Still reading and dreaming about a trip to Australia. Since we can plan only two to two and 1/2 weeks have decided that the wine trails in southern Austrailia have a great appeal.

Originally we planned a Sept 07 trip however after studying the seasons and climate perhaps Sept is not the right month.

My question is this? Which month would be right before harvest. Weather is warm and sunny and the vines are full of beautiful grapes.

Could we fly into Sydney and then drive to the Adelaide region and tour Barossa, Kangaroo Island etc. Would we return to Sydney to fly home or is there a better option?

I would really appreciate input on a itinerary!

Grape harvest time in South Australia is between late February and late April so any time before mid February would seem about right to me if you want to see grapes dangling from vines.

We have several wine growing districts in South Australia - the Clare Valley (which I prefer to Barossa), the McLaren Vale, the South East Coonawarra/Padthaway, Adelaide Hills (much smaller) and of course the better known Barossa Valley. All have a different history of settlement, all very interesting, with German religious "refugees" being the first settlers in the Barossa and Clare districts. and all have a different "look" and "feel". They all offer different opportunities for "sub" tours e.g. if you choose the South-East you can do the Blessed Mary McKillop pilgrimage trip to the sites where she worked and taught and established her religious Order and you could do another dash to the Limestone Coast country. In Clare you can experience more about pioneer Australia with visits to Bungaree Station and the interesting Jesuit Monastery at Sevenhill with its wine making monks.
These districts are varying distances from Adelaide ranging from one to four hours by car depending on where you go (the South-East is furthest)
You have to make choices in this life, unfortunately !

The Vintage Festivals are around Easter time each year (this year 7 - 14 April in the Barossa)and these are fun but too late for seeing grapes, of course.
there are amazing food and wine weekends throughout the year in all these areas but you'd have to research on the Net to get a list of them.

To drive from Sydney to Adelaide is a loooong drive as it is approx 1500 kms which would take a huge hunk out of your holiday time especially if you allow for jet lag time. It's a good 15 hours solid driving (shortest route) with an overnight motel stop somewhere necessary. Depending on which route you take the scenery can range from very, very flat and boring (Hay Plains) to pretty and diverse (but that takes MUCH longer).

Once in Adelaide you can get to Kangaroo Island (wonderful place) but if you only wanted to stay for the day it's just rush, rush, rush with half an hour to walk amongst the seals, then drive to Remarkable Rocks, gallop around Flinders Chase to see the koals, kangaroos, Cape Barron geese etc, put your nose in the underground cave system and maybe do a bit of honey tasting. There is also American River, a sleepy settlement of great peace,which was named by American sealers who sheltered there. But I don't think you could do all of this in a day.
There are package tours of 1 - 4 days offered by travel companies but it is easy to do yourself if you wanted the experience of driving down to Cape Jervis for the ferry and having the freedom to wander at will.

There are magnificent walks to be done if you have the time and the interest.

Good luck with your planning.

Soooo excited you're wanting to come to Adelaide! It's a beautiful city, underrated, and it's at its best during the time you want to come.

The harvest is very weather dependent. You might not have heard, but Australia is in the grip of its worst drought in a century and, as such, the grape harvest here is pretty much done, as there is just no water to give the vines. The drought might have broken by the time you get here, or it might not.

Without wanting to put you off - if you're travelling in Australia in summer or early autumn, you need to consider the heat factor. It can get very hot for days on end, and you'll have to be prepared for that.

If I had to pick the two best months to come to Adelaide, apart from the harvest, they'd be either January or March. January is the time when everyone is still on holidays, everyone is relaxing after Christmas, the kids haven't gone back to school, and you spend lots of time at the beach. South Australia also plays host to the Tour Down Under, a bike race in which some of the world's best teams compete. If you want to just chill out and take things slowly, then January is the time to be here. This month of bliss traditionally ends after Australia Day, on the 26th of January (when Adelaide is also host to a one-day cricket match at the Adelaide Oval.)

March tends to be filled with events, especially Womadelaide, the Fringe and the biennial Adelaide Festival (next held in 2008). The city really wakes up and there is lots to see and do. The relaxed holiday atmosphere of January is usually long-gone by this time, but if you're into the Arts then you won't want to miss being in Adelaide in March.

On a more practical note, unless you want to spend some time visiting Sydney, then you're best off flying straight into Adelaide. Otherwise it's a very very long drive! Most international flights will pass through either Sydney or Melbourne and you'll have to go through customs before catching your flight to Adelaide.

If there's anything else you'd like to know, we'd be more than happy to help.

Claire.

Thanks to you both for the information. Now if we can only come up with an itinerary that fits our schedule as well as our budget!!

Planning can be so much fun but I'm finding that a country as large and diversified as Australia takes alot of planning and re-planning.

Sounds like the end of January or beginning of Feb might fit the bill. Our weather here in Ohio USA is usually cold and snowy so a break to somewhere sunny and warm is really appealing!

As Claire says, this year's harvest is almost finished. I love visiting the vineyards in Autumn (Fall) - the colours are amazing and the weather's not as hot, but dates can vary year to year as the weather has such a huge impact.

An option for travelling may be to arrive in Aus through Melbourne, hire a car & travel along the Great Ocean Road (stunning scenery)through to Coonawarra & Limestone coast wine districts. Some of the world's best reds come from Coonawarra (not that I'm biased!) Then on to Adelaide, with several wine districts within easy reach. I'd definitely plan on a few days on Kangaroo Island, otherwise you'll be doing "fast travel" and won't get to appreciate the flora & fauna. Of course with great wineries, there's usually great food as well & Adelaide, KI and surrounds have an abundance!

I look forward to hearing more of your plans & answering any questions.

Enjoy, Chris

Excellent itinerary advice, Chris! I wish I'd thought about it.

It seems the perfect solution to get from A to B with the maximum impact and accomplishing several goals in one. Melbourne to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road = bliss and the Coonawarra wineries plus the religious sites of Penola make it extra + ++.

March is my favourite time of year too for all of Chris's reasons plus you can fit it in Festival of Arts, womadelaide and the Fringe as well while in Adelaide (depending on when in March)

And K.I. needs slow trav, I think, otherwise the poor little seals, roos and koalas will feel rejected and neglected.

Thank you Chris!!

Your idea has alot of appeal. I shall start reading and mapping right away and I will certainly post questions.

Valda, thank you for the advice. My husband and I are really starting to get excited. Now for the fun part.. Reading and learning about the different seasons, time zones, and everything else that goes along with international travel.

Cheers
Diane