Limestone Coast, South Australia - ideas needed
 

After much waffling, we've booked our flights to South Australia for next month.

We're flying from Perth to Adelaide where we'll pick up a rental car and drive to Naracoorte for three nights, from where we'll explore the Coonawarra wine region.

As we'll have come via Dukes and Riddoch Highways, we thought we'd work our way back towards Adelaide via the Princes Highway, making a loop..

We have a total of nine nights to work with; the first three already booked and the last three earmarked for the Adelaide Hills (I think).

It's the middle three I don't know what to do with.

There seems to be a lot to do along the Limestone Coast (widely scattered) and as we only have two full days in Naracoorte it seems we'd be giving short shrift to the area if we stopped there. So, I'm wondering if we should spent those second three nights at a second Limestone Coast location.

But can't figure out what town would make a good base from which to explore.

Robe? Kingston? Millicent? Mt Gambier?

Our interests include good food and wine, national parks, walk trails and the great outdoors.

All suggestions appreciated.

It's a tough call, but at least they are all relatively close together. Mt Gambier is worth a look, some nice walks around Blue Lake and lots of antique shops to browse.

Robe is a quaint fishing village with old stone cottages, self proclaimed crayfish capital of the world.

I'd use the local visitor info centre to check what's on. Most have good websites for preplanning.

Enjoy the Adelaide Hills, lovely spot, I grew up there.

You know it will be freezing ? - but I think you like that eh....

Ah yes, the 'freezing' Australian winter. This Colorado girl isn't too fussed about that:)

It looks like Mt Gambier and Robe are the best options. I guess I need to sit down and look at specifics.

I found a nice looking place in the Adelaide Hills sartoric - Longview in Macclesfield. Do you know it? If so, would you happen to know how long a drive it'd be from the airport? We have a 1:40 pm flight on our day of departure and will spend our last night in the hills.

Yeah, I know you think we're wimps :)

Macclesfield is charming, should make a great base. I couldn't tell you current drive times, I left SA for sunny Queensland more than 30 years ago, and roads have changed. Couldn't be more than a couple of hours, but please check.

Do you have a road atlas type of thingy ? I have an old "Explore Australia" which has pretty good maps and lots of info on towns and cities. I still refer to it, but wouldn't take it on a plane, too heavy, too bulky. Good for research though. Local library should have similar if you don't already have one.

Definitely get to Hahndorf and check out Maggie Beers farm shop in Nooriootpa. Presumably you'll be seeing some Barossa vineyards too !

Thanks sartoric. We visited the Barossa (including Maggie Beer) the Clare and McLaren Vale last time, no plans to visit this time, no enough days! Coonawarra has been on our radar for some time and I loved the hills last visit, but only passed through, hence the longer stay this time around.

I have one of those road atlas thingies, but I just realized I've not seen it since we moved houses over a year ago, which is now going to drive me crazy.

Sorry about the road atlas, that sort of missing thing drives me crazy too. It will turn up...

Visit Millicent, once you arrive in that place, a trip to the Millicent Visitor Information Centre is a must. The centre provides extensive, up-to-date information on the region, souvenirs, local arts, crafts, maps, internet access and local publications.

Okay, decision made.

We've booked three nights Naracoorte, three nights Robe and three nights Macclesfield.

We'll explore Mt Gambier on the way from Naracoorte to Robe.

PS - Just saw they had snow on the Heysen Trail, wow.

https://www.facebook.com/HeysenTrail

Wow, that would be snowpocolypse that the news sites have been talking up. I never saw it snow in 20 years there.

I hope you got a cute stone cottage in Robe, the one we stayed at had an open fireplace, always an attraction for us Queensland types. I also hope you like crayfish (spiny rock lobster) and that it's the right season for them. There's an old and attractive pub near the waterfront that had fantastic food and a lovely ambience.

Looking forward to your report in due course !

Well, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to SA - I'll write a full report when I get a chance, but just a note of thanks to those who helped along the way. Highlights were Mt Gambier, Robe (and that fab pizza place, where we dined every single night, Pizza Project) and a pretty day spent near Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills.

All of our accommodation was lovely - Carolynne's Cottages in Naracoorte, The Dunes in Robe (which coincidently appears on the cover of the Limestone Coast brochure, a fact I didn't realize until after we'd stayed there) and Longview Vineyard in Macclesfield.

As remembered, Chocolate No 5 in Hahndorf still makes the best hot chocolate we've had anywhere in the world (go figure!) and as last time, we left feeling that the Adelaide Hills are much prettier than our hills here in Perth, but we've still got the best beaches!

And yes, you'll love this sartoric...these cold weather lovers from Colorado actually felt cold a few times.

So good to hear you enjoyed the trip !

I was in Ballarat in early July, temp at noon was 4C, with wind chill factor 0.
Yes I was cold, but I survived, so Colorado here I come, one of these days.....

Look forward to the report, jeez, Gumeracha, know the name, have no idea of the details, bring it on !

About that cold...while we were in Naracoorte I told Bill I'd have to eat crow with sartoric when I got home. It got down to 3-4c at night, and the surprising bit was that it stayed cold during the day. Here in WA, when it gets cold we just go outdoors to warm up. And it was a damp cold, lol. All the more reason to drink that incredibly fattening hot chocolate (as if I needed one).

I reckon you're ready for Colorado sartoric - winter days there can be glorious as the sun shines more often than not.

That's so funny "eat crow". I guess you know that vernacular for South Australians is "crow eaters".

I await what will no doubt be an amusing and informative report.....

No, I didn't know that! I thought it was just an American colloquial idiom. I use it all the time.

It's probably more correct to say it is colloquial or slang rather than vernacular. If you google crow eaters, you'll come up with South Australia...

Did you know you're a "sand groper" ?

Apparently I'm now a "banana bender"...

Yeah, I knew that West Aussies are known as sand gropers, although until I just this minute googled, I had no idea they're insects.