Nature, Sea & Vine Trail

Adelaide, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island - 5 days

Day 1
Spend the day exploring Adelaide's city centre on foot. Tour the Adelaide Central Market, explore the cultural boulevard of North Terrace, including the National Wine Centre, South Australia Museum, South Australian Art Gallery or head for the shops in Rundle Mall. 

See Tandanya - National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Australia's only multi-arts Aboriginal cultural centre. Continue onto Victoria Square, and take the  tram to the seaside suburb of Glenelg. There, walk along the Esplanade, explore the shops of Jetty Road, and stop for coffee at the beachside hotels or Holdfast Shores Marina.  Join a morning cruise to swim with dolphins with Temptation Sailing. Then dine along any number of Adelaide's 'eat streets', such as Gouger Street, Rundle Street and Hutt Street in the city, and O'Connell Street and Melbourne Street in nearby North Adelaide.

Day 2
Less than 30 minutes drive from Adelaide, the Fleurieu Peninsula has rolling hills of vineyards, untouched bushland, stunning beaches and dramatic coastlines. Spend a day visiting some of McLaren Vale's 50 cellar door outlets, art and craft galleries, olive and almond shops.

Continue south to Victor Harbor, South Australia's most famous coastal resort town. Renowned as a great place for watching Southern Right Whales in winter, it is also home to a colony of Little (Fairy) Penguins on Granite Island. The island can be reached by a short walk or on the horse-drawn tram.
Stay overnight in Victor Harbor or the coastal towns of Port Elliot, Middleton or Goolwa. Accommodation includes hotels, motels, resorts, bed & breakfast and self-contained cottages.

Adelaide - McLaren Vale: 40 kilometres, 40 minutes
McLaren Vale - Victor Harbor: 45 kilometres, 45 minutes

Day 3
Goolwa is an old river port on the Murray River, close to where the river meets the sea. Today, join a cruise that takes you to the mouth of the Murray, and learn of the ecosystem, wildlife and Aboriginal significance of this area, known as The Coorong.

Victor Harbor - Goolwa: 17 kilometres, 25 minutes

Day 4
Drive to Cape Jervis to catch a ferry to Kangaroo Island. A minimum of two days is recommended to explore Kangaroo Island - Australia's third largest island, renowned for its abundance of wildlife. Echidnas, koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and Little (Fairy) Penguins are frequently found, providing a remarkable close-up wildlife experience.

Drive to Seal Bay Conservation Park, where guided tours down to the beach ensure the closest possible encounter with the sea lions who live there. Visit the caves at Kelly Hill Conservation Park, and then the dramatic coastal formations of Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch in Flinders Chase National Park. This is a haven for wildlife, and has numerous walking trails.

You'll find accommodation close to the park and also a large range of accommodation in Kingscote, American River and Penneshaw. Little penguins can be found near these towns and tours are offered at Penneshaw and Kingscote.

Victor Harbor - Cape Jervis: 60 kilometres, 50 minutes
Penneshaw - Seal Bay: 96 kilometres, 1 hour
Seal Bay - Rocky River (Flinders Chase National Park) 67 kilometres, 45 minutes
Rocky River - Kingscote: 99 kilometres, 1 hour 10 minutes
 
Day 5
Continue exploring Kangaroo Island today. Find the beautiful secluded beaches on the north coast. The island also produces wonderful foods and products including honey from the world's only pure Ligurian bees, fine sheep'’s milk cheeses and yoghurt, marron (fresh water lobster), eucalyptus oil and wine. Many of the island's producers have retail outlets and offer tours to visitors. Then make your way to Penneshaw for the return ferry journey.

Kingscote - Penneshaw: 58 kilometres, 45 minutes
Cape Jervis - Adelaide: 107 kilometres, 1 hour 30 minutes