92 MAY 2020
SOME SOUND
ADVICE
FOR AMERICANS TRAVELING TO AUSTRALIA. “Don’t
fly into Sydney or Melbourne,” the hotelier says,
from his resort in South Australia’s Barossa Valley.
“Instead, fly through New Zealand. Then take the
direct flight to Adelaide.”
From a logistics perspective, Carreker argues, the
Adelaide airport is far less stressful than Australia’s
larger points of entry. (He’s not wrong.) “Then, it’s
just a quick drive to nearby wine country.” The
American expat fell in love with South Australia
when he was searching for a location to launch a
luxury hotel, and he says it’s far more pleasant to
spend a few days recovering from jet lag in a sump-
tuous room (like those offered at his property, The
Louise) surrounded by beautiful scenery. “After that,
you can spend some time exploring Adelaide and the
surrounding regions. Then,” he says with a shrug,
“go through Sydney or Melbourne on your way home.”
The itinerary Carreker suggests is somewhat backward—most tourists
visiting Australia fly into Sydney or Melbourne then travel to one or two
other locations. Adelaide has not historically figured high on their lists.
But these days, some of Australia’s most exciting restaurants,
wine and spirits producers, and wildlife experiences can be had
within a fairly small radius of the Adelaide airport. The city’s
historic marketplace, a wonderland of international and local
flavors, is undergoing a massive redevelopment. Over the next
two years, multiple new hotel projects from the likes of Sofitel
and Westin are opening in the city. In other words, it has become
an excellent primary destination. And although this past fire
season was devastating to some of the landscape surround-
ing Adelaide, rebuilding is well underway, and tourism willprevious page: The
Remarkable Rocks
on Kangaroo Island
are given their
distinctive hue by
orange lichen; Cape
Moreton scarlet
prawn with roti is
on the menu at
Restaurant Orana.HAS
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