This morning we transfer to Sydney Airport for our morning flight departure, arriving into Adelaide.  We will have plenty of time to take in the highlights of this great city which stands as a testament to the vision of Colonel William Light. Our tour includes the North Terrace cultural precinct – the Immigration Museum, the State Library, The Art Gallery, Museum of South Australia and Parliament House, the beautiful Botanic Gardens and North Terrace where we will enjoy lunch at leisure. We then continue to Adelaide Oval, Montefiore Hill, the North Adelaide residential district, Victoria Square and King William Street as well as a visit to the Himeji garden. By evening we check in at our hotel and share a relaxed two-course dinner, ready for our South Australian adventure.

Overnight: Amora Adelaide
Meals Included: Dinner

An early start this morning as we head to Wallaroo, on the Yorke Peninsula, before our Sea Link Ferry crossing of Spencer Gulf. We will be on the Ferry for approximately 2 hours, crossing the sparkling waters of the Gulf before disembarking at Cowell. The drive down the Eastern shoreline of the Eyre Peninsula offers more spectacular coastal scenery as we pass the towns of Arno Bay and Tumby Bay.  Port Lincoln sits on the beautiful Boston Bay. It is a major commercial centre and the seafood capital of Australia. Our accommodation for the next 3 nights is at the acclaimed Port Lincoln Hotel.   (Ph 08 8621 2000)

Overnight: Port Lincoln Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A fabulous day in and around Port Lincoln! We will commence with a tour of this fascinating town.  We will see the abundance of fishing vessels at Lincoln Cove Marina and visit the Old Mill, built in 1846, the city’s oldest standing structure and continue with a visit to Winter Hill lookout after morning tea. We will then visit the fabulous Axel Stenross Maritime Museum which tells the story of a Finnish boat builder that settled in Port Lincolm in 1927. The museum is housed in his workshops which still has an operating slipway.

Later this morning we will visit the award winning Boston Bay winery, one of the most beautifully located vineyards in Australia. Boston Bay wines produce a premium range of superb red and white wines in a location with a breathtaking vista of blue seas, cruising yachts and the occasional whale. There will be the opportunity to explore the centre of Port Lincoln on foot while we have free time for lunch before we regroup.

This afternoon we will embark on a 2 hour cruise around Boston Bay with Calypso Cruises. We will take in the spectacular shoreline, visit a sea lion colony, see aqua culture farms for king fish, tuna and mussels – with samples! We will cruise the canals of Lincoln Cove Marina, Porter Bay, Boston Bay, Port Lincoln National Park and Boston Island while learning about the history of the commercial fishing industry that is the town’s life blood.  Dinner tonight is in-house at 7.00pm.

Overnight: Port Lincoln Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Dinner

We will spend this morning exploring the fabulous Whaler’s Way which takes us along some of the most spectacular coastline in South Australia. One of it’s many features is Cape Carnot, a national geographical monument – at over 2,600 million years old it is believed to be the state’s oldest rock formation.

This afternoon we will collect our picnic lunch and detour into Coffin Bay National Park and visit Almonta Beach and the rugged Avoid Bay. We will then drive around the township before our oyster tasting cruise with Experience Coffin Bay.  We cruise the leases while hearing the history of Coffin Bay. Oysters will be freshly shucked in front of us for us to sample and the boat has a bar to add to the experience!  We will return to Port Lincoln with time to enjoy a stroll along the waterfront or simply relax before dinner.  

Overnight: Port Lincoln Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch, Dinner 

Today we will travel much of the spectacular western shoreline of the Eyre Peninsula along 300 kilometres of sublime coast. We will continue north along the western coastline arriving in Elliston situated on Waterloo Bay.  It offers some of the best fishing on the Australian coast with salmon being specifically prolific. We will travel along the Anxious Bay cliff top drive where sculptures are set amongst more fabulous scenery. After lunch, we continue north and see Murphy’s Haystacks, ancient wind worn pink granite slabs, thought to be 1500 million years old. We will continue to Baird Bay where the clean shallow waters abound with sea lions and dolphins. We will then travel into Streaky Bay where we will visit the Whistling Rocks and blow holes on the Cape Bauer Loop Coastal Drive.  Our accommodation for the next 2 nights is The Streaky Bay Hotel.  (Ph 08 8626 1008)

Overnight: Streaky Bay Hotel Motel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we will travel further north, with our first destination being the beautiful bays and beaches of Smoky Bay. It is another Eyre Peninsula town where the fishing ranges from excellent to sublime, with crabbing being particularly popular. Our next destination is Ceduna, located on the sweeping shores of Murat Bay. It is the last major town on the drive west to Perth before the Nullabor Plain on the Eyre Highway. It has strong Aboriginal cultural ties and its name appropriately means ‘resting place’. It has a thriving oyster and seafood industry including rock lobsters and abalone and the annual oyster festival attracts throngs of people from far and wide. We will travel around Decres Bay through the township of Baudin and on to Thevenard and Denial Bay.

We will have the opportunity for a swim at one of its many beaches and the option of walking all or part of the 4 kilometre Coastal Encounter walking trail with its historic signage on ceramic tiles. We will also visit the old School House National Trust Museum which exhibits memorabilia from the British Atomic Testing Program at Maralinga. We will return to Streaky Bay with time to relax before dinner.

Overnight: Streaky Bay Hotel Motel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we will drive through broadacre wheat farms and the towns of Minnipa and Poochera, famous amongst entomologists for the Nothomyrmecia Ant regarded as a living fossil.  We will take in the Pildappa Rock (South Australia’s version of Wave Rock) and the granite domes and views of the Gawler Ranges from the Wudinna district along with Mt Wudinna, one of Australia’s largest granite monoliths.

One of the highlights of the tour is bound to be the Big Galah at Kimba, the town halfway across Australia, on the northern side of the vast Eyre wheat belt.  Early settlers called the district Heart Break Plains and seasons can certainly vary here.

The final leg of today’s journey sees us continue north east to Whyalla and stopping briefly at the Hummock Hill lookout before arriving into Port Augusta at the head of Spencer Gulf. We will have a brief tour around town and also visit the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Gardens before checking into the Standpipe Golf Motor Inn for the night. (Ph 08 8642 4033).

Overnight: Standpipe Golf Motor Inn, Port Augusta
Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning Tea, Lunch, Dinner

Our first destination this morning is the award winning Wadlata Outback Centre which has fascinating displays relating to the Aboriginal dreamtime, European settlement, regional geology and mining.  

This afternoon we will pause at Crystal Brook for lunch on our way to the picturesque Clare Valley.  Lush pastures, crops and orchards provide fabulous fresh produce and its vineyards are exceptional – the Clare Valley has over 40 cellar doors to temp visitors, along with a rich heritage and fabulous villages.  Apart from exploring the northern side of the valley we will visit a local winery for a tasting. 

We will conclude the afternoon with a special inclusion of a guided tour of Bungaree Station, which has an amazing history.  George Hawker and his brothers ventured into this unchartered area in 1841 and established one of Australia’s most successful sheep flocks.  The station remains under the careful stewardship of the Hawker Family.  

Overnight: Clare Country Club
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we will head to the Moonta Mines Heritage Site where we will learn about the copper industry that was so important to the state’s economy, visit the mines museum and see some of the Cornish miners cottages.  We will enjoy time in this quaint township with free time for lunch.  

We continue back to Adelaide for our flight to Sydney, reflecting on an extraordinary journey through South Australia’s rugged coastlines, charming towns and celebrated wine country.

Meals Included: Breakfast