This EV road trip through SA‘s wine country is the perfect weekender

Jo StewartBy Jo Stewart
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South Australia’s wine country is a prime destination for an epic all-electric car road trip.

When it comes to accessibility, South Australia’s wine regions can’t be beaten. Only 40 or so minutes from Adelaide Airport, the Barossa Valley is not only a convenient drive, but far away enough to feel like you’re on a proper break.

There are wheat fields and gum trees, vineyards and magpies sitting on rusty farm gates, and you can see a blanket of stars on a clear night. Best of all, you can easily lower your environmental impact by travelling in an all-electric vehicle.

Compact wine regions make for prime driving conditions

Road-tripping in an electric vehicle once seemed dicey, but now it’s become mainstream. For this trip I’m behind the wheel of the new Volvo EX90, which has a range of up to 570 kilometres. According to SA Power Networks, there are 3000 public EV charging points across Australia, with over 750 operational or under construction in South Australia alone. You can now charge your ride at a long list of locations, from Coober Pedy to Kangaroo Island and even Pimba (population: 25), 480 clicks north of Adelaide.

Sure, there are abundant EV charging options. But I could easily manage a two-day jaunt in the Barossa and Adelaide Hills without recharging. In this corner of the world, the compact wine regions overlap each other, making driving a cinch.

a Volvo EX90 at Kingsford The Barossa
Arrive in style to Kingsford The Barossa in a Volvo EX90. (Image: Jo Stewart)

A destination hotel and vines in the Barossa

a couple walking to Kingsford The Barossa
The historic Kingsford The Barossa dates back to 1856. (Image: Adam Bruzzone)

Staying at a luxe destination hotel is a good start. A heritage-listed jewel, Kingsford The Barossa has all the hallmarks of a mid-1800s pastoral estate: a two-storey Georgian-style sandstone homestead, shearing shed and clawfoot bush baths. You can see why this was chosen as the location for TV drama McLeod’s Daughters to be filmed (fans can check out show memorabilia in the property’s library).

the rolling fields surrounding Kingsford The Barossa
The heritage accommodation is surrounded by rolling fields. (Image: Yuncong Ma)

The real star of the show, however, is the surrounding landscape. Despite the region battling a drought, the parched land still has an austere beauty. The Kingsford restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows frame the quintessentially Australian outlook perfectly, best viewed in the morning with poached eggs, sourdough and a strong brew.

a couple having a drink at Kingsford The Barossa
Raise a glass to romance at the secluded property. (Image: Yuncong Ma)

After dark, the bar is the place to be for a cheeky nightcap. Home to wine vaults laden with Barossa and Eden Valley drops, this is heaven for New World wine lovers. Downstairs, there’s a surprise: a two-lane Kegelbahn for European-style nine-pin bowling – a nod to the area’s German roots.

the volvo EX90 is parked in front of Kingsford The Barossa, SA by EV
Recharge at Kingsford The Barossa after a road trip around SA wine regions in the Volvo EX90. (Image: Jo Stewart)

Alkina Wine Estate produces local wines you can savour here. Alternatively, you can visit the cellar door yourself, which is just 15 minutes away. At this biodynamic vineyard you’ll get an unpretentious, convivial tasting experience.

“We don’t want our shiraz to punch you between the eyes," says Dan Coward of Alkina Wine Estate, signalling that shiraz-shy drinkers are safe to sip. He also chats about the pendulum swinging on popularity, explaining that semillon has become “deeply uncool" but deserves a chance, especially when visiting South Australia. And he’s right; I’m a convert.

the biodynamic vineyard at Alkina Wine Estate
Stay onsite in the heart of the biodynamic vineyard. (Image: Alkina Wine Estate)

Providores and farmgates in the Adelaide Hills

an aerial view of Jurlique Farm in the Adelaide Hills
Jurlique uses ingredients grown on its farm in its products. (Image: Tourism Australia/South Australia Tourism Commission)

After driving south of the Barossa for an hour, we hit the village of Verdun in the Adelaide Hills, making a pit stop at the warm and welcoming Fourth Hill Providore. On a sunny day, the shaded tables in the garden are prime real estate, and for good reason – this is a sublime spot for a latte and a pastry.

Across the road, the longstanding Stanley Bridge Tavern is a place best visited with a designated driver thanks to its very well-stocked wine room (home to 300 labels from around the world). In nearby Biggs Flat, the Jurlique Farm offers more wholesome pursuits, like tours and masterclasses using hand-picked botanical ingredients.

a beekeeper in a bee suit is holding a hive at Jurlique Farm
It’s all about beauty and the bees at Jurlique Farm in the Adelaide Hills. (Image: Jurlique International)

Therein lies the rub; around here, you could drive in any direction and find incredible food, wine, people and scenery. Now that the new generation of electric cars has a 500-plus kilometre range – there’s nothing stopping you.

a bird flying from a tree
South Australia is home to a variety of birdlife. (Image: Yuncong Ma)

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

The Barossa is about an hour’s drive north of Adelaide/Tarntanya. The Adelaide Hills is a 20-minute drive from the city’s CBD.

Staying there

the cosy interior of Kingsford The Barossa
Kingsford The Barossa is a top spot to recharge and unwind. (Image: Yuncong Ma)

Stay at a heritage-listed estate with silver-screen pedigree at Kingsford The Barossa .

Playing there

premium wines at Alkina Wine Estate
Top-shelf drops at Alkina Wine Estate. (Image: Alkina Wine Estate)

Taste wine and cheese at Alkina Wine Estate and stay in the heart of the vineyard.

Jo Stewart
Jo Stewart is a freelance features writer who pens stories about nature, pop culture, music, art, design and more from her home in the Macedon Ranges of Victoria. When not writing, you can find her trawling through vinyl records and vintage fashion at op shops, antique stores and garage sales.
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Explore historic wine towns and sculpture trails on a 3-day self-guided Murray River cruise

    Ricky FrenchBy Ricky French
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    Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place. 

    Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat. 

    After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.    

    Murray River
    The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

    Setting sail from Mildura 

    Murray River birds
    Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

    A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.  

    My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.  

    Stop one: Echuca  

    19th-century paddlesteamers
    A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.  

    The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.  

    Stop two: Barmah National Park 

    Barmah National Park
    Camping riverside in Barmah National Park, listed as a Ramsar site for its significant wetland values. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

    Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.  

    The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.  

    Stop three: Cobram 

    Yarrawonga MulwalaGolf Club Resort
    Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange. 

    The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.  

    Stop four: Albury-Wodonga 

    First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk
    First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

    Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country. 

    A traveller’s checklist  

    Staying there

    New Mildura motel Kar-rama
    New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

    Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town. 

    Playing there

    BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura
    Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

    Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists. 

    Eating there

    Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.