Clare and Beyond

You can head into the Clare Valley from the Barossa through the well-preserved town of Kapunda, Australia’s first copper mining town or from Adelaide.

The Clare has many good wineries and charming, rustic villages. There are more than 30 cellar-door outlets in this picturesque region and pioneer heritage is still evident in lovely towns like Mintaro and Burra. Highlights include: Martindale Hall in Mintaro, a fine example of grand Georgian architecture, and the Heritage Trail at Burra on which you can explore 43 heritage sites across 11 kilometres. The movie, Breaker Morant, was shot here, along with the eponymous hero.

The Clare Valley Riesling Trail has 27km of pathway between Clare and Auburn for walking and cycling. Clare wineries include Jim Barry, Leasingham, Sevenhill Cellars and Knappstein Wines, which is in an historic building that was once a brewery with a distinctive tower reaching through the gum trees. There are also many art galleries in the Clare Valley that feature works by local artists.

You can cut across to the Yorke Peninsula, from Clare through Rochester and, from Adelaide, it’s just over an hour’s drive. The peninsula is rich in heritage, owing its history to the Cornish miners who settled in the 19th century. Other big attractions here are outdoor adventures, particularly fishing and ocean diving.

Just south of Moonta is the Moonta Mines National Trust Museum in the former Moonta Mines Model School (1878). It’s home to displays on all aspects of the Cornish settlement, life and mining. One legacy of Cornish settlement is the shape of their pasties (the vegie pies, not the nipple tassels). At each end of the half-moon shape is a little pastry knob, designed so black-handed miners could use them as handles. Alongside the museum, you can board a train and take a 50-minute trip (with commentary) through the old mining area.

On the east coast, on Gulf St Vincent, is Ardrossan. It’s a pretty spot and there’s excellent fishing from the jetty and fine crabbing (is that a word?) for tasty blue crabs. The stump-jump plough was invented here in the late 1800s.

At the tip of the peninsular there’s spectacular coastal scenery in Innes National Park, as well as surfing, diving and fishing.

Port Lincoln sits on Boston Bay, which is three times the size of Sydney Harbour. If you happen to be in the area in January, head to Port Lincoln for Tunarama. This marks the opening of the tuna season and is a celebration of the local tuna-fishing industry, with markets, food stalls, street parades, a rodeo and arts and crafts. There’s also the world famous ‘Tuna Toss’ where contestants see how far they can throw a fish. Yes, Australians can be a mob of tossers. In various parts of Australia, you’ll also find cowpat-tossing, thong-tossing, gumboot tossing, rolling-pin tossing and, on Anzac Day, tossing coins in a game of two-up abounds - and, of course, at any barbeque somebody’s bound to toss a salad!

Across the Spencer Gulf is the Eyre Peninsula. It has a rugged, spectacular coastline with safe beaches and is popular for sailing, diving, fishing and whale-watching. There are regular 45-minute flights from Adelaide to Port Lincoln, as well as flights to Ceduna, Whyalla, Cleve and Wudinna.

Visit the Maritime Museum in Whyalla, or for your own maritime adventure, go cage diving to see Great White Sharks at close range. Pretty Tumby Bay has a long, white-sand crescent beach and Port Lincoln, at the peninsula’s tip is a popular holiday spot – good surf, sheltered coves and excellent fishing.

At Baird Bay you can swim with dolphins and sea lions. Streaky Bay is another holiday town (named by Mathew Flinders because of the streaks in the bay caused by seaweed.

Lots of small bays, sandy beaches, towering cliffs and, again, good fishing.

The Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Head of Bight) is the place to head for watching southern right whales in their breeding grounds between June and October.

And then it’s off into the never-never of the Nullarbor…

More Information

For more information about South Australia:

• Events And Festivals
• Accommodation
• To See And Do
• Adelaide
• Barossa Valley
• Fleurieu
• Kangaroo Island
• The Outback
• From Andamooka to Woomera

South Australia Tours With Tours To Go