Must-see spots in SA
Mount Gambier
South Australia’s second largest city has unusual features and makes a great end point for road trips from Adelaide down the Limestone Coast, or as an add-on to the Great Ocean Road in nearby Victoria. Its most alluring attraction is the volcanic Blue Lake (pictured), which changes hue in the warmer months. Swimming is banned (but not at Little Blue Lake about 14km away) but the 3.6km walk around it is a must. Don’t miss the Umpherston Sinkhole, a lovely sunken garden with great curtains of hanging ivy. QantasLink and Regional Express fly to Mount Gambier from Adelaide and Melbourne. See discovermountgambier.com.au
Wine country
McLaren Vale
South Australia is home to some of Australia’s best wine country, and McLaren Vale boasts around 160 vineyards and 74 cellar doors, as well as breweries, distillers and restaurants. Famous for red wine, especially Shiraz, McLaren Vale is an easy 45-minute drive from Adelaide. Many of the cellar doors also feature local produce, from tasting platters to fine dining. Be sure to visit d’Arenberg winery’s famous Cube (above), inspired by the complexities of winemaking. It houses a restaurant, tasting room and cellar door. Visit mclarenvale.info for maps, day planners, tours, news and events.
York Peninsula
The Copper Coast
Just 160km north-west of Adelaide there’s another world: welcome to ‘Australia’s Little Cornwall’. The discovery of copper in the late 1850s sparked a wave of immigration from Cornwall to the sparsely populated Yorke Peninsula. Moonta became the hub of mining activity, Wallaroo the main port on the Spencer Gulf. These days, it’s the region’s pristine beaches such those at Port Hughes and Moonta Bay (pictured) and tasty Cornish Pasties that lure visitors, but the past is splendidly preserved in the local museums. More at visitcoppercoast.com.au