South Australia of Clare Valley

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South Australia » Clare Valley

Clare is a beautiful town set within the Clare Valley wine region. There are plenty of wineries in the region with the oldest one (Sevenhill Cellars) dating back to 1851. Sevenhill still produces communion wine and Verdelho and adjoins St. Aloysius Church. There is a good walk called the Riesling Trail taking you around several of the wineries through Clare and Auburn, which is very pleasant.

There are also some beautiful and historic buildings in the area that you should visit, including the Catholic church as well as the courthouse and police station which now house an interesting museum.

As with many of the other wine regions they wouldn’t be the same without festivals. The Clare Valley holds several throughout the year starting with the Romeria del Rocio Spanish Festival from the 19th - 22nd April. Following this is the Clare Valley Gormet Weekend in May and then the Spring Garden Festival in November.

There is a selection of places to stay within the Clare Valley and it is a good base from which to explore the rest of the area.

Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is the third largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. There is plenty to see and do on the island from swimming and surfing off of its beaches, exploring the shipwrecks as well as walking through the beautiful landscape and seeing the plentiful wildlife in the many National Parks. You will see many native animals that have been put on the island free from threat by other animals such as dingoes, foxes and rabbits. Although there are thought to have been early inhabitants on the island they disappeared about 2250 years ago. This was until 1802 when Flinders named the island after all of the kangaroos that they discovered on the island and French Nicholas Baudin explored the island.

The main towns on the island are American River, Kingscote and Penneshaw. American River is situated between Penneshaw and Kingscote and shelters Pelican Lagoon, a bird sanctuary where you can watch pelican feeding at 4.30pm. There are numerous other bays for you to explore whilst on the island as well as some great beaches including Emu Bay, Snelling Beach, Stokes Bay and Western River Cove.

You should also head along the southern coast of the island, which is a lot different to the north. The coastline is very rocky and you can visit the limestone caves at Kelly Hill Caves Conservation Park. Near the caves is Hanson Bay where you will often see little fairy penguins. There are also a couple of sandy beaches as well as the beautiful sand dunes of the Little Sahara. Vivonne Bay is great for fishing, although can be a bit rough for swimming, with Seal Bay homing a number of sea lions.

There are also various tours which take you to the island, including 4WD tours, coach tours, walking tours, diving tours and boat tours, depending upon what you are interested in. If travelling independently you can either drive to the ferry terminal at Cape Jervis and catch the Kangaroo Island Sealink vehicular ferry to Penneshaw or hop on the Sealink bus service from Adelaide to the ferry terminal. Once you arrive at the island Sealink Shuttle can also take you to American River and Kingscote. On the island, unless you are with a tour your own transport would be ideal as the distances between towns is quite large (although cars can be hired on the island from Kingscote. If you are feeling adventurous though you could opt for a bicycle.

Once you arrive at the island there is plenty of accommodation to choose from, as well as some quaint restaurants and cafes around the island.

Tiwi Islands
The Tiwi Islands consist of Bathurst Island and Melville Island. Both islands are situated approximately 80km north of Darwin and are home to the Tiwi Aboriginal people.

In 1911 Nguiu, which is the main settlement on Bathurst Island was founded as a Catholic mission. There are tours over to Nguiu from Darwin which includes your flights, visit to several catholic missions and the unique burial grounds with carved wooden headstones, swimming, tea and lots more. Bathurst Island is also where the majority of the Tiwi live, heading back to Melville only once a year for a few weeks. The main settlements on Melville Island are Milikapiti and Pularumpi, and a visit to Melville is incorporated into many tours to the islands. A tour is probably the best way to see the islands and you don't have to worry about permits.

Bathurst Island lies 80 kilometres to the north of Darwin in the Arafura Sea and has been the home of the Tiwi Islanders for thousands of years. Nguiu is the largest of several Aboriginal communities operating on the island. All visitors must have a permit from the Tiwi Land Council. Bathurst Island was first sighted by Europeans in 1644, when Abel Tasman passed on his way from Batavia.

Temperatures for Bathurst Island
Bathurst Island has hot summer temperatures. The summer high temperature for Bathurst Island is approximately 34 °c. The summer low temperature is approximately 24 °c.

Bathurst Island has warm winter temperatures. The winter high temperature for Bathurst Island is approximately 33 °c. The winter low temperature is approximately 16 °c.