Go on McLaren Vale’s off-road tour, and let the adventure connect you to country, koalas and fine wine. Photo / Tourism Australia
An off-road adventure reveals the best of McLaren Vale’s wildlife, wine, ancient landscapes and generous locals, writes Newstalk ZB radio host Roman Travers.
Dawn breaks in the foothills of the Sellicks in McLaren Vale, to the chorus of many birds, happy at the prospect of another day in Gods’ garden. I’ve slept at The Old Chaff Mill Retreat like a patient under general anaesthesia. Everything about what Bernice and Richard have done here is superb, from the stunning renovation of The Old Chaff Mill to the fresh posies of flowers in every room. They have a focus on local and organic everything, from the platters and meal supplies, the generously stocked fridge and the pantry, which was once the Chaff Mill loading chute.
Last night, I parked up in the garden gazebo with a glass of The Old Chaff Mill 2024 organic shiraz, to listen to the chorus of birds as the sun ran out of steam, including a Kookaburra who began with gusto, only to get stage fright and clam up like a politician under pressure. The birdlife here is prolific, and Bernice and Richard have an ornithological focus. Up in the bedroom, which overlooks the almond grove and vineyard, sweeping up to the Sellicks Hills, is a copy of Willunga Birds produced by The Willunga Environment Centre, along with a decent pair of 7x50 binoculars.
The huge bed is dangerously comfortable and very hard to leave, but I have a full day ahead, with Ben Neville from Off Piste 4 Wheel Drive Tours. After a stove-top espresso, I’m out the door and into Ben’s fantastic Toyota Land Cruiser. As soon as I’m shaking his hand and getting through that initial greeting phase, I know that I’m in for a fabulous day with a local bloke who knows his stuff.
We head off through the gorgeous town of Willunga in search of a good loaf of Sunday bread for a picnic in the Onkaparinga Gorge. Among the lovely shops and homes are the seven churches of Willunga, some now private homes. Willunga is a First Nations people’s word that means place of many trees. Outside a bakery that Neville ran into, is a classic car meet.
South Australia has a regular schedule of these, and they’re a great place to see the cars once prolific on Aussie and New Zealand roads, now relegated to the collections of those with a love of Holdens, Vauxhalls and Fords. I get yarning to Michael, who’s here with his HG 1970 Holden Menaro in bush green. He’s owned it for 30 years, and although he was recently offered $150,000 for it, it just isn’t for sale.
The roads we’re on now wind their way through the stunning vineyards of the region, with the earliest vines of shiraz, over 150 years old, and still producing. Before viticulture, this was a region known for almonds, vegetables and wheat. Many of the eucalyptus trees standing like centurions on each side of the road, are hundreds of years old, and there are over 600 types of eucalyptus trees across this great southern land.
Neville is the only tour operator over the last 10 years to have access through the padlocked gates of the exquisitely stunning Onkaparinga Recreational Park. The Onkaparinga River is South Australia’s second largest river, and as we weave our way up and down the ancient eucalyptus-clad hills, Neville tells the story of how special Onkaparinga is to the Kaurna people: the First Nations people of this nation. Mid-sentence, Ben becomes animated at a sight so perfect, it was like it’d been set up just for me. There in the safety of a ‘V’ in an eucalyptus sits a koala. We’re out of the Land Cruiser for photos and a closer look as Neville goes through his vocal koala routine, with the actual koala, seemingly happy to sit and listen, before we leave him in peace.
We descend a rugged track to a very sacred area in the Onkaparinga George, known to the Kaurna, First Nations people, as an area for “women’s business”. Even to this day, First Nations men will not come to this stunning river pool area, encompassed by many native trees and prolific bird life. Neville grabs the loaf of fresh bread and sets up a divine picnic, complete with a can of Quandong Soda. There were dried quandong berries on my platter back at The Old Chaff Mill Retreat, and both the fruit and soda are a delight to the taste buds. Before we leave, Neville goes to the Land Cruiser and pulls out a yidaki, or a didgeridoo, as the colonial settlers named this unique instrument. Ben plays it with ease and expertise, accompanied by bursts of Australian animal calls.
Ben has an instant connection to the respected storytellers and history of this ancient land, and following a few of my questions, he dials up Matt Waller, a naturalist and South Australia ambassador in the Tourism Hall of Fame. There are 300 nations in Australia, each with a deep connection to the country. Your nation was defined by, as far as the eye can see, plus a two-day walk.
After a delightful lunch at Our Place at Willunga Hill, an Italian eatery run by chef and legend Andy Clappis, Neville takes me on an additional surprise stop. The tour guide has a keen ear for what interests you, and by now, he knows about my love of colonial architecture and stunning gardens. So before returning to The Old Chaff Mill, Neville takes me to meet his delightful mum Lorraine, who owns a stunning early colonial McLaren Vale home, adorned with some of the best rose gardens I’ve ever seen.
Soaking up the vista of the many fine examples of early colonial settler architecture of McLaren Vale from the outside is spectacular enough, but when you get the opportunity to walk through one of these well-preserved, early 1800s limestone and ironstone homes, and to talk to those who live there, everything comes to life.
As we chat, Lorraine drops in facts about how the home was built to repel the dry heat of South Australia’s summer, with deep verandas, cloaked in ancient wisteria and hemmed in by deep, voluptuous beds of heirloom roses in shades of pink, white, yellow and red.
We venture down stone stairs to what was once a stone-clad water cistern, converted into a wine cellar. Meeting Neville’s mum was a delightful way to end one of the best days I’ve ever had in Australia with a guide who offers an immersive connection to country and people that many tours can’t.
The South Australian rain falls softly upon the corrugated iron roof of The Old Chaff Mill Retreat, as I slip into the blissful sleep of someone who feels very much at home here in McLaren Vale.
McLaren Vale, South Australia.
GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand operates a direct Adelaide-Auckland service year-round. The airline also runs a seasonal Christchurch-Adelaide route twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays (October-March), with this year’s seasonal schedule extended through to May 1, 2026.
DETAILS
Off Piste Tours | offpistetours.com.au.
McLaren Vale | mclarenvale.info.
The journalist travelled courtesy of Air New Zealand and South Australia Tourism.