South Australia Holiday Guide

Language	English
Time Difference	9.5 hours
Currency	Australian Dollar
Voltage	240v

Discover the laid-back charms of South Australia, a sun-kissed region of sublime scenery, fabulous festivals, fine food and wonderful wines. Take the Barossa Valley, a patchworked landscape of sweeping vineyards famous for producing world-class bottles of spicy shiraz. Dotted amid the hills is a handful of charismatic towns with a noticeably German heritage, where local Barossans like nothing better than sharing their passion for good food, drink and traditions with you. Soak up the ambience and enjoy the oom-pah bands, the pretzels, the sauerkraut and the terrific red wines. It’s a feel-good place with a fantastic reputation for warm hospitality.

In contrast, a thirty-minute flight from Adelaide brings you to Kangaroo Island, a pristine wilderness offering soft, talc-white beaches, sensational seafood and amazing wildlife – seals, dolphins, echidnas, birds and, of course, kangaroos. To give you an idea of the island’s size, east to west measures about 150km and the coastline some 500km, so it’s a large chunk of land with a delightfully slow-paced air. The landscapes are a mix of thick bushland, big sand dunes, wetland, soaring cliffs and those incredible beaches – huge dollops of dazzling white sands.

Adelaide

As the capital city of South Australia, Adelaide is a vibrant cultural hub with plenty to see and experience. Framed by scenic parklands and the River Torrens, plus boasting a skyline of both old and new architecture, the city is known for its exceptional food, wine and art. Tourists can picnic in the parklands or take a paddle boat cruise, seek out the Central Market or perhaps visit the Art Gallery of South Australia. Wine lovers on the other hand, can take a self-guided tour of the National Wine Centre of Australia, followed by a stroll to the bustling shopping and restaurant districts. Whilst keen gardeners are spoilt with the Adelaide Botanic Garden, tranquil Japanese Himeji Gardens, native bushlands and dramatic landscapes of Waterfall Gully, plus Cleland Conservation Park, sports enthusiasts will no doubt be fans of the manicured Adelaide Oval. This is a city filled with outdoor attractions and whether you are en route to the Barossa Valley winelands or heading to the coastal wildlife attraction of Kangaroo Island, Adelaide is a great city to explore as part of your Australia journey.

Barossa Attractions

The weekly farmers’ market showcases plentiful Germanic offerings, local seasonal produce, coffee, flowers and music – held every Saturday in a big farm shed. For a panoramic view of Barossa’s glorious countryside of sweeping valleys and huge eucalyptus trees, drive to Mengler’s Hill Lookout. Close by is Kaiserstuhl Conservation Park, offering views of the Barossa Ranges and a network of excellent walks such as the Wallowa Hike (4.7km one-way) and the Stringybark Hike (2km loop). Those here for the wine can watch coopers make barrels at the Keg Factory and visit the many wineries for tours and tastings. Book ahead for the likes of Penfolds, a name that’s a legend here, if not across the world!

Kangaroo Island

Enjoy a twilight beach walk at Seal Bay Conservation Park for a close encounter of snoozing Australian sea lions. Or a bushwalk through Flinders Chase – one of South Australia’s top national parks, where you’ll find unusual rock formations and lofty sugar-gum forests. There’s also a farmers’ market on the island, brimming with homemade bakes, olive oil, eggs, dairy produce, fresh seafood, island wine and buskers – day-trippers hop over by ferry just for the market, so it must be good! Another place to pick up island produce is the Clifford’s Honey Farm, a little out of the way but worth seeking out for scrumptious honey ice-cream, honey-infused drinks, biscuits, mead, candles and cosmetics.

Travel Planning
Our Travel Consultants can advise on, arrange and pre-book many things to enhance your holiday. This includes everything from spa reservations and dinner reservations, to a range of special experiences available in our featured resorts that you may not know about.

South Australia is the perfect place to escape the chill. It has mild winters and warm, dry summers. Kangaroo Island, like most of South Australia has a Mediterranean climate - with a warm but rarely uncomfortable summer days and a short wet winter. Remember to pack a jacket for cool evenings, year round.

Temperature Guide

These figures show monthly average maximum temperatures and monthly average rainfall for South Australia.

	Temp °C	Rain mm
January	23	20
February	22	10
March	20	20
April	16	30
May	15	50
June	12	60
July	11	70
August	12	50
September	14	50
October	16	40
November	19	20
December	20	20

Flight Information
Please contact our Travel Consultants for flight details.

Travelling With Children or Without an Adult

Children travelling without both parents should be aware that some countries require documentary evidence of parental responsibility before allowing lone parents to enter the country (for example, South Africa) or, in some cases, before permitting the children to leave the country. Please contact the relevant Embassy for the county you are travelling to for further information.

Visa and Advance Passenger Information

All passengers must ensure they have a valid, acceptable passport, any required visa and any other documentation for both the final destination and any stop-off points en route. Please make sure that Advance Passenger Information is submitted in advance to travel for all destinations. Failure to hold correct documentation or submitting incorrect details with Advance Passenger Information or Visa applications may result in refusal of carriage or entry into a country. Please check with the relevant Embassy regarding visa requirements well in advance of your travel date. Charges may apply for some visas.

Visas are required for travel to Australia. Elegant Resorts can provide Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for which we'll require: full name (including middle names), passport number, nationality, date of issue, date of expiry, place of issue, your date of birth, your home address in the UK and an email address in the UK as well as an address in Australia (this will be your first hotel or the Southern Crossings head office address, which our Travel Consultants will provide at the time of booking). Alternatively, you can apply for the visa online yourself through the Australian Government website at www.immi.gov.au/visitors/tourist/ there is no charge for the visa but a service charge of approximately AUD$20 per person will apply. Please note, from 1 September 2015 a new Environmental Management Charge (EMC) will be introduced for The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. All visitors will be charged 6 AUD per person, per day up to a maximum of 18 AUD per stay.

Passengers not travelling on a British Passport are advised to contact their relevant Foreign & Commonwealth office for individual Visa requirements.

For up-to-date resort information, visit www.fco.gov.uk

Health facilities, hygiene and disease risks vary worldwide and you should take health advice about your specific needs from your general practitioner or a specialist clinic as early as possible before travel. Those planning to become pregnant should discuss their travel plans with their healthcare provider to assess their risk of infection with Zika. For information about Zika, other mosquito-borne diseases (such as Dengue fever and Chikungunya), Lyme Disease (caused by tick bites), and to receive advice on mosquito bite avoidance measures, please visit http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/insect-tick-bite-avoidance/

In addition, we highly recommend that you seek specialist advice from your doctor and, where recommended, obtain vaccinations or tablets for protection against, for example: Malaria, Hepatitis A, Polio and Typhoid. In some cases, treatments for Malaria should begin well in advance of travel. Travellers may also be required to show Yellow Fever Certificates on arrival in certain destinations ie, some African countries. Please note that you are strongly advised against scuba-diving for 24 hours before travelling by air. We would also like to draw your attention to the risk of DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and recommend that you consult with your doctor before travelling.

Visit the FCO website and select your destination country for the very latest travel advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. Additional sources of information include: www.hpa.org.uk, http://nathnac.net, www.fco.gov.uk, www.hpa.org.uk and www.nathnac.org, your General Practitioner or a specialised clinic.