Adelaide Hills

The bucolic bliss of the Adelaide Hills with its charming country towns, orchards and wineries can be reached in less than half an hour from Adelaide. That makes it the perfect place for an easy day trip: strawberry picking at Beerenberg Farm or 360-degree hilltop tasting sessions at The Lane Vineyard await.

Foodies might want to drop by Ernst Delicatessen, one of Hahndorf’s newest attractions, and the only deli on the main street. Those wanting to get stuck in themselves can enjoy a cooking class at the Sticky Rice Cooking School. And you can even spend the night: visitors to The Cedars can stay in the environmentally sustainable CABN accommodation, which are pooch-friendly to boot.

There's never a bad time to coo at koalas and kangaroos, wallabies and wombats. Cleland Wildlife Park has all these native species in their natural habitats, plus the opportunity to wonder at the lesser spotted spiny echidna, the only mammal which lays eggs.

Bon vivants can sample a cool climate wine from VIP daybeds at Sidewood Estate or a tipple of a different hue at Prancing Pony Brewery. If gin is your thing, head to Ambleside Distillers, or pair pear cider and pizza at Paracombe Premium Perry. And dairy queens shouldn't miss the fromage factory that is Woodside Cheese Wrights. Green ants on cheese? Believe.

Barossa

Step this way: Barossa is a mere one hour north-east of Adelaide. Home of the world’s best shiraz (certified) there’s heaps to see and do. The Barossa Valley boasts more than 80 cellar doors, including the boutique Kellermeister, home to that rarefied ruby red, The Meister, and the historic Seppeltsfield winery, founded in 1851, where the 100-year-old Para Vintage Tawny rules the roost.

It’s not all wine, wine, wine: the neighbouring Seppeltsfield Road Distillers make small batch gin using local botanicals including, yes, Barossa Shiraz Gin. Barossa Valley Cheese Company and Barossa Valley Chocolate Company provide treats while Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop satisfies pickle and chutney needs.

Barossa Farmers’ Market gathers the best of local produce every Saturday morning in the town of Angaston, or go straight to source on the 150-acre Hentley Farm to enjoy the paddock-to-plate dining.

Barossa is a main calling point on the foodie pilgrimage that is the Epicurean Way Road Trip (which winds through the Adelaide Hills and on to McLaren Vale). Barossa Helicopters can help you cover the ground speedily, with scenic aerial tours, deluxe travel to the region’s vineyards and onwards to remote outback pubs. Or make it super special and watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon: Barossa Valley Ballooning will see you right.

McLaren Vale

An easy 40-minute drive south from Adelaide, McLaren Vale makes for a perfect day trip. The Mediterranean-like climate nurtures all manner of grape varieties, from shiraz and grenache to tempranillo and sangiovese.

The nine-kilometre Shiraz Trail from McLaren Vale to Willunga takes in a wealth of award-winning wineries and quirky cellar door experiences. You can lounge on the lawn or hop on the static double decker bus at Down The Rabbit Hole or enter the giant Rubik’s-like d’Arenberg Cube. If biodynamic is your bag, Gemtree Wines is a local beacon of sustainable wine tourism.

McLaren Vale is also home to some of the best regional dining in Australia, whether the fine beachside offering at Star Of Greece in Port Willunga or the eclectic Salopian Inn, whose chef Karena Armstrong is festival director of Tasting Australia.

If you prefer cliff and coastal hikes to sipping by the sea, Onkaparinga River National Park and the neighbouring Onkaparinga River Recreation Park offer dramatic gorge trails and wetland walks respectively. Or relax at Red Poles gallery and restaurant, home to the free Red Poles Indigenous Fringe Festival until Saturday 22 March.

Murray River, Lakes & Coorong

Water’s the theme here. Australia’s greatest waterway, The Murray River, meets her longest beach, at Coorong National Park, in a stunning region rich in First Nations history. Enjoy the slower life cruising on the Proud Mary paddle steamer, dining in riverside hotels and visiting Murray Bridge Makers’ Market. Or, for more hi-octane kicks, go burn rubber at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park.

On the final stretch of its 2500km journey, the river flows through Murray Bridge, meeting freshwater Lake Alexandrina and the Southern Ocean at the historic port of Goolwa. From here, you can access the glories of Coorong National Park, a protected coastal lagoon ecosystem on the lands of the Ngarrindjeri people where secluded beaches meet wetlands bursting with birdlife.

Further north, Juggle House Experiences offer stargazing trips into the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve or immerse yourself in a dreamtime tour with a guide from the Mannum Aboriginal Community Association through their ancestral lands in the Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Park.

For accommodation, try something unique and drift off to sleep on an eco-pod or houseboat bobbing on the river. For longer road trips, the Mighty Murray Way Road Trip covers 382km of everything this amazing region has to offer.

Main picture: Frame.