From city to island to hills in South Australia

It is a place I have flown over many times before, peering at the geography from an aeroplane window on my way to somewhere else. Now, and thanks to a Villa Carlotta Travel tour, I am about to experience South Australia for the first time. Villa’s 10-day South Australian Splendour tour usually runs twice a year, in autumn and spring, and I chose the latter, anticipating rain-freshened landscapes, spring flowers and hopefully less flies.

The tour takes in Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula, Mt Lofty and the Adelaide Hills, Victor Harbor, the Coorong, Kangaroo Island, Hahndorf, and the Murray River with three days on Kangaroo Island and a further three aboard the PS Murray Princess. Our group of 14 are in luck: rain has set in the week before we arrive, greening the areas we travel through and breaking a long period of drought.

We are also fortunate to have Villa Carlotta Travel co-owner and director, Margaret Buswell, as our guide. Our journey begins in Adelaide with a tour of the city. I am impressed by Adelaide’s neat, leafy streets, lovely old-stone heritage architecture and the urban planning that has created a city grid encircled by 760ha of parkland — put to good use today by some 80 different sporting clubs.

Adelaide was founded by free settlers, which has perhaps aided the air of quiet gentility underpinning its modern amenities and attractions.

As for all the churches which the city is famous for: I see a few but not enough to cement an impression of an overrun of holy sites. I am more interested in landmarks such as the Fowler’s Building (now the Lion Arts Factory) with its windows “spilling” yellow custard; the Adelaide Advertiser where Rupert Murdoch founded his media empire; striking modern architecture such as the “pineapple-on-a-stick” SA Health and Medical Research Institute; the city’s collection of signature statues and colourful trams; and the shady walking paths along the Torrens River. Moving up into the hills we visit Carrick Hill, a stately home set in storybook gardens. Here we step back in time into the tale of a 1935 marriage, the coming together of two prominent Adelaide families, a grand wedding present, a year-long honeymoon and the privileged life of the property’s wealthy, art-loving owners Edward and Ursula Hayward.

Carrick Hill was one of four properties owned by the Haywards and it was bequeathed to the public in 1970 in a grand gesture after a lifetime of philanthropy by the couple. Today it is a living museum showcasing how the Haywards lived and entertained, along with the wealth of art and antiques they collected. The visit also brings some unexpected misadventure when our bus gets its rear stuck on a section of road.

So while our group discovers Carrick Hill with a guide, our driver Justin has the task of jacking up a 46-seat tourer to keep us on schedule for our next stops — historic Glenelg Beach for lunch (Glenelg is the site of South Australia’s colonial landing) followed by a drive through the city’s now gentrified port precinct and a visit to Adelaide’s Botanic Garden. Home for two nights is the Majestic Hotel where we enjoy a welcome dinner and spacious, well-appointed rooms in a central city location. Our next stop is Victor Harbor (and yes, there is no “u” in this harbour) the biggest town on the shores of the Encounter Bay coast. En route we drive through McLaren Vale’s picturesque wine region where we stop for morning tea and a chance to shop for local produce. There is also a detour for photos of the giant Dali sculptures and quirky Cube exhibition space at the d’Arenberg Winery. Our hotel in Victor Harbor is across from the town’s tree-lined foreshore and near the entrance to the Granite Causeway, a 632m link built in 1875.

It is too windy for our scheduled Clydesdale horse-drawn tram ride to the island so we tour the town and its surrounds instead, while a replacement plan is put in place for the following day.

However, buoyed by FOMO (that ”fear of missing out”), some of our tour group button up for the windy walk across the causeway to the island later that day. Victor Harbor is a good base from which to explore Lake Alexandrina and the lagoon landscape of the Coorong National Park where the Murray River empties and then flows, rejuvenated, out into the Southern Ocean. There’s also a scenic coastal road which takes in Port Elliot and Goolwa, the latter the launching point for boat tours of the Coorong and the Younghusband Peninsula. We enjoy a luncheon eco cruise of this watery wonderland, taking off from Goolwa, with the once controversial Hindmarsh Bridge (which connects the mainland to Hindmarsh Island) arcing high above us at the start of the trip.

The cruise takes us past islands, dunes, points of historic interest and through one of the area’s several barrages or locks where birds and seals congregate hoping for a feed of fish when the gates open to let the fresh water flow out. We also step ashore for a guided walk and the chance to pick and sample bush tucker such as saltbush and samphire and walk on Ninety Mile Beach. The journey from Victor Harbor to Port Jervis for our ferry ride to Kangaroo Island takes us through rolling hills, farmlands and more wine-growing country. On arrival in Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island it is back aboard our bus for a tour of the town, followed by a cupcakes-and-morning-tea visit to farmer Rob’s rustic shearing shed for a sheepdog muster and shearing demonstration — the Plan B to replace the horse-drawn tram ride which had been cancelled the day before. Islands invariably have their own character and Kangaroo Island certainly has a special, unspoiled vibe.

I love its windswept vistas of native woodland and heath, with significant areas given over to conservation reserves; seascapes ranging from sheltered bays to dramatic cliffs; quiet hamlets such as American River, Kingscote and Penneshaw; and a history infused with the American whalers and French explorers who found their way to the island during their adventures in the Southern Ocean. We spend a day visiting family-run businesses which are into their third and fourth generation of operation.

Farmer Rob’s sheep show is followed by a visit to the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery for a guided tour of the distilling process and the story of the Turner family embedded into its manufacturing success.

We also visit Clifford’s Honey Farm to hear the story of the protected Ligurian bees that have made Kangaroo Island their home since being brought to the island from Liguria, Italy, in the 1880s. Today, Kangaroo Island is a sanctuary for these bees and their honey is believed to be one of the purest strains in the world as the island is out of range of bee flight from the mainland. The farm’s hives are moved around the island as different flowers bloom and the honey has become the basis for a thriving tourist and commercial venture. Our home for the three days is the quiet fishing village of American River, in the Mercure Lodge on the shores of Pelican Bay. American River was named for the US sealers that once used it as a base for their operations. The former Linnett’s Lodge where we stay was a favourite spot for honeymooners during American River’s revival as a resort town in the late 1950s and 60s, and I spy an old framed advertisement spruiking its attractions as a “pleasure resort”, with an all-inclusive week-long package deal for five pounds, five shillings. My balcony room looks out over tranquil Pelican Bay and there are American River oysters on the menu for our welcome dinner. Not far down the road is an oyster farm and tin shed oyster bar, plus a cosy waterside cafe to relax in over a cuppa while observing some of the locals — basking New Zealand fur seals and roosting pelicans. American River is also home to the Rig Boathouse and museum, where visitors can experience the Rebuild Independence project, a volunteer initiative to build a sea-going replica of the 45-foot (13.7m) schooner, built by American sealers in 1803 on the shores of Pelican Bay for operations in the area.

We visit the shed in which the Independence 11 is being built to hear its story and view its progress. Kangaroo Island is well-known for its wildlife and we have many exciting encounters, from the island’s smaller, darker and furrier kangaroos and Cape Barren geese to its giant skinks, darting fairy wrens and black cockatoos. Sea lion and fur seal spotting also becomes a pastime and reaches a high point when we visit a resident colony of sea lions for a close encounter atop the boardwalks at the Seal Bay Conservation Park. The island also has its own distinctive termite mounds. A highlight is our visit to the Raptor Domain for a talk and entertaining interactive show. The facility is home to a collection of birds of prey, many of them rescued and rehabilitated and it is moving to see the relationship between these magnificent creatures and their handlers. While the magpie trained to put discarded tissues into the bin has the crowd cheering, it is having a succession of feathered stars perched on our laps for selfies that has us all in, well, raptures. Other stops include: The Remarkables, a dramatic collection of weathered elephantine boulders standing sentinel on a headland overlooking the Southern Ocean; the vast, wave-formed Admirals Arch for more wild coastal scenery; and the Cape du Couedic Lighthouse, built in 1903 from local stone. Kangaroo Island was devastated by bushfires in the summer of 2019-2020. Some 42 per cent of the island went up in flames, so it is gratifying to see the green renewal, burnt tree branches poking through the regrowth as a stark reminder of the blaze. Time takes on a leisurely flow, in sync with the meandering Murray River during our days aboard the PS Murray Princess. Cruising the Murray on a paddle steamer is a nostalgic experience with a fresh view of the sliding rural landscape and the rhythmic paddlewheel as a background soundtrack. My photographs capture ethereal dawns mirrored in a glassy river, pelicans gliding in for a fish supper under the light cast by the Princess at night, and cliffs burnished by the colours of sunset.

I particularly enjoy watching the world go by during our silver service dinners, the fun activities and entertainment organised for guests (our group won the music quiz — yay!), and the chance to put the gleaming dance floor to good use at night. Cue all the dancing queens in our troupe of tourers. And thanks to Russell, the boat’s obliging resident musician and activities director who keeps the boogie beats going for us long after normal business hours. Our stops include Mannum and Murray Bridge, each places that deliver something about South Australian riverine history, plus the chance to step ashore to explore, shop, bird watch — even fish — and visit nearby attractions such as the Monarto Safari Park. While it is sad to farewell the Murray Princess I am keen to visit Hahndorf to experience its Germanic history and charm. The drive from Mannum is particularly scenic, with the landscape moving from rock-strewn hills to farms, fields and forests. A pre-luncheon stop is Lobethal (famous for its Christmas markets and Lights of Lobethal Festival) for morning tea. This is followed by a visit to the Beerenberg Farm, home to my favourite hot tomato sauce. Beerenberg’s farm shop is an Aladdin’s cave of foodie delights but equally interesting are the storyboards detailing the Prussian Lutheran origins of the area and the inspiring tale of a family venture dating back to 1839 and beginning with surplus strawberries being made into jam. Generations later, Beerenberg remains a family owned-and-run business with a vast range of products sold nationally and overseas. Lunch in Hahndorf is in a rustic hotel, complete with rousing Rhineland songs and hearty servings of German beer and food.

Camera IconThe Fowler’s Building and Lion’s Arts Centre with its windows “spilling” custard. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconThe city has an abundance of well preserved heritage buildings. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconThe opening lines to Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again,” came to mind on the winding garden path to Carrick Hill in the Adelaide Hills. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconThe Torrens River and a parkland walk trail. Adelaide has some 760ha of parks. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconSculpture and the quirky 5-level Cube Exhibition space at tbe d’Arenberg Winery in McLaren Vale. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconVictor Harbor foreshore with Encounter Bay in the background. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconThe Hindmarsh Island Bridge, seen during our eco cruise of the Coorong National Park as we set off from Goolwa. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconOne of several barrages or locks in Lake Alexandrina and the Coorong National Park. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconGuides lead the way to Ninety Mile Beach during an eco walk in the Coorong National Park. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconThe entry to the Granite Island Causeway at Victor Harbor. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconA sheltered bay at Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconThe Rig Boathouse and museum and the Deck Cafe on the shores of Pelican Bay at American River. Credit: Supplied/SuppliedCamera IconThe boardwalk to The Remarkables on Kangaroo Island. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconThe dramatic clifftop rock formations of The Remarkables on Kangaroo Island. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera Icon Basking New Zealand fur seals at Pelican Bay, American River. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconThe looping course of the Murray River. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconMurray River dawn scene from aboard the PS Murray Princess. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconHistoric Hahndorf’s tree-lined main street. Credit: Melanie Anderson/SuppliedCamera IconHahndorf is full of heritage buildings that can be traced back to its early days of German settlement. Credit: Supplied/Supplied