South Australia – Adelaide & McLaren Vale
Adelaide & McLaren Vale A Winter Long Weekend JULY 2026 Four of us — two couples — flew across from Perth for five winter nights in South Australia. The plan was simple: two nights in the city, two in wine country, and one last night back in town, with the drive home routed through the Adelaide Hills . It was a food-and-wine trip, but not a stuffy one — we leaned toward the funky and the fireside over anything formal. July has one more trick up its sleeve: Illuminate Adelaide , the winter festival that lights the city for the whole month with a free after-dark trail of projections, glowing roving performers and interactive light art through the streets. A note for anyone visiting Adelaide in winter: it's cold — around 7–8°C at night, 15°C by day. Pack layers, and bring a foldable esky if you plan to cook in. We did, and it earned its keep. Day one — landing into the lights We landed as the city was already dark, picked up the hire car, and made the fifteen-minute run into tow...