Nestled in the picturesque valley are many family owned and company owned vineyards, many of which are open to the public and offer tastings, as well as quaint art and craft galleries. The Vintage Festival, the Classic Gourmet Weekend and an International Music Festival are all celebrated in the Barossa Valley and are worth a visit. French navigator Nicholas Baudin explored the coastline of South Australia and, in 1802, named the Fleurieu Peninsula. Today the peninsula, beginning approximately 30 km south of Adelaide, is home to McLaren Vale, an eminent wine and almond growing area, and Victor Harbor, which boasts the South Australia Whale Centre with whale watching between the months of June and October. Another jewel in this area is Granite Island which is found between the Fleurieu Peninsula and the Southern Ocean and is home to Little Penguins which can be observed at sunset.
Kangaroo Island is the third largest island off the coast of Australia.
It is about 120 km south of Adelaide and abounds with native Australian plants, and animals such as bandicoots, possums, kangaroos, sea lions, and fairy penguins. Visitors may observe sea lions close at hand at the Seal Bay Conservation Park or explore the caves with extraordinary stalagmites and stalactites at Kelly's Hill Conservation Park. With long stretches of beaches, limestone cliffs, scrub, sand dunes and wetland, and a flourishing plant and wildlife population, Kangaroo Island presents a great holiday escape. Yorke Peninsula is a leg shaped strip of land jutting out of the state's southern coast. Those who love the ocean will be pleased to know that on Yorke Peninsula you are never much more than 25km from the coast.