Fleurieu Peninsula

Granite Island

Only forty minutes from Adelaide and situated between the Mt Lofty Ranges and Gulf St. Vincent the picturesque McLaren Vale wine growing region was en route to Victor Harbor. The last time I travelled this area was 1985 and as I had talked Victor Harbor up to Ade, I was seriously hoping time had only increased the charm of this small town nestled in the wide arc of Encounter Bay. Causeway & Tram to Granite Island

Yes it has and as expected the town has grown but also retained that old world feel with its early colonial architecture and even a Clydesdale-drawn tram across the 600m causeway to Granite Island home to resident Little Penguins. The Caravan Park we stayed at was on Encounter Bay so named by Matthew Flinders of the Investigator after his encounter with French explorer Nicholas Baudin on board the Le Geographe in 1802. There were huge piles of seaweed washed up on the beach providing sniff delight for the woofs on our daily walks.

Cape Jervis

Our drive along the coast to Cape Jervis has to be the prettiest country we have seen on the whole trip. Cape Jervis is at the southern tip of the peninsula and the departure point for the passenger and car ferry service across Backstairs Passage to Kangaroo Island. Rural scenes of rolling hills, pine forests, vineyards, berry farms, fat Angus and Freesian cattle grazing on thick pastures (they probably never have to walk more than a metre in a day to feed), sheep, goats, alpacas as well, and superb views of the southern ocean and Gulf St. Vincent.

Australia's third largest island is best known for its spectacular wildlife and unspoilt natural habitat and has a growing reputation for producing fine wine and foods, including local marron (fresh water crayfish), cheese, honey, lamb, herbs, spices and sauces. Definitely a destination worthy of a few days to explore and devour gourmet delights - next time.

Kangaroo Island Ferry We headed back to Victor Harbor along the coast of the Gulf and stopped at Lady Bay to view the commemorative site of the ex-HMAS Hobart a guided missile destroyer which has been sunk 4 kilometres offshore and is now used as a dive wreck. We travelled up to Normanville, a seaside town known for beautiful white sandy beaches and inshore reefs and back across the country via Yankalilla - meaning place of falling bits! A farmer's town with tumbledown sheds, old stone farmhouses and stockyards located in the valley of the Bungala River. We never did find out the meaning of the falling bits!

We explored to the east of Victor Harbor travelling through Port Elliot to the town of Goolwa once a thriving river port and the last on the Murray River where paddle steamers and steam trains met to carry the inland produce. A bridge connects Goolwa to Hindmarsh Island and from Sugars Beach you can see where the mouth of the Mighty Murray empties into the Southern Ocean only impeded by a shifting mass of sand banks - very impressive. Ade reminded me of the infamous 'con' - secret women's business, aimed at halting housing and development on Hindmarsh Island . It was supposedly a sacred place to Aboriginal Women. From our observation the island is very barren with only a small number of new homes and more importantly a bird habitat and home to grazing black swans in winter and Cape Barren Geese in summer. I would guess it's a fisherman's paradise as well.

Murray River Mouth, Coorong National Park We travelled around Lake Alexandrina to Langhorne Creek, home to eight cellar doors and one of the oldest and fastest growing wine regions producing outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The grape vines had the thickest gnarled trunks we have seen and the area also boasts olives groves, almond orchards and a horseradish farm within its food culture.

Kingsbrook Inn

Just down the road is Strathalbyn a small town with a history dating back to 1839 when it was settled by Scottish migrants. There is a strong Celtic influence in the old stone buildings with cast iron lacework, and the town is a well regarded centre for antiques with a dozen or so antique dealers and an annual antique fair. On our way back to Victor Harbour we passed the Kingsbrook Inn established in 1852, a little touch of Italy, quite a contrast and surrounded by vineyards. Are we really in Australia?

Another Vineyard

Next on the tour, the Limestone coast our last area to explore in South Australia before heading across the border to Victoria.