5 Awesome Day Trips In South Australia

The obvious day trips around South Australia revolve around vino, with a string of world-class wine regions and hundreds of cellar doors located just a short drive from Adelaide. But there’s so much more to explore around the state outside of its wineries, including these five fantastic getaways.

Kangaroo Island

Australia’s third largest island sits right on Adelaide’s doorstep, but it feels like it’s a world away. The rugged coastal scenery is some of Australia’s best—don’t miss the aptly named Remarkable Rocks and Seal Bay. As you’d expect from a place named after Australia’s national animal, there are heaps of kangaroos hopping all over the place, as well as an abundance of echidnas, sea lions, possums, bandicoots, unique marine life and bird species. And foodies will love KI’s burgeoning gourmet scene. You can squeeze most of the island’s highlights into a day trip from Adelaide—it only takes a 30-minute flight, a short drive then a ferry, or a spot on an organised tour to get there.

Fleurieu Peninsula

Adelaide Hills

Perched above the dynamic state capital, the Adelaide Hills moves at a slower pace. The Cleland Wildlife Park is one of the few places in Australia where you can cuddle with a koala then pose for a selfie with your furry new friend, and also hand-feed kangaroos and emus. Mount Lofty is a gentle bush walk rewarded with panoramic views from the summit. And the highlight of the Adelaide Hills is its quaint villages, most famously Hahndorf, which looks like a little slice of Bavaria transported Down Under—its leafy streets and stone cottage house restaurants, cafes, pubs, galleries and boutiques that are well worth the day trip from Adelaide.

Murray River

The mighty Murray River, the longest in Australia, is only an hour’s drive from Adelaide, trickling through the historic town of Mannum. Tuck into a meal or a tipple on the banks of the Murray at the scenic Pretoria Hotel, jump on a cruise with the PS Murray Princess inland paddle-wheeler, hire a boat for some wakeboarding, rev up a jet-ski for a high-octane experience, or take the family to the open-range Monarto Zoo, with more than 500 animals crawling all over the place. If you’re staying for a little longer, you can also rent a houseboat and see even more of this epic waterway that spans more than 2,500 kilometres.

Barossa Valley

Adelaide is surrounded by hundreds of cellar doors in grape-growing areas like the Clare Valley, Adelaide Hills, Eden Valley and Coonawarra, but South Australia’s most iconic wine region is undoubtedly the Barossa Valley. Sitting just 60 kilometres from the city centre, the Barossa is home to more than 200 wineries and about 100 cellar doors peppered throughout the valley’s network of winding roads and picturesque towns. And the area offers more than just wine, with a long list of artisanal food and drink experiences to take in outside the vineyards—check out the Barossa Farmers Market, Barossa Valley Cheese Company and Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop for some cheese, chocolate and chutney to go with your vino.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.