Although COVID has been downgraded from the biggest worry in our worlds right now, we can understand why travel might seem a little bit daunting.
Most of the borders have opened, and many of our friends are rushing off to all corners of the world to visit friends and family, but some of us are holding onto the lessons learned from two years of lockdown.
While it might have felt limiting to some to be kept in the one place, for others, a whole new world of domestic travel unfolded. We learned that cars are probably the safest means of transport for avoiding illness, that a refundable booking is always preferable, and that we have such a huge backyard spanning Australia, inviting us to explore it.
South Australia as a state has grown exponentially in the last few years, becoming a haven for tourists that want to visit somewhere close that offers new sights, new perspectives, and a lot of stuff to do.
We’ve got three reasons that South Australia is the first place to add to your local travel bucket list.
The Food
Did you know that Adelaide is actually a huge exporter of MasterChef stars? Both Poh Ling Yeow and Callum Hann are South Australian natives, which makes the city’s foodie status pretty unsurprising. While Poh is a regular at Adelaide’s Showground Market, Callum has recently opened Eleven, his restaurant in the heart of the city.
Alongside business partner Themis Chryssidis, Callum opened the restaurant in 2021, taking an admitted calculated risk, given the impact of COVID on local tourism to the area.
However, it’s thankfully taken off, mostly in part to the delicious food.
The ‘Experience Eleven’ tasting menu has snacks and five individual courses, and petit fours (post-dinner pastries), each one served with a matching wine.
While all of it is amazing, we can particularly recommend the chevre agnolotti with asparagus, burnt onion, parmesan and chive oil.
The Sights
While Adelaide city has come very far in recent years, the true beauty of South Australia can only be seen by driving all the way into it.
The Flinders Ranges are something you can only truly marvel at when it’s in front of you, preferably with a glass of sparkling wine at Rawnsley Homestead, with the sun dipping down below the peaks in the mountains in front of you.
Depending on where you choose to stay, a trip into the Ranges can take about a five-hour drive or a 45-minute charter plane ride, if that’s inside your budget. While driving will fill you with amazement at the sheer size of this country, flying will let you see everything.
You’ll get an incredible view of Wilpena Pound, a rock formation that makes up a natural amphitheatre, and one of South Australia’s greatest sights.
After years of confinement, there’s nothing quite like a South Australian sky, either – endless, blue, and full of stars once the harsh sun drops.
While people travel all across the world for a sight like this, we’re so incredibly lucky it’s within a much shorter distance for us.
The Wine
South Australia is also well known as a wine capital of Australia, producing 50% of the country’s annual production.
Whether it’s famous South Australian staples like Penfolds or Jacobs Creek, or any of the vineyards spanning the stunning McLaren Vale, Adelaide’s ranging temperatures and weather patterns make the perfect conditions to grow a range of grapes to make a range of wines.
While you can taste these wines in any of their restaurants, a visit to see things up-close, and taste some wine while you’re at it, is always a good idea.
The Penfolds Magill Estate, just 15 minutes from Adelaide CBD, offers cellar door tours along with a tasting and lunch. Or, if you’d like to see more of the Barossa, The Tasting Australia Festival will be hosting a number of events in order to show off some excellent wine. You can check out a Vineyard Walk here, or a tasting more local to the city.
The South Australian Tourism Commission and RAA Travel will be hosting Tasting Australia from the 29th of April to the 8th of May 2022, a celebration of food and wine across the entire state. Check out the program and events here.
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