Penfolds Barossa Valley
Where? 70km from Adelaide, Australia
Why go? Established just eight years after the founding of Adelaide in 1844, Penfolds is one of Australia’s oldest and best-known winemakers, boasting a total of 13 vineyards around South Australia. Barossa Valley is a 90-minute drive from Adelaide and has been Penfolds’ central winemaking source since the 1970s, which enjoyed expansion thanks to increased fruit supplies in the Barossa Valley region.
For groups Barossa Valley Cellar Door offers two tours, the first of which is a hands-on experience called “Make Your Own Blend”, where visitors don a lab coat and get the chance to blend their own Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro, finally bottling their favourite to take home. “A Taste of Grange Tour” tutors visitors on the Penfolds collection from St Henri Shiraz to the famous Yattarna chardonnay during a structured tasting that uses matching Riedel glassware.
penfolds.com
Southern Ocean Lodge
What is it? Southern Ocean Lodge’s promotional brochure dubs it the Galapagos of Australia, located on Adelaide’s Kangaroo Island and home to some of the southern hemisphere’s most dramatic landscapes and unique coastal wildlife. Facing the cooler waters of the Southern Ocean, which encircles Antarctica, the lodge has 21 suites that can accommodate up to 46 guests, and offers an array of luxury meeting spaces including the Great Room lounge and Lodge Restaurant.
Why go? The range of activities on offer makes the Southern Ocean Lodge ideal for teambuilding and incentives. Nature enthusiasts can take part in treks or bushwalks organised every morning, return for lunch in the lodge before setting off to discover the island’s kangaroo, wallaby and sea lion colonies. Itineraries can also include quad bike safaris, kayaking, beach fishing and nocturnal wildlife tours.
Getting there Regional Express offers flights every half hour from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, or domestic connections are available with Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar. Charter flights can fly from Adelaide to Kingscote or Snug Cove to a private airfield 30 minutes from the lodge.
southernoceanlodge.com.au
Adelaide Oval
When can we go? South Australia’s famous stadium has sporting events and other activities all year round, including the hosting of cricket test matches and Aussie Rules games.
For groups The Audi Stadium Club, overlooking the pitch, is a well-appointed corporate entertaining venue from which to view what’s going on below. Membership of the club brings access to cricket and football games, as well as preferential booking for concerts and other events.
adelaideoval.com.au
Port Lincoln
A 50-minute flight from Adelaide gives groups the chance to take in an immersive seafood-industry experience. South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula is home to the fishing town of Port Lincoln and the source of some of Australia’s most delicious seafood, including southern bluefin tuna, rock lobster and Pacific oysters. Programmes provide provide an opportunity to not only experience the rugged beauty of the region, but to see how seafood is produced, meet the people who make it happen and then enjoy a truly unique marine encounter.
The excursion includes exclusive tours of a tuna hatchery and an oyster farm, including a lesson in the fine art of oyster shucking. The renowned Oysterbeds Good Food House makes a fine location for lunch and, not surprisingly, seafood is a feature of the menu. A range of adventure-tourism experiences are also available, including the chance to go “Swimming with the Sea Lions” in beautiful Seal Bay. Another option is the more challenging “Great White Shark Cage Diving” experience, where participants can either choose to swim with the sharks from within the safety of a hardened steel cage, or take in the thrilling spectacle from the vantage point of the boat.
Adelaide-based In Front Events can package this entire programme and tailor-make it to budgets and schedules.
