Did you know that Australia’s food and wine scene is bursting with creative chefs, skilled purveyors and exciting winemakers producing fresh and innovative flavors that are the envy of the world?

With a rich and varied landscape capable of supporting a variety of fresh and tantalizing produce coupled with a long immigrant history, Australia’s fusion food really sets itself apart. Multicultural diversity influences each producer’s enthusiasm, passion and experimentation in a different fashion allowing for a uniquely Australian style to unfold.

Adelaide
Adelaide (from the South Australian Tourism Commission)
Rundle, Street Adelaide
Rundle, Street Adelaide (from the South Australian Tourism Commission)

A key player in the strong food and wine culture is the state of South Australia. Its capital, Adelaide is home to many of the country’s best restaurants and cafes. As the scene continues to grow with more pubs and bars and pop-up eateries opening up, a new dimension is added to this food and wine scene. Most menus feature the State’s produce and wine allowing visitors to really experience the taste of South Australia without leaving the city.

More of South Australia’s offerings can be explored by visiting the Adelaide Central Market in the heart of the city. The 80 or so stalls will present you with a tasting tour across the State with fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese, meat, olives, seafood, poultry, pastries, yogurts, and more on offer.

Adelaide Central Market
Adelaide Central Market (from the South Australian Tourism Commission)

Those with more time on their hands should venture outside the city to where these incredible foods and wine are grown and produced. The Barossa Valley, Australia’s most famous wine region is an easy day trip and an even better few night stay. Internationally acclaimed and small, emerging labels sit side by side offering visitors an amazing and diverse wine experience.

Take a guided tour though the Valley, meander along boutique wine trails, chat with local winemakers, and discover their passion at one of the many cellar doors dotted across the countryside. Learn about the climate, which coolly nurtures the vines, providing fruit of fresh, clean and unforgettable flavor.
The Barossa supports more than just wine, so you definitely won’t be going hungry. Discover the free–range poultry, noodles, olives oil, nuts, cheese, dried fruit, chutneys, pickles, fresh fruit and vegetables that pair so well with the wines creating an unforgettable meal or two for you to enjoy.

Those with a taste for seafood may want to explore the Eyre Peninsula on their travels. Almost seventy percent of South Australia’s freshest seafood comes straight from the Southern Ocean in this rugged frontier. Taste some of country’s finest seafood fresh from the catch with tuna, mussels, abalone, crayfish, oysters, prawns and the King Oyster available in abundance.

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K1 Winery, Adelaide Hills
K1 Winery, Adelaide Hills (from the South Australian Tourism Commission)

Join a “safari” and visit hot spots known only to locals to hunt and gather seafood before having it prepared for you by a personal chef and cuisine guru. This is the perfect way to enjoy some seriously great seafood from some of the cleanest and best producing waters in the world as well as learn hot cooking tips from your chef.

The Fleurieu Peninsula lies south of Adelaide and is a beautiful area with green hill, cliff tops, beaches, covers and the mighty Murray River. It is also home to some of the best wine and most famous wine regions in the world. Taste some of Australia’s most exciting wines and regional cuisines at the more than 75 cellar door wineries, many with restaurants attached. Take a drive to visit the roadside stalls offering seasonal produce and build a picnic lunch to take out to one of the many viewpoints to enjoy.

Make sure to enjoy a meal or two at one of the many restaurants with spectacular views while you are there. Whether you want to enjoy fresh scallops and seafood perched high on a cliff top overlooking the Gulf St Vincent or char grilled quail on a wide shady veranda looking across vineyards, the Peninsula delivers the quality and the views to match.

Pikes Winery
Pikes Winery, Clare Valley, South Australia (from the South Australian Tourism Commission)
Skillogalee Clare Valley
Skillogalee Clare Valley (from the South Australian Tourism Commission)

In addition to being the best place in Australia to see native animals in the wild, Kangaroo Island features a boutique food and wine scene matched with breathtaking scenery. Taste honey made by Ligurian bees brought over from Italy in the 1800s and cheese from the State’s first sheep dairy. Sip on one of the Island’s many wines or try a gin or vodka infused with local ingredients.

There is much more to South Australia than meets the eye, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to discover everything it has to offer, from the food and wine to the friendly wildlife and spectacular landscapes. South Australia is an events destination, playing host to many regional and international events throughout the year. It never passes up an excuse to celebrate its diverse food and wine offerings, taking advantage of any opportunity that arises. Gourmet pop-up stalls and food trucks will appear and the local fare and regional markets come alive to showcase visitors and residents the best food and wine offerings from across the State.

Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island (from the South Australian Tourism Commission)
Seal Bay Conservation Park, Kangaroo Island
Seal Bay Conservation Park, Kangaroo Island (from the South Australian Tourism Commission)

For exciting Aboriginal experiences around Australia, check out Down Under Answers.

Editor’s Note: Down Under Answers is a paid sponsor of Budget Your Trip.