is never complete without staying in the capital, Adelaide, where charming streets, impressive churches and cathedrals, and gourmet cuisine await. This welcoming city is also your gateway to the Barossa and Clare Valley, two of Australia’s premier winemaking regions.

Enjoy the Adelaide Central Market

For a quintessential Adelaide experience, take your Club to the thriving gastronomic and cultural hub that is the Adelaide Central Market. Here you’ll find authentic eateries inspired by the flavours of Asia, plus loads of fine produce from across South Australia including fruit, vegetables, cheese, chocolates, small goods and more. After breakfast, a guided tour can take you through the market’s rich history and favourite characters (adelaidecentralmarket.com.au).

Spend a day at the Adelaide Botanic Garden

The sprawling Adelaide Botanic Garden is a true oasis in the heart of the city. Spend a day wandering the delightful gardens, which feature superb architecture, majestic avenues and impressive flora including the celebrated wisteria arbour. Members can dine on produce from the surrounding gardens while relaxing under a heritage rotunda overlooking pleasant ponds (botanicgardens.sa.gov.au/ visit/adelaide-botanic-garden). The National Wine Centre of Australia and Adelaide Zoo are both within walking distance as well.

Become a winemaker for a day

Reckon you can create the perfect drop? At Knappstein Wines in the Clare Valley your group can take part in a wine blending session, a hands-on experience where knowledgeable winemakers teach you their craft before letting you have a go at making your own signature red wine blend. Held in the Enterprise Brewery building, which dates back to 1878, the ‘Let’s Get Blended’ class is just 45 minutes long and is complemented by a full tasting of the winery’s own offerings – so you can see how yours compares! (knappstein.com.au/events/lets-get-blended).

1. Watch the wonderful wisteria arbour put on a purple show at Adelaide Botanic Garden

2. The always-buzzing Adelaide Central Market is one of the largest undercover fresh produce markets in the Southern Hemisphere

THE FLEURIEU PENINSULA & KANGAROO ISLAND

South of Adelaide you’ll discover the stunning coastline and wetlands of the Fleurieu Peninsula, home to a number of conservation parks that offer a glimpse into the region’s diverse flora and fauna. From Cape Jervis you’ll want to take the ferry to must-see Kangaroo Island, where the outdoor adventure goes to another level.

Follow the Fleurieu Art Trails

Rugged, windswept Fleurieu Peninsula has provided artistic inspiration for centuries, and today the region remains a haven for art and culture. By following the distinctive purple flags along the six Fleurieu Art Trails (fleurieupeninsula.com.au/artheritage-culture), your group can find the region’s best studios, galleries and exhibition spaces. Each circuit can be navigated as a day trip. The self-guided tours cover creative works across diverse destinations including McLaren Vale, Willunga, the Gulf beaches, the south-western tip, the south coast, and upstream from the Murray Mouth towards Adelaide.

Get a taste of Kangaroo Island

Take the short ferry ride from Cape Jervis to Kangaroo Island, South Australia’s premier nature-based destination, to spend a few days immersed in the beauty of the island’s beaches, bushland and wildlife. On a guided beach walk with a Park Ranger see Australian sea lions at Seal Bay Conservation Park (parks.sa.gov.au/experiences/seal-bay). Get up close to kangaroos and koalas at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park (kangarooislandwildlifepark.com). Witness Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch at Flinders Chase National Park. Or simply indulge in the island’s gourmet delights on a tour to a cellar door, gin distillery, oyster farm or honey farm. Explore Kangaroo Island on one of SeaLink’s multi-day tours to experience incredible native wildlife, local produce and spectacular coastal scenery (sealink.com.au/kangarooisland/experiences/multi-day-tours).

AT A GLANCE

3. Seal Bay is home to about 800 Australian sea lions, an endangered species that occupy the south and west coasts of Australia

4. See the Remarkable Rocks, a stunning geological feature popular with visitors to Kangaroo Island

5. The d’Arenberg Cube is perhaps the most well-known artwork in McLaren Vale, but follow the Fleurieu Art Trails to discover hundreds more

Adelaide Central Market

08 8203 7494 adelaidecentralmarket. com.au

Adelaide Botanic Garden

08 8222 9311 botanicgardens.sa.gov.au/ visit/adelaide-botanicgarden

Knappstein Wines

08 8841 2100 knappstein.com.au

Fleurieu Art Trails

fleurieupeninsula.com.au/ art-heritage-culture

Seal Bay Conservation Park

parks.sa.gov.au/ experiences/seal-bay

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park

08 8559 6050 kangarooisland wildlifepark.com

Sealink Kangaroo Island Tours

13 13 01 sealink.com.au/kangarooisland/experiences/ multi-day-tours

LIMESTONE COAST, RIVERLAND & MURRAYLANDS

Across the far east and south-east of the state, members will marvel at the beaches, rivers and lakes that define the Limestone Coast, Riverland and Murraylands Regions. You’ll no doubt discover the prehistoric caves and volcanoes, but there are also charming towns and contemporary attractions to explore in this underrated part of South Australia.

1. The iconic Robe Obelisk was constructed at Cape Dombey in 1855 by local builder George Shivas

2. Berri’s 15-metre high, 12-metre wide Big Orange claims the title of the biggest of the “big fruit” in Australia

2 Relish your time at Robe

Boasting gorgeous beaches as well as high-quality boutiques, restaurants and accommodation options, Robe is a destination bound to be appreciated by members looking to unwind. Get your toes in the sand at Long Beach or stroll along the lovely Obelisk Coastal Trail, starting with views of the Robe Obelisk itself, passing the historic ruins of the Old Gaol (robe.sa.gov.au/explore/history/oldgaol), on to the jetty and marina, and finally to the family-run Robe Town Brewery for a hand-crafted specialty beverage (robetownbrewery.com.au).

Visit Riverland towns

A Riverland adventure will take your Club through picturesque countryside as you traverse Australia’s longest river, the Murray River. Pop into quaint towns like Berri, Loxton, Renmark, Waikerie and Barmera – the jewel of the region, where the sparkling fresh water of Lake Bonney invites visitors to enjoy a spot of fishing or canoeing. For members who are interested in regional Australia’s ‘Big Things’, a stop to see the Big Orange, located near Berri, should definitely be on the itinerary. Standing 15 metres tall and 12 metres wide, it’s the biggest of the ‘Big Fruit’ found anywhere in the country.

AT A GLANCE

The Old Gaol, Robe

08 8768 2003 robe.sa.gov.au/explore/ history/oldgaol

Robe Town Brewery

robetownbrewery.com.au

YORKE & EYRE PENINSULAS

Say yes to a tour of the Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas, where coastal drives don’t come much more rewarding. When you’re not admiring the lakes and landscapes on one side or the ocean on the other from one of the countless lookouts, enjoy the first-class ecotourism on offer or dine out on some of the freshest seafood in the country.

Drive to Kimba

Your Eyre Peninsula escape will take you to the tiny town of Port Augusta, where a broad harbour stretches out to the Spencer Gulf. Next you’ll make your way to Kimba, another town with a small population yet enormous appeal. Admire the eight-metre-tall ‘Big Galah’ guarding over the region, before discovering Kimba’s other larger-than-life drawcard – its silos, which have been decorated as magnificent murals by creative artists as part of the Silo Art Trail (australiansiloarttrail.com). While travelling the colourful countryside, make time for the pink ripples of Pildappa Rock – the highest and longest wave formation on the Eyre Peninsula. Formed 1.5 billion years ago, this immense granite outcrop rivals Western Australia’s famous Wave Rock.

Travel the Salt Lake Trail

Yorketown is surrounded by around 200 salt lakes, and the crystal formations offer avid photographers an opportunity to take some eye-catching pictures. Depending on the salt content, season and even the time of day, the lakes on the Yorke Peninsula Salt Lake Trail can span the colour spectrum from vibrant pinks and oranges to shades of silver and white. You can explore the circuit via four selected routes, taking in some truly superb vantage points. Along the way, interpretative signage highlights the history of salt production in the area at stops like Lake Fowler, Dhalliwanggu-Lake Sunday and Pink Lake.

1. Marvel at the mesmerising wave formations of Pildappa Rock

2. Pink lakes just like this can be found all over the Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas

AT A GLANCE

Silo Art Trail

australiansiloarttrail.com

Yorke Peninsula Salt Lake Trail

yorkepeninsula.com.au/yorkepeninsula-salt-lake-trail

FAR NORTH

In the state’s largest region, the vast Far North, your Club will be enthralled by the Ikara-Flinders Ranges – an absolute must for nature lovers – but your outback journey can stretch far beyond the most popular landmarks alone.

Discover the magic of Wilpena Pound

Located in the heart of the wildlife-rich Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, Wilpena Pound – known as Ikara (meaning ‘the meeting place’) to the region’s Traditional Owners, the Adnyamathanha people – is a natural amphitheatre of mountains set in a region renowned for its geological history, ancient fossils and Aboriginal rock art. This is where the famous South Australian landscape artist, Hans Heysen, found the inspiration for his most famous gum tree paintings. Wilpena Pound Resort offers an ideal base to explore this vast, ancient outback landscape on a guided Aboriginal cultural walk, 4WD tour or spectacular scenic flight (wilpenapound.com.au).

Stargaze at Arkaroola

Find out why most remaining yellow-footed rock wallabies call the South Australian outback home when your group arrives at Arkaroola, where ancient granite mountains meet hillsides covered in golden spinifex. You can meet these shy, endangered marsupials in their natural habitat within the award-winning Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, which is

1. Wilpena Pound is known as Ikara in the language of the Adnyamathanha people, meaning ‘meeting place’

2. Arkaroola is a 610 square kilometre wildlife sanctuary located in the northern Flinders Ranges

home to a huge variety of birds, reptiles and mammals. Your group will also have the chance to gaze over Lake Frome to the desert beyond, but the ultimate ‘star’ attraction is the dazzling night sky above that members can experience on an astronomy tour including the Dodwell Observatory, Sir Mark Oliphant Observatory and Ningana Imaging Observatory (arkaroola.com.au). ■

AT A GLANCE

Wilpena Pound Resort

1800 805 802 wilpenapound.com.au

Arkaroola

08 8648 4848 arkaroola.com.au