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grid escape, book into Dream Domes ( see Accommodation) and stargaze from a hot tub.

Go whale watching off Campobello Island

Unmissable – whether you see the North Atlantic right whale or not. Island Cruises Whale Watch (bayoffundywhales.com), run by Mackie Greene of the Whale Rescue, is surely the best on Campobello Island. Trips from C$55 (£32) go three-times daily in season. In St Andrews, Jolly Breeze (jollybreeze.com) also offers trips by Zodiac or tall ship from C$65 (£38).

Explore the Roosevelt legacy

Wander the grounds of the old family home, then hear tales of the First Lady’s life at the daily Tea with Eleanor. Free at 11am; C$14 (£8) at 3pm. www.fdr.net

Meet marine life

For a closer look at the Bay of Fundy, the staff at Huntsman Visit www.wanderlust.co.uk/194

AThedelaide, South Australia’s lively capital, is the kind of city where you end up jealous of the residents. It’s cultured. It’s easy-going. It has a packed festival calendar, huge swathes of parkland, food streets and a historic core full of handsome period architecture – generally seen basking in the South Australian sunshine. Little wonder that the place is consistently ranked by Economist as one of the world’s most appealing urban areas. It’s a city for foodies and wine fans, art lovers and music nuts, beach bums and museum drifters. In short, it’s a joy to spend time in.

Of course, the same is emphatically true of South Australia itself, and part of Adelaide’s enduring charm is that so many of the state’s greatest attractions are within easy reach of the capital. So, once you’ve enjoyed yourself to the full in the city – visiting the lush Botanic Gardens, sampling local produce at the Victorianera Adelaide Central Market or perhaps lazing on the golden beaches of Glenelg, where pods of dolphins swim offshore – the logical next step is to get behind the wheel and explore further afield on the beautiful open roads of South Australia.

WILDLIFE APLENTY

A 90-minute drive south from central Adelaide brings you to Cape Jervis, the jumping-off point for trips to the peerless Kangaroo Island. The car ferry across to the island takes just 45 minutes, but the journey transports you to one of the most wildlife-rich areas you’re likely to encounter anywhere.

As well as plenty of those eponymous kangaroos, the island’s free-roaming menagerie also includes koalas, wallabies, echidnas, brush-tailed possums,

fur seals, sea lions and even little penguins. The birdlife here is prolific – from pelicans to redtailed tropicbirds – and if you look out toward the water, you might spot breaching southern right whales or playful dolphins.

The setting for all this wildlife is just as dramatic. The island is a place of dense gum forests, sandy bays and geological wonders, two prime examples being the otherworldly granite boulders known as Remarkable Rocks and the stalactite-filled limestone caves of Kelly Hill. And the best part? Kangaroo Island covers more than 4,400 sq km, so it feels blissfully uncrowded.

WINE & DINE

Heading an hour north of Adelaide, meanwhile, there’s bliss of another sort to be found. South Australia takes its food and drink seriously, and the reputation of the Barossa Valley region for good wine goes before it. It’s a name that now spans the globe, thanks largely to the magic it works with Shiraz grapes.

It was back in the 1840s that the first vines were planted here (among the first were those of the still-healthy Orlando winery, now home to the Jacob’s Creek label) and the region’s popularity shows no sign of waning. By joining a specialist Barossa tour, you’ll find out more about the complex wine-making process that brought the region such international acclaim.

If you want a more active vineyard experience, you can walk or cycle the trails around the Clare Valley – one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, two hours north of Adelaide. Tour the boutique wineries that dot the hills, stopping for lazy lunches and afternoon snacks on food and drink grown in the valley.

A TRUE AUSSIE WILDERNESS

Another South Australia highlight? Further away from Adelaide – but more than worth the five-hour road trip across the state’s rolling countryside – lies the Ikara-flinders Ranges National Park, one of the most iconic outdoor destinations that you’ll find in Australia.

The red belt of rugged peaks that forms the backbone of the park is a world of wildflowers, gorges and escarpments, with ( Kangaroo Island; Adelaide Central Market; driving in Ikara-flinders Ranges National Park; Kangaroo Island’s ‘Remarkable Rocks’; wine tasting in South Australia; Singapore Airlines one of its highlights being the crater-like natural amphitheatre known as Wilpena Pound. To see it in its full glory, few experiences beat a scenic flight over the rim. And back on the ground, the park is great for bushwalking, putting true Aussie wilderness within a few hours’ drive of the city.

GET PLANNING

Singapore Airlines flies four times a day from London Heathrow to Singapore, and five times a week from Manchester, with daily onward connections to Adelaide. Enjoy their state-ofthe-art aircraft as you experience a true taste of Australia, served up by chef, Matt Moran, and wine consultant, Michael Hill Smith.

You can also tailor-make your South Australian holiday with Flight Centre: Experts that take the hassle out of planning a trip. They’ll book your flights, arrange tours, sort out car hire and more so that you can focus on the important stuff: getting the most out of your time Down Under.

Plan your perfect Journey to Adelaide and South Australia with Flight Centre. Holidays start from £1,355 per person for 13 days, including international flights with Singapore Airlines.

‘If you want a more active vineyard experience, you can walk or cycle the trails around the Clare Valley’