1. Adelaide Oval Roof Climb
What’s so special? The city centre grounds have long impressed cricket fans the world over, so much so that many are keen to get a closer look and even kiss the hallowed turf. Since the redevelopment of the Riverside precinct and upgrade to the Oval, many are admiring the stadium’s architecture too. This has partly inspired a roof climb activity, supervised by specially trained professionals, and in a similar spirit to the Sydney Bridge Climb or the walk around the top of Macau Tower.
For groups: Participants can use 16 seats to take in views of Adelaide Oval and beyond. There is also a giddying lean-out point 50 metres above the ground. The seats can be booked for cricket matches, Australian rules football or other events. Particular times of the day can be chosen to enjoy twilight views, the city lights or blue sky in every direction.
www.roofclimb.com.au
2. Winery visits
What’s so special? A visit to South Australia is hardly complete without a winery and cellar-door experience. Some of the best bargains can be purchased from winery cellar doors but tours, dining and other adventures are also on offer.
For groups: Wineries that date back generations, such as Penfolds and Seppeltsfields, have gone to great lengths to provide activities ranging from treasure hunts and helicopter tours to Segway journeys around the vineyards and blending workshops. One of the most unique can be found at Seppeltsfield in the Barossa Valley where groups can taste a drop of Tawny Port from the year of their birth. Penfolds’ cellar door opens into dining and tasting rooms where the wine master can give talks on the brand’s history and the techniques that have won the wines praise the world over. At Jacob’s Creek, new event space has been built with pairing of chocolate with wine varieties among the popular group activities.
3. Vardon Avenue Breakfast
What’s so special? South Australia is eager to show off its food culture, whether in the countryside or towns. Adelaide is no exception with a visit to the city’s Central Market becoming a favourite among groups. Vardon Avenue is home to cafes and restaurants popular with locals and visitors alike. Traders, ranging from bars to delicatessens, set up tables outside their premises as entertainers perform on a temporary stage.
For groups: Delegates on Tourism Australia’s Dreamtime familiarisation trip were given an experience of a side street being cordoned off for an open-air breakfast. The event is seen as showing Adelaide’s “walkability”, with streets full of character easily accessed. It’s also an example of local traders co-operating with the city’s convention bureau.
adelaideconvention.com.au
4. Orana and Africola
What’s so special? Adelaide’s restaurateurs can boast of having access to the produce of South Australia’s food and wine, but Chef
Jock Zonfrillo’s takes this a step further by fusing Aboriginal foods and cooking methods with modern cuisine at the upmarket Orana. The Scots-born chef also dives for his own scallops and engages with indigenous communities when researching and creating recipes. While Orana revels in fusing contemporary and Aboriginal foods, Africola relishes the open-fire cooking methods found in South Africa, most particularly the Western Cape where proprietor Duncan Welgemoed hails from.
For groups: There has been a surge in independent restaurants and bars since Adelaide swept away much of the city’s conservative licensing laws, such as Sunday closing. This has given rise to often zany-themed outlets like Africola, The Happy Motel event caterers and specialist bars dotted across the city’s side streets and lanes. These establishments can form part of an itinerary or – in the larger venues – a group dining experience.
africola.com.au; restaurantorana.com; the happymotel.com
5. Willunga Beach Cooking
What’s so special? Suburban beaches are nothing new in Australia, but Willunga Beach is particularly noted for its scenery and for having the McLaren Vale wine growing region nearby. Among the restaurants finely positioned to give patrons the best coastline views as well prime seafood is the Star of Greece.
For groups: Delegates on the Dreamtime tour were chauffeured on the 30-minute journey from Adelaide to Willunga in classic Ford Mustangs. After a lunch at the Star of Greece came the opportunity for beach cricket – a big hit with the Indian delegates – and to enjoy another Australian institution, the barbecue.
adelaidemustang.com.au
