8 Days in Adelaide, Adelaide Wine Regions and Kangaroo Island
Adelaide is bursting with culture, flavours, events and entertainment. Indulge in some of Australia’s most award-winning restaurants in the heart of Adelaide, join the party at immersive festivals and events or spend the night exploring Adelaide attractions and a thriving restaurant and bar scene. The picturesque McLaren Vale region features rolling hills, vineyards, a rugged coastline and charming villages whilst the Barossa Valley epitomises the European tradition of celebrating food and wine and is famous for its full-bodied reds, fortified and robust white wines. With its raw and rugged coastline, impeccably clear waters, and natural wonders and wildlife, Kangaroo Island is known as nature’s playground. Embark on a luxury small group tour that embraces good food, good wine and an abundance of wildlife.
At a glance:
- 3 nights Adelaide
- 1 night Barossa Valley
- 3 nights Kangaroo Island
The Journey
- Nearest Major City: Adelaide
- Duration: 8 days
- Mode of Transport: Car, Luxury tour vehicle, On Foot, Plane, 4WD vehicle
DAY 1
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, South Australia
Make your way to Adelaide Oval for a Stadium Tour.
Hear captivating tales of the history of the venue, the sporting greats who have competed here and the Oval’s iconic status in SA. Imagine running onto Adelaide Oval, climbing the stairs to the 100-year-old heritage-listed scoreboard or gaining an insight into match-day preparations in the players’ – these experiences are included on this tour.
Sit back and enjoy views of the River Torrens whilst you linger over lunch at a riverside café.
This afternoon explore the boutiques of Rundle Mall or enjoy a gentle stroll through the North Terrace Cultural Precinct.
Check into your accommodation at The Mayfair, then grab dinner at one of Adelaide’s lively restaurants.
Highlights:
- Take a behind-the-scenes look at the iconic Adelaide Oval on a Stadium Tour.
- Enjoy lunch with a view beside the River Torrens.
- Get some retail therapy at Rundle Mall.
- Soak up Adelaide’s history, memorials and monuments at the North Terrace Cultural Precinct.
DAY 2
d’Arenberg Wines, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Explore the McLaren Vale region on a private tour with specialist food and wine tour operator, Rich and Lingering.
Arrive at d’Arenberg Wines for the Blending Bench experience, a hands-on experience where you play winemaker, then take home a bottle of your favourite blend.
Next up, travel to Gemtree Wines for the Being Biodynamic experience. Learn about biodynamic grape growing and wine making with a guided tour of Gemtree’s Biodynamic Hut.
Head to Wirra Wirra Vineyards for the Shiraz Revolution experience which includes an intimate winery tour visiting old ironstone cellars and a tasting of five of Wirra Wirra’s best shiraz.
Tonight, enjoy a casual dinner at one of Adelaide’s many historic pubs. Alternatively, head down to the beachside suburb of Glenelg for some beachside dining.
Highlights:
- Enjoy some of McLaren Vale’s best wineries by luxury vehicle with private guide.
- Play winemaker and blend your own unique wine at d’Arenberg.
- Demystify biodynamic wine making at Gemtree Wines.
- Enjoy a Shiraz masterclass and chocolate platter at Wirra Wirra.
DAY 3
The Louise, Barossa Valley, South Australia
Pack your bags for two days’ wine tasting in the Barossa Valley.
Drive to Barossa’s most historic operational winery, Seppeltsfield Wines, for the Centenary Tour and Taste Your Birth Year Tours. Seppeltsfield is the only winery to release a hundred-year-old port every year - the legendary Para Liqueur Port. Spend some time at the Jam Factory and Vasse Virgin located in the Seppeltsfield Complex.
Stop off at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop to stock up the pantry, purchase a hamper or enjoy a free daily demonstration before continuing on to Yalumba for the Yalumba Unlocked experience. This private tour visits the grounds, historic building, unique Cooperage and family’s private museum cellar. The tour concludes with a hosted tasting of Yalumba’s finest wines.
Check in to The Louise for an overnight stay – where food, wine, luxury accommodation and a genuine welcome await you.
Tonight, dine at Appellation, The Louise.
Highlights:
- Sip on a wine as old as you are directly from the barrel at Seppetsfield Wines.
- Stock up on Maggie Beer’s Pheasant Farm products at the Maggie Beer Farm Shop.
- Take a winery tour and taste Yalumba’s finest wines in the stunning Wine Room with seasonal platter of local produce.
- Spend the night in luxury at The Louise and enjoy a menu guided by the seasons at Appellation.
DAY 4
Jacob’s Creek, Barossa Valley, South Australia
This morning depart on the Breakfast with the Kangaroos experience. The Louise has developed a unique experience that offers guests access to one of the simple pleasures of visiting regional Australia, seeing kangaroos up close in their natural habitat.
Check out of The Louise and head to Jacob’s Creek for the Blend by Jacob’s Creek Experience*. See the Barossa’s iconic vineyards and learn how wine is produced before a Jacob’s Creek winemaker teaches you how to make an expert bottle of blended wine to suit your very own taste.
*minimum 4 people
Make your way to St Hugo winery where you can partake in a guided tasting, visit the vineyard and enjoy bespoke experiences, along with specially crafted wine flights in The Lounge and superb regional cuisine in The Restaurant.
Return to Adelaide and check into The Mayfair.
Tonight, head to Leigh Street and Peel Street towards Adelaide’s west end. Here, hip new little bars serving select tapas plates stand alongside a smattering of already-locally-renowned restaurants.
Highlights:
- Enjoy a gourmet breakfast on a picnic blanket amongst families of kangaroos with The Louise.
- Work with a Jacob’s Creek winemaker to create your very own blend of wine to take home.
- Linger over a wine flight or guided tasting at St Hugo winery.
- Enjoy the thriving restaurant scene around Leigh and Peel Street.
DAY 5
Australian Sea Lion and Pup, Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Make your way to Adelaide Airport for the flight to Kingscote, Kangaroo Island.
Meet your knowledgeable Exceptional Kangaroo Island guide at the airport and commence your 2-Day Kangaroo Island In Style tour.
Day 1 – Island Life: Enjoy morning tea before taking a walk, spotting koalas and listening for the sounds of the bush – brightly coloured honeyeaters and brilliant parrots, cicadas or perhaps just the sound of silence.
Travel to the north coast where your guide will identify trees and wildlife before enjoying a delicious lunch at a private bush camp with fine South Australian wines.
At Seal Bay Conservation Park take a private tour with your guide among Australian sea-lions on a beautiful sandy beach – an experience similar to that of the Galapagos.
A range of accommodation is available from 3-4 star hotels, farmstays or luxury villas.
Highlights:
- Take a walk down a Eucalyptus-lined country track where koalas snooze overhead.
- Look for small wallabies almost extinct on the mainland and a kangaroo found only on Kangaroo Island and other wildlife.
- Enjoy a delicious lunch with South Australian wines.
- Walk amongst the sea-lions with your guide at Seal Bay Conservation Park.
DAY 6
Weirs Cove, Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Continue your 2-Day Kangaroo Island In Style tour.
Day 2 – Flinders Chase Focus: Travel to Flinders Chase National Park with morning tea en-route. Learn about a century of conservation activities before exploring the massive natural shapes of Remarkable Rocks – a dramatic natural sculpture which appears to be precariously balanced granite boulders.
Visit Admirals Arch, home to a large colony of Long-nosed fur seals. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the cliff tops or sheltered in the bush depending on weather.
After lunch, explore some of the lesser known places seeking out more wildlife encounters. Depending on season, visit “Grassdale” to experience some pioneer heritage or seek out kangaroos.
Highlights:
- The golden orange lichen-covered Remarkable Rocks provide photo opportunities galore.
- Witness the effect of thousands of years of weathering and erosion at Admirals Arch and watch the fur seals playing amongst the rocks and rock pools.
- Enjoy a picnic lunch on the clifftop or in the bush.
DAY 7
Today you may wish to extend your time on Kangaroo Island with an optional day tour.
Day 3 (Optional) – East End Explorer
Pennington Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Start the day at Pennington Bay situated at the narrowest part of the Island. Enjoy home-baked morning tea before heading to Pelican Lagoon to view an excellent kangaroo habitat where tammar wallabies shelter from their constant predator – the wedge-tailed eagle.
Enjoy a cellar door experience at False Cape Wines then enjoy a local produce picnic nearby. Head to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, where there is time to explore the lighthouse precinct and the granite canyon known as “Devil’s Kitchen”. Take a walk on the long white sandy beach or seek out birds on the quiet backwaters of the Chapman River estuary.
End the day in Penneshaw which can be accessed via a 4WD trail known as Binney’s Track. This runs adjacent to Baudin Conservation Park which provides habitat for a range of wildlife including glossy black-cockatoos, kangaroos, wallabies and echidnas
Highlights:
- Sample the superb wines at False Cape Wines’ new cellar door.
- Explore the isolated Cape Willoughby Lighthouse precinct and ‘Devils Kitchen’.
- Enjoy the tranquillity of the Chapman River Estuary.
- Opportunity to encounter tammar wallabies, black cockatoos and more at Baudin Conservation Park.
DAY 8
Koala and Joey, Kangaroo Island, South Australia
Take a return flight to Adelaide.
