Explore The Highlights Of South Australia
Charming cities and towns, world-class food and wine, famous cultural festivals, diverse wildlife, and extraordinary picturesque scenery make South Australia a favourite destination for the locals and foreign visitors.
If you are a true nature lover, taste your way through world-famous wine regions, laze back at picture-perfect beaches and swim with sea lions. For the more adventurous or animal lovers, cage diving with sharks, and get close to kangaroos and koalas in the various areas of South Australia are on the plan.
So, get the pens out, it’s time to plan a holiday to enjoy a few days in relaxed South Australia, and discover some highlights with a Bums on Seats tour.
Let’s take a look at some of the places you’ll visit on our South Australian Highlights Tour.
From Adelaide to the Hahndorf Through the Picturesque Adelaide Hills
Our tour starts with a scenic drive from Adelaide out through the picturesque Adelaide Hills, arriving in Hahndorf just in time for morning tea. This village is the oldest surviving German settlement in the country, and still boasts it’s heritage through with plenty of smallgoods, bakeries, cuckoo clocks, and timber folk art.
You’ll discover plenty of places to stop including the Antique Clock Museum, the fudge shop, and the opal shop. Enjoy morning tea before moving on to Goolwa – there are plenty of delicious places to sit for a coffee and cake in Hahndorf.
Goolwa, Basham Beach & Victor Harbor
Goolwa is where the Murray River meets the ocean. This historic river port is a popular stop for holidaymakers and it’s not hard to see why. Stop for a walk along the beach, discover the historical features still dotted around, and keep an eye out for the cocklers gathering pippis or cockles on the beach. Make sure you take some time for the Horse Drawn Tram in Victor Harbor, which runs from the mainland, across The Causeway and around the northside of Granite Island. You can choose to take the tram both ways, or tram one way and walk the other.
As we move from Goolwa to Victor Harbor, we’ll keep an eye on Basham Beach during whale season. The calm waters of Basham Beach encourages mother whales to stop and give birth or rear their young calves.
Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram. Source: Victor Harbor Tramway
McLaren Vale
A gem in the South Australian wine region, and an area not to be missed. McLaren Vale has some of the oldest and finest wine, olive and almond growing areas in the country. This region has more than 80 cellar doors and vineyards, and while it is known for its Shiraz, there is plenty of other great drops coming out of McLaren Vale include Grenache and Cabernet. We do of course recommend stopping to try some of the amazing wines of the region, but there is also plenty of art to check out, as well as the coastline and beaches. You should also pop in to the The Almond Train where you’ll find some great local produce including the largest range of flavoured almonds, olives, oils, marinades, lollies and so much more.
You’ll also find plenty of chocolate, including the famous FruChocs factory and Bracegirdle’s, the most awarded chocolatier in the country. We certainly recommend a stop at either one (or both if you can fit it in!).
Bracegirdle’s. Source: ATWD
Looking for ways to explore the highlights of South Australia without having to drive? Join a South Australia Highlights Bums on Seats Tour. We’ll do the driving, you do the exploring.