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Just south of Adelaide, the
Fleurieu Peninsula is
an ideal day trip and holiday destination.
The McLaren Vale winemaking region is beautifully located between
hills and the sea 40 minutes south of Adelaide and its beaches
stretch all the way south to Cape Jervis. To the south east are the
Murray Mouth and Hindmarsh Island, to the east sloping hillsides and
picturesque country towns.
In 1802, Matthew Flinders met the French sailor Nicholas Baudin who
was also navigating the waters off the mouth of the Murray River.
Baudin named this region after the French wanderer Charles Pierre
Claret, Comte de Fleurieu.
Because of its landscape and pure light, the Fleurieu is home to
many artists and crafts people who exhibit their works in many local
galleries and weekend markets.
There is something for everyone in this compact and diverse region.
Visitors can:
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McLaren
Vale
This wine region is linked to names like John
Reynell and Thomas Hardy who helped put Australia on
the map as a great wine making country. Other
successful wineries followed, and today there are
more than 60 wineries throughout the region with
welcoming cellar doors and many distinctive
varieties on offer.
Victor Harbor
There is something interesting to see or do all year
round in this coastal resort town.
Between June and September, it is an ideal spot for
watching Southern Right Whales as they frequently
visit Encounter Bay. You can also see more than
1,000 fairy penguins nesting on Granite Island,
which is connected to Victor Harbor by a causeway,
served by a tram pulled Clydesdale horses.
Goolwa
A pioneering port near the mouth of the River
Murray, Goolwa is also Australia's only combined
paddleboat and steam rail centre. During school
holidays, the Cockle Steam Train runs along the
coast between Goolwa and Victor Harbor.
Hindmarsh Island
This river bound island is close to Goolwa and
visitors can drive to the point where the River
Murray finally enters the Southern Ocean. From here
the Coorong is just minutes away by boat, and
charters are available from the island marina. Local
Ngarrindjeri people have a spiritual connection to
parts of this island.
Strathalbyn
Settled in 1839, the town boasts an entire boulevard
of turn-of-the-century buildings, including antique,
craft and gift shops. Other interesting sights
include the Police Station/Court House Museum, the
Old School and the Gasworks.
Fleurieu Artificial
Reef
An artificial reef is being created in South
Australian waters using one of the last of the true
destroyers, the ex-HMAS Hobart.
The creation of the Fleurieu Artificial Reef
provides an ongoing productive use of a
decommissioned naval vessel. It creates a purpose
for the vessel and will exist as a memorial to the
ship and its crew, instead of being sold off for
scrap metal. The scuttled vessel will create an
artificial reef that will enhance marine life and
provide a premier eco-tourism diving site, and a
valuable tourist attraction for South Australia.
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