4 Day Kangaroo Island, Fleurieu Peninsula, McLaren Vale and Hahndorf Experience

Day 1 (L,D)

You will be collected from your Adelaide hotel at 7.30am this morning for your private 4 day tour to Kangaroo Island, Hahndorf, the Fleurieu Peninsula and the McLaren Vale wine region.

Our first destination today is Mount Lofty Summit, around 30 mins from Adelaide. The summit is Adelaide’s highest peak and offers magnificent views over the city.We continue to Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest German settlement, established by Lutheren refugees in 1839. The town maintains it’s heritage with over ninety 19th century buildings in the main street and continues it’s tradition of fine food and wine with a range of cellar doors, traditional pubs, bakeries & cafes as well as art, crafts and a variety of shops.

As well as free time to have a look around the town, there are also options to visit the Hahndorf Farm Barn, pick your own strawberries at Beerenberg Farm (Nov- May only), take a 1 hourcheese and wine masterclass at Udder Delights, visit Grumpys Brewhaus to taste their range of boutique beers or take the ChocoVino Experience at Hahndorf Hill Winery. Please let us know in advance if you’d like to do any of these experiences so we can book them for you and adjust your itinerary. Extra cost involved for the optional activities, except Grumpys Brewhaus.

Leaving Hahndorf, we make our way south onto the Fleurieu Peninsula and after a picnic lunch, we head to Goolwa, Australia’s first Cittaslow Town and the gateway to the Coorong National Park. The Coorong National Park was listed Wetland of International Importance for Waterbirds under the RAMSAR Convention in 1985.

We take a look at Goolwa Wharf, where we can view the infamous Hindmarsh Island bridge and drive to the Goolwa Barrage for views of the Coorong and it’s birdlife such as Australian pelicans and black swans. We then take a short walk to the lookout over stunning Goolwa Beach, followed by a short drive along the beach, part of the Sir Richard Peninsular.

Other options for Goolwa include a 1 hour cruise on the Oscar W paddlesteamer (selected dates only), a ride on the historic Cockle Train (wed/sun only), a helicopter flight, take a tour of the Mundoo Island cattle Station, visit Ballast Stone Cellar Door or the Steam Exchange boutique brewery.

The drive along the coast to Victor Harbor passes through the townships of Middleton and Port Elliot and offers spectacular views of the coast. Both towns have cellar doors as well as beautiful beaches.

We check into our accommodation in Victor Harbor and then, depending on time, we have some free time to explore the town. Take a look around the SA Whale Centre or take the horse drawn tram to Granite Island.

Late evening, we walk over the causeway to Granite Island for dinner and a penguin tour, where we view a colony of Little Penguins after they come ashore for the evening. Your Penguin Tour guide will explain about the penguins biology and behaviour, as well as how these amazing creatures are being protected.

Overnight accommodation in Victor Harbor- your choice of hotel, motel, cabins or B & B.

Day 2 (B,L)

We depart Victor Harbor at 8am to drive to Cape Jervis where we catch the ferry to Kangaroo Island, an unspoiled island wilderness with over 500km’s of coastline, an interesting maritime history and a variety of wildlife including sea-lions, fur seals, koalas, platypus and of course, kangaroos. It’s the 3rd largest island in Australia and a third of the island is protected as National Park and Conservation Park.

The ferry crosses the Backstairs Passage, arriving in Penneshaw approximately 45 minutes later. We have morning tea en-route. 

Todays touring is in the south of the island and our first stop is Seal Bay Conservation Park, home to the 3rd largest colony of the rare Australian sea lion with a population of around 1,000. We are privileged to be able to take a ranger led walking tour along the beach, where we can watch them resting, playing and nursing their pups.  

After a picnic lunch, we continue to Little Sahara, an area of huge white sand dunes, which we can climb and they’re fun to roll down ! If you’d like to try sand boarding the dunes, please let us know in advance so we can arrange your boards.

Then onto Kellys Hill Caves, one of the few dry limestone cave systems in Australia. Here we take a tour through the impressive caves, walking amidst ornate cave formations and discovering how the caves and the spectacular decorations are formed.

We finish todays touring at the Hanson Bay Sanctuary, where we stroll along an avenue of shady Eucalyptus trees called “Koala Walk”. This the best place on the island to see koalas in their natural habitat.

Overnight accommodation of your choice.

Day 3 (L,D)

We start today in Flinders Chase National Park, which takes up a large portion of the western side of the island and is home to the elusive platypus and a host of other wildlife.

The platypus has thrived here since its introduction into creeks around the Rocky River area in the 1920s and 1940s and we have an early start in the hope of seeing one, on the Platypus Waterholes Walk.

The park features 74,000hectares (200,000 acres) of natural bushland and spectacular rock formations, such as Admiral's Arch and Remarkable Rocks, which are wind-sculpted rock formations that sit atop a smooth granite dome. New Zealand fur-seals breed at Cape du Couedic and we can watch their antics from the boardwalk at Admirals Arch.

After morning tea at the Flinders Chase Visitors Centre, we make our way to the north- eastern end of the island and to Emu Bay, a beautiful 5km long beach, surrounded by aqua blue sea. No wonder it’s the locals favourite beach ! Here we can swim or beachcomb and the area also offers a variety of birdlife.

We finish the day in Kingscote and we watch the pelican feeding on Kingscote Wharf before having fish and chips for dinner.

Overnight accommodation of your choice in the Kingscote area.

Day 4 (L)

After breakfast, depending on time, we have the option of taking a quick look around Kingscote or take the walk to Prospect Hill on the way to Penneshaw. The lookout offers views over Pelican Lagoon, American River and Pennington Bay.

We catch the ferry back to the mainland at 10am and then head north again to McLaren Vale, the internationally acclaimed wine district and home to a huge variety of wineries, as well as a lavender farm, a chocolate factory and a range of local producers.

After lunch, we spend the afternoon visiting the wineries of your choice (or let us choose) from a range of larger well-known wineries, such as Wirra Wirra and Hardys Tintara to small boutique wineries. As well as tastings and wine purchasing, some wineries offer wine masterclass tastings and cheese and wine matching experiences.

We can also visit the Almond Train (a vintage train carriage offering almonds and a range of local produce), Medlow Confectionary (the makers of FruChocs), the McLaren Vale Brewery and Lloyd Brothers winery which also offers a range of olive products, sauces and Alpaca Products.

There is also the option of taking a Cheese and Wine Workshop, where you will learn how to make Home Made Cheese or take home your own bottle of Bubbles, after learning about disgorge and dosage.

We drive back into Adelaide and you will be dropped off at your accommodation at approximately 6pm.

END ITINERARY

B = Breakfast / L = Lunch / D = Dinner

This tour is only operated as a private charter (sole use of vehicle and driver guide for a maximum of 7 passengers)- please enquire for prices and further information.

Itinerary is exclusive to Sacred Earth Safaris and is subject to availability.  

This itinerary is just a guide to what we can offer. We can tailor your itinerary to suit your interests and preferences so please contact us if you would like us to design you an itinerary.

Please enquire for a quote 

Inclusions:

• Sole use of luxury air conditioned 4WD, with professional driver guide

• 1 x breakfast, 4 x picnic lunches, 2 x dinners, 4 x morning or afternoon teas,

   iced water, tea coffee, fruit and some snacks.

• Penguin Tour on Granite Island, Victor Harbor

• Seal Bay Beach Walk tour

• Return ferry from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island

• Kellys Hill Caves tour

• Koala Walk at the Hanson Bay Sanctuary

• National Parks Entry Fees

• Accommodation

Exclusions:

• Pre & Post tour accommodation
• Travel insurance

• Flights to and from Adelaide

• Alcohol

•Hire of sand boards at Little Sahara- please let us know if you’d like to do this activity

  so we can arrange the hire of the boards.

• Optional activities such as the Cockle Train ride, ChocoVino Experience and any fees for wine / cheese tastings or masterclasses. We can book and include the cost of these into your itinerary, once we know what activities you would like to do.

Other options for touring in Kangaroo Island include Murray Lagoon  (largest lagoon on the island), Island Pure Sheep Dairy, Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo Island Lavender Farm, Parndana Wildlife Park, Pauls Place Wildlife Sanctuary, Cliffords Honey Farm, take a cruise and swim with the dolphins, Raptor Domain Birds of Prey Show, Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery, Cape Borda Lighthouse, various wineries and multiple northern beaches.