South Australian Stories

Royal Adelaide Show ride

Feature Article

Let South Australia put a spring in your step with these outdoor ideas...


Spring is the perfect time to visit the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens, just out of the city on the edge of the Adelaide Hills. See cool climate plants from both the northern and southern hemispheres including the magnificent magnolia collection. Free guided walks are offered every Thursday and a picnic lunch by the lakeside is highly recommended.

If you're up for an action packed weekend, get a group of friends together and go paintballing. South Australia's most popular paintball skirmish park, Paintball Sports, is located at Kuitpo on the Fleurieu Peninsula, less than an hour's drive from Adelaide.  Choose from eight awesome playing fields and make artwork out of your mates.

Soak up a sunny Sunday afternoon with food, wine and music at Nepenthe cellar door's Sunday Sessions. Be entertained by local musicians, feast on wood oven pizzas and enjoy Nepenthe wines by the glass, all set to the stunning backdrop of the rolling Adelaide Hills. Sunday Sessions will be held on the first and last Sunday of the month from 12pm - 5pm, starting 27 September.

Now that spring has arrived, swimming with sea lions tours have started up again on the Eyre Peninsula. Join Adventure Bay Charters for an unforgettable experience interacting with playful sea lions in their natural marine environment and find out why they're known as 'the puppydogs of the sea'. 

Be inspired by the bold and colourful artworks on display Salon Rouge Art Gallery in the Clare Valley; then explore your own creative side with a group workshop. There are a range of spring classes for beginners and experienced artists including paint a large canvas and an oil and beeswax one day workshop.

For a family favourite activity, enjoy a day out at the Royal Adelaide Show. South Australia's biggest annual event has something for everyone, with gourmet food and wine tastings, live entertainment, exhibitions, displays, fashion parades, animals, carnival rides, sideshows and the huge show bag pavilion.

With the weather warming up (but before peak season rates kick in!), now is the perfect time to hire a houseboat and cruise the Murray River. For added entertainment, time your trip to stop off in Mannum for the Sounds by the River festival on 24 October, featuring Lee Kernaghan, Kasey Chambers and Darryl Braithwaite.

Experience the beauty of Sinclair's Gully in spring with Friday night twilight tastings throughout September. The Wine, Wallabies and Bonfires experience offers biodynamic wines and regional cheese platters served around a forest campfire.  The eco-certified cellar door is also offering Wine and Wildflower Walks in its endangered candlebark forest throughout October.

Spotlight

Justin Lane's Alpha Box & Dice

Alpha Box & Dice cellar door images Seeing Justin Lane at work, sharing his original and passionately crafted wines in his personality-filled cellar door, it's hard to believe that winemaking was only his third career choice. Luckily for vino-philes of the world, the professional cowboy career didn't take off and the professional rugby career was deemed riskily unfeasible early in the piece.

After entering the industry as a cellar hand, Justin was inspired by a few mates practicing 'garage' winemaking and started his own experimentation. It didn't take long for his 'liquid resume' to impress the right people, scoring him a job as a flying winemaker for UK company Direct Wines. While his international reputation continued to grow, Justin stayed true to his hands-on, small production approach, establishing Redheads studio with a group of like-minded winemakers in McLaren Vale.

He has now just opened his own cellar door, Alpha Box & Dice, in an old horse stable down the road. It's an eclectic yet stylish setup of bowling pins, blackboard scrawlings, old bottles, spoon collections, pinball machines, historic photos of complete strangers... and whatever else seems to fit the vibe. The labels of his dolcetto, Viottolo Viale sangiovese blend and Changing Lanes cabernet-tempranillo are just as artistically exciting, featuring holograms and freehand drawings.

As for the wines themselves, glowing reviews and strong sales are proving that Justin's passion and creativity are matched with skill and insight. The next phase of the cellar door plan is to build a Parisian-style wine salon complete with red velvet drapes and taxidermy - it might sound like an unlikely venture for a classic Australian wine region from anyone else but, coming from Justin, it sounds pretty spot on.

To contact Justin, please email Anna Bartsch at anna.bartsch@tourism.sa.com.

New South Australian Products

Willangi Bush Escapes

Willangi outdoor bath

Willangi offers bush camping, four-wheel-driving adventures and a range of outdoor recreational activities. The 9500 acre property is a working grazing and cropping farm just north of Peterborough in the southern Flinders Ranges.

Guests are invited explore the property's tracks and trails by foot, bicycle, horseback or vehicle. Campsites are set in bushland and travellers are welcome to pitch tents, sleep under the stars or pull up their caravans. Each campsite has a clearing for a bonfire and one site now features a unique outdoor bath. 

 

Click here for more information


Appellation expansion

Appellation

The Barossa's renowned Appellation Restaurant, part of the Louise luxury hotel, has reopened in substantially expanded and upgraded facilities. A new dining room has been built adjoining the existing room, maintaining an intimate atmosphere while increasing capacity to 48 guests.

Appellation's cellar, housing its award winning wine list, has doubled in size and now features a glass walled wine display. The lounge has also tripled in size and, in coming months, a new outdoor terrace with vineyard views will open for sunset drinks.

 

Click here for more information


New Breeze Apartment at Victor Harbor

Breeze Apartments

Apartment four in the Breeze complex at Victor Harbor has opened to guests, offering luxury self-contained accommodation. The stylish beachfront apartment is on the ground floor and overlooks Encounter Bay and the lawned reserve.

The apartment features three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open plan living/dining/kitchen area leading onto balcony. As well as all modern conveniences, the property offers laundry facilities, security alarm and undercover parking.

 

Click here for more information

 


Explore Cuisine and Culture School

Explore Cuisine and Culture kitchen

Internationally renowned chef Jean-Claude de Toulouse has opened Explore Cuisine and Culture above the Adelaide Central Markets, offering cooking classes, market tours, food products and language lessons.

The cooking classes focus on dishes from Jean-Claude's own published recipe books, drawing together a range of international influences and local produce. Classes are conducted in a state-of-the-art kitchen fitted with Miele appliances. The school also offers one-on-one tutoring in seven different languages.

 

Click here for more information


Events


Renmark Hotel meal

Riverland Renaissance Festival

2 - 18 October 2009

The great lifestyle of the South Australian Riverland will be celebrated at the 2009 Riverland Renaissance Festival.  Events will be held in various locations, showcasing the region's wine, food, sports, music and multiculturalism. Activities will include twilight cruises on the Murray, banquet lunches, bush opera, wine shows, twilight dinners, cooking demonstrations, concerts and more.

More information

OzAsia Festival

OzAsia Festival

3 - 17 October 2009

The 2009 OzAsia Festival will bring together a diverse range of music, dance, theatre, visual art, film, anime and food. Events will feature some of the most talented artists from around Asia, as well as Australians who identify with an Asian cultural heritage. The celebration will begin with the traditional Moon Lantern Festival on the banks of the River Torrens which last year attracted more than 10,000 people. His Excellency Dr José Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, will deliver the keynote address at the festival's free symposium.

More information

Upcoming Events in South Australia

South Australian Writers' Festival

More Information

4 - 17 September 2009

14th Golden Oldies World Hockey Festival

More Information

20 - 27 September 2009

Bay to Birdwood Classic

More Information

27 September 2009

Barossa Slow

More Information

1 - 4 October 2009

Semaphore Music Festival

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2 - 5 October 2009

13th Tang Soo Do World Championships

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31 October - 2 November 2009

Quirky SA Facts

Dying for a great holiday?

Centennial Park

Adelaide's Centennial Park Cemetery has featured in a Los Angeles Times story hailing Adelaide as a top tourist destination.

Centennial Park CEO Bryan Elliott says it's great the stereotypes surrounding the cemetery industry are being challenged.

"Many people think of cemeteries as dark, dreary and depressing places, but at Centennial Park we have bright and colourful gardens and extensive landscaping with water features, trees and flowering plants," he says.

In fact, as evidence of its attractiveness, the cemetery has recently hosted its first wedding, with the bride declaring the park "full of life"!

Corporate News

This month's corporate news headlines:

  • July 31, 3009 - First Tiger flight from Sydney roars into Adelaide
  • August 1, 2009 - Record nominations for SA Tourism Awards
  • August 7, 2009 - National recognitions for the Flinders Ranges
  • August 12, 2009 - Government funding helps SA tourism development
  • August 25, 2009 - WOMADelaide becomes a four day festival
  • August 26, 2009 - Cruise Down Under Conference sails into Adelaide
  • August 26, 2009 - Lance to ride in South Australia again next year
  • August 27, 2009 - Tour Down Under joins forces with Santos
  • August 29, 2009 - Talks on extending pro-tour licence for Santos TDU

For full media releases, please contact Regan Pingel at regan.pingel@tourism.sa.com or Laura Dare at laura.dare@tourism.sa.com.

 

 

In Brief

Masterchef's Matt Preston at the Wine Underground

Food critic and Masterchef judge Matt Preston will launch his new book, Cravat-A-Licious, at The Wine Underground on Tuesday 6 October.  Head Chef Adam Liston will prepare a 3-course dinner with matching wines to celebrate the event.

More information - www.wineunderground.com.au; Genevieve Prior: email genevievep@wineunderground.com.au; ph 08 8232 1222

 

Leading international chef to host cooking classes

Sticky Rice Cooking School in the Adelaide Hills has announced that internationally renowned Thai food expert David Thompson will teach three master classes during November. David has published several Thai cooking books and is the owner of Michelin Star restaurant Nahm in London and Sailors Thai in Sydney.

More information - www.stickyricecookingschool.com.au; ph 08 8339 1314

 

Gourmet food served in the Outback

A new gourmet catering company based in Blinman in the Flinders Ranges has been launched to service the state's far north. Epicurean Tucker Box Outback to Anywhere catering offers modern dining experiences from corporate lunches to large scale a la carte dining as well as event planning.

More information - www.epicureantuckerbox.com.au; ph 08 8648 4370

 

Fleurieu restaurant has Australia's best small wine list

Fino restaurant in Willunga on the Fleurieu Peninsula has been awarded Best Small Wine List in the 2009 Australian Gourmet Traveller Magazine Wine List of the Year Awards. Appellation restaurant in the Barossa picked up the award for South Australian Wine List of the Year for the second year running. 

More information - Fino: email info@fino.net.au. Appellation: www.thelouise.com.au/sitepages/content.asp?MainMenuID=2&SubMenuID=7; ph 08 8562 4144

 

Barossa merlot wins Singaporean wine award

Fernfield's 2006 merlot has been named Best New World Merlot in Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao Review Challenge. Other South Australian award winners in the list include Shottesbrooke, Jacob's Creek, Elderton and Torzi Matthews.

More information - Rebecca Plummer, Fernfield Wines: www.fernfieldwines.com.au; email rebecca@fernfieldwines.com.au; ph 08 8564 1041

 

Historic seaside hotel offers guided tours

The newly re-opened Australian 1858 hotel in Goolwa will host guided tours of the property on 4 and 5 October. The tours will explore the hotel's 150 year history, its transformations and the people involved in its fascinating story.

More information - email australasian1858@bigpond.com; ph 08 8555 1088

 

Big night of free camping

BIG4 are offering free camping at twelve of their South Australian caravan parks on Friday 20 November. The Come Camp with BIG4 events will feature sausage sizzles, pancake breakfasts, face painting, mystery guests and other family activities.

More information - www.big4.com.au/comecamp; Rachael Mein: ph 03 8416 6705; 0438 982 101; email rachael.mein@che.com

 

Bradman memorabilia room opens in North Adelaide

A Donald Bradman themed sitting room containing a signed cricket bat and two of the Don's own armchairs has been launched at at the Melbourne Street Mews. The restored 1846 cottage operates as a Bed and Breakfast and is a short walk from Adelaide Oval.

More information - www.adelaideheritage.com

 

Family of artists on show at Rawnsley Park

Three of South Australia's leading artists, all from the same family, will have their work exhibited in Rawnsley Park Station's Woolshed Gallery as part of the 2009 A Brush With Art Flinders Ranges art festival. Marie, Allyson and Nigel Parsons will show a collection of paintings, pastels and photography in 'A Family Affair'.

More information - Sally Dean, Woolshed Restaurant: ph 08 8648 0126; email woolshed.restaurant@gmail.com

 

National science hub to open in Adelaide

The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) will open in the former Adelaide Stock Exchange building in October providing a new space for science-based public entertainment, private facility hire and professional development.  The facility will also provide a host of events and tours, acting as 'a destination for everyday science'.

More information - Dena Vassallo: Dena.Vassallo@ppr.com.au; ph 08 8114 6160

 

Endota Spa owners named Franchisees of the Year

For the second year in a row, the owners of the Endota Spas in Adelaide, the Barossa and Hyde Park have been named South Australian Franchisees of the Year by the Franchise Council of Australia. The win further boosts Endota's reputation as Australia's fastest growing spa network.

More information - www.endota.com.au

 

Star acts confirmed for Folk Festival

The lineup for this year's Fleurieu Folk Festival has been announced, with acts including Damien Howard and the Ploughboys (Vic), Chloe and Jason Roweth (NSW), Alan Johnston (Scotland), Doug Ashdown (SA), Cloudstreet (QLD) and many more. The three day event will be held at Willunga on 23 - 25 October.

More information - www.fleurieufolkfestival.com.au; Ben Hooper: email hoopers119@bigpond.com; ph 08 83272797

 

New ferry for the Spencer Gulf

Sea SA Car and Passenger Ferries has begun construction on a new purpose-built, 56 metre vessel that will carry 85 cars and 300 passengers. The Aurora will replace Sea Spirit 1 next year, linking Lucky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula with Wallaroo on the Yorke Peninsula.

More information - Justine Day: justine@seasa.com.au; ph 0411 611 414