With summer over, thoughts turn to comfort food, cosy holiday retreats and winter activities.

From KI to the outback, and all the places in between, there are so many ways to enjoy a winter break in South Australia.

With the days getting shorter and the nights longer, we’ve put together a few holiday ideas to make sure you don’t waste a minute.

Here are some great accommodation options, food and drink adventures, and exciting animal encounters.

Great stays

The Adelaide Hills are gorgeous at any time of year, and in winter they have a special quality. Mist settles over the vineyards, dew glistens on forest leaves and the still morning air is crisp and clear.

For a luxurious getaway, settle into Sequoia, overlooking the beautiful Piccadilly Valley. Enjoy a guided nature walk, see the heavens through Sequoia’s private telescope and take in a dawn yoga class… or not. Maybe just rug up on the deck with a hot drink and breathe it all in.

Adelaide is home to world-class food and wine, lively bars and festivals galore. Check the calendar for a show or event you’d like to see and book yourself a luxury stay in the city. A three-night Adelaide Experience at Crowne Plaza in the heart of the CBD includes a tour of the bustling Adelaide Central Market, a twilight RoofClimb adventure at Adelaide Oval, and more.

Check into Tasha’s Apartments on Morphett if you’d rather self-cater, or immerse yourself in history at Adina Apartment Hotel in the old Treasury building on King William St. Book through RAA Travel.

With the summer heat gone, what better time to visit the Flinders Ranges? Bush walk or four-wheel-drive among towering escarpments and deep gorges, and watch as the setting sun turns ancient bluffs an earthen orange.

With views of Wilpena Pound, Rawnsley Park Station’s eco villas are ideally located as a base to explore the rest of the ranges. Visit the RAA travel website to secure your villa.

For an unforgettable outback experience, bed down at Coober Pedy’s famous underground Desert Cave Hotel, where the room temperature is a lovely 23 to 25 degrees Celsius, year-round. Head to the surface to explore the otherworldly landscape of this unique opal-mining town.

Overlooking the sparkling waters of Boston Bay, Port Lincoln Hotel on Eyre Peninsula offers 4.5-star accommodation with sea views, a heated pool and a cosy fireplace in the bar and restaurant. A two-night, three-day package includes a balcony room, wine tasting at Boston Bay Wines, a tour of a Coffin Bay oyster farm and a seafood lunch.

Eat and drink

There’ll be food and drink aplenty when Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel fires up its ovens on 29 April. Grab a bite at an Express Lunch in the Town Square Kitchen, featuring world-class chefs, or take on the Pink Fizz brunch, where each dish in the four-course meal is paired with just the right bubbles.

Coffee lovers are in for a roasting at the Veneziano Coffee Sensory Experience. Pete Licata, a former winner of the World Barista Championship, will lead guests through the sensory delights of this popular brew.

Pie Life takes the humble deli snack and turns it into venison and king brown mushroom pithivier with cocoa nib gravy and plum ketchup. There’s also a green chicken curry pie floater and other marvellous chef-created wonders.

If you can’t wait for Tasting Australia, every corner of SA already has something to offer when it comes to locally sourced food and drink. At the Riverland’s Banrock Station, grab a picnic pack and find a secluded spot to enjoy a grazing plate and glass of wine among the gums and reedbeds in their internationally-recognised wetlands.  

Kimbolton Wines at Langhorne Creek on the Fleurieu Peninsula offers a curated family tasting experience. Parents can enjoy a wine and cheese flight while the kids test their tastebuds with a selection of Bickford’s cordials, cheese, cabana and a chocolate treat.

 

Animal outings

SA’s not only home to a diverse range of native birds, reptiles and marsupials, but our state also plays host to some international stars of the animal world.

At Monarto Safari Park in the Murraylands, the Lions 360 view is like a land-based version of shark cage diving. From inside a well-meshed cage, come within fang and claw distance of the powerful king of the savannah.

On a Panda and Friends behind the scenes experience at Adelaide Zoo, you’ll see giant pandas Wang Wang and Funi greet the day and explore their habitat, and watch on as the red pandas eat breakfast, all before the zoo opens. Following morning tea at the zoo’s Wisteria Restaurant, an extensive guided tour will drop by plenty of the zoo’s other residents.

Separation from the mainland has made Kangaroo Island a giant sanctuary. Kangaroos, koalas, echidnas and all sorts of birds have a home here. A Kangaroo Island Wildlife Adventure includes accommodation, return ferry tickets and an ocean safari in the sheltered waters where dolphins, seals and sea eagles spend their days.