Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
Adel Aide & South Au
Str Ali A
WINE
REGIONS
permits. A ‘Two Month Holiday Pass’ ($
per vehicle; $70 including camping) covers
entry to most of SA’s parks, excluding the
desert parks and Flinders Chase on Kanga-
roo Island.Wine ̈Regions
Let’s cut to the chase: we all know why
you’re here. South Australian wines are ar-
guably the best in the world, and there’s no
shortage of wine regions − both established
and emerging − in which to taste them. The
key players:
̈ ̈Adelaide Hills Impressive cool-climate
wines in Adelaide’s backyard.
̈ ̈Barossa Valley Old-school estates and
famous reds.
̈ ̈Clare Valley Niche riesling vintages
and cosy weekend retreats.
̈ ̈Coonawarrra Lip-smacking cabernet
sauvignon on the Limestone Coast plains.
̈ ̈McLaren Vale Awesome shiraz and
vine-covered hillsides rolling down to the
ocean.Activities
With hills, beaches, forests, deserts and
wide-open spaces, there’s pretty much noth-
ing you can’t do in SA (well, apart from
skiing...). The Trails ̈ SA (www�southaustral
iantrails�com) website is chockers with infor-
mation on activities, including horse riding,
canoeing, bushwalking, cycling and diving,
with safety tips, maps and useful links.Bushwalking
SA’s national parks and conservation areas
have thousands of kilometres of marked
trails traversing eye-popping wilderness.
Around Adelaide there are walks to suit all
abilities in the Mt Lofty Ranges, including
trails in Belair National Park and Morialta
Conservation Park; see http://www.environment.
sa.gov.au/parks for details.
In the Flinders Ranges there are out-
standing walks in Mt Remarkable National
Park and Flinders Ranges National Park.Diving
This ain’t the Great Barrier Reef, but it’s
still an ace place to don your flippers and
tanks and check out leafy sea dragons, seals,
nudibranchs, sponge beds, dolphins and en-
demic species.
Off the Gulf St Vincent coast, top dive sites
include Second Valley, Rapid Bay jetty, CapeJervis and the ex-destroyer HMAS ̈Hobart
(www �exhmashobart�com �au), which was scut-
tled off Yankalilla Bay in 2002. Other good
dive sites include the Yorke Peninsula jetties
and the reefs off Port Lincoln. Freshwater
cave diving around Mount Gambier is also
fantastic. Contact the Scuba ̈Divers ̈Federa-
tion ̈of ̈SA (www �sdfsa �net) for more info.Rock ̈Climbing
Rock spiders keen on 10m to 15m cliffs can
clamber over the gorges in Morialta Conser-
vation Park and Onkaparinga River Recrea-
tion Park, both on the outskirts of Adelaide.
More-advanced climbers should head for
the Flinders Ranges: SA’s premier cliff is at
Moonarie on the southeastern side of Wilpe-
na Pound − 120m! Buckaringa Gorge, close
to Quorn and Hawker, is another fave for the
more daring. Contact the Climbing ̈Club ̈of ̈
South ̈ Australia (www�climbingclubsouthaus
tralia �asn �au) for info.Swimming ̈& ̈Surfing
Uncrowded, white-sand swimming beaches
stretch right along the SA coast; the safest
for swimming are along the Gulf St Vincent
and Spencer Gulf coasts. Anywhere exposed
to the Southern Ocean and the Backstairs
Passage (between Kangaroo Island and the
mainland) may have strong rips and under-
tows. If you’re after that all-over-tan look,
head for the nudie southern end of Maslin
Beach, 40km south of Adelaide.
The SA coast is pummelled by rolling
Southern Ocean swells. Pennington Bay
has the most consistent surf on Kangaroo
Island, while Pondalowie Bay on the Yorke
Peninsula has the state’s strongest breaks.
Other hot spots are scattered between Port
Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula and the fa-
mous Cactus Beach in the far west. Closer
to Adelaide, the beaches around Port Elliot
have accessible surf, with swells often hold-
ing around 2m; other gnarly breaks are
Waitpinga Beach and Parsons Beach, 12km
southwest of Victor Harbor.
The best surfing season is March to June,
when the northerlies blow. See http://www.south
australia.com/regions/fleurieu-peninsula-
surfing.aspx for info, and http://www.surfsouthoz.
com for surf reports.
You can take surfing lessons and hire gear
on the Fleurieu Peninsula.Whale ̈Watching
Between May and October, migrating south-
ern right whales cruise within a few hun-