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Our guide to the best McLaren Vale accommodation

Tegan ForderBy Tegan Forder
Stay in style at one of these comfortable retreats.

McLaren Vale offers a wealth of options for a perfect stay, from grand country retreats to cosy cottages, and camping under the stars. These McLaren Vale accommodation options ensure a comfortable and memorable base from which to explore the region’s wineries, restaurants and scenic highlights of one of Australia’s most celebrated wine regions.

In short

For a country-style stay in the McLaren Vale, make it the Sandalwood Shearing Shed for a truly rustic – but comfortable – experience surrounded by nature.

Hotels and motels

McLaren Vale Motel and Apartments

McLaren Vale Motel and Apartments
Unwind in a stylish studio apartment tucked away in the heart of McLaren Vale.

Located in the heart of the McLaren Vale wine region, this modern accommodation offers large, comfortable, and quiet motel units alongside 12 stylish studio apartments. Guests can stroll through the award-winning gardens or take a dip in the heated pool (closed May to September), while the new outdoor kitchen and barbecue area, undercover dining, outdoor television, and fireplace provide the perfect setting for relaxation or entertaining.

Located: 267 Main Rd Main Rd, McLaren Vale

Price range: From $399 for a queen room

Serafino

a peaceful lake at Serafino, Mclaren Vale
Stay next to a tranquil lake surrounded by century-old gum trees. (Image: Glenn Alderson Photography)

Set amidst centuries-old gum trees, a peaceful lake, and sprawling lawns, this welcoming winery is as beautiful as it is convenient. With 30 self-contained rooms , including family-friendly options, spa suites, and spacious units, guests enjoy comfort and privacy just minutes from McLaren Vale’s wineries, restaurants and bars. Each room features air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs, tea and coffee facilities, mini bar, wi-fi, parking and charging stations, with gourmet breakfast baskets available. Relax by the lake or pool, indulge at the award-winning restaurant, explore the Shiraz Trail or enjoy a wine tasting adventure.

Location: 39 Kangarilla Rd, McLaren Vale

Price range: A unit starts at $185 per night

Caravan Parks

BIG4 Port Willunga Tourist Park

the outdoor deck of a cabin at BIG4 Port Willunga Tourist Park, McLaren Vale accommodation
Book a cosy escape with your family at this pet-friendly park cabin. (Image: BIG4 Port Willunga Tourist Park)

Popular with South Australians on long weekends, this caravan park goes above and beyond, offering craft activities for kids and movie nights, as well as a pool, large playground, and even a jumping castle. Surrounded by bush and set back off the main road, it’s a well-equipped camping ground for families wanting to lounge around or explore the surrounding region. Powered and unpowered sites are available, along with cabins for those who prefer a bit more comfort.

Location: 22 Tuitt Road, Aldinga (Port Willunga)

Price range: Powered sites start from $32 per night; 2-bedroom villas start from $158 per night

Pink Gum Campground

Pink Gum Campground, McLaren Vale
Pink Gum Campground offers spacious sites for caravanners and campers. (Image: National Parks and Wildlife ServiceSouth Australia)

Set in dappled pink gum woodland near the Onkaparinga Gorge, this bush campsite has eleven cleared sites with plenty of space for tents beside your car. A network of walking trails winds through the forest and down into the gorge, where kangaroos, koalas, echidnas and even bandicoots are often spotted at dawn.

Location: Onkaparinga River National Park

Price range: $38.50 per night

McLaren Vale Cabin & Caravan Park

a studio apartment at McLaren Vale Cabin & Caravan Park
The studio apartment is a solid option for families, couples and groups. (Image: McLaren Vale Cabin & Caravan Park)

Spread across 33 acres of landscaped grounds, this park offers a range of accommodation , including Superior 2- and 3-Bedroom Nature View Cottages, Standard Cabins, Pet-Friendly Cabins, Ensuite Sites, Powered Sites and Unpowered Sites. With ample space to explore, playgrounds, BBQ facilities, and shady picnic areas, it’s a versatile choice for families, couples or groups wanting to stay close to the McLaren Vale wine region.

Location: 48 Field Street, McLaren Vale

Price range: The 2-bedroom Nature View Cottage starts at $400

Holiday homes and Airbnb’s

Sandalwood Shearing Shed

Sandalwood Shearing Shed offers a lovely country escape just 10 minutes from McLaren Vale. This cosy, romantic dwelling features a comfortable queen bed, stylish interiors, reverse-cycle air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and a fully equipped kitchen for self-catering. Step out onto the deck overlooking a winter creek, perfect for outdoor dining and barbecues, or curl up by the wood fire in winter.

Guests can explore nearby cellar doors, vineyards, beaches, and restaurants, or simply enjoy walks around the property. In season, help yourself to produce from the orchard, vegetable garden, and chook pen for a true farm-to-table experience.

Location: 28 Elliott Road, The Range, Fleurieu Peninsula

Price range: From $508 for two nights

Wine Down

a modern cottage in Wine Down, McLaren Vale
Wind down at Wine Down.

Expansive windows overlooking the vines, modern cottage-style interiors and neighbouring farm animals. This charming house is an idyllic haven for up to seven guests. The large outdoor deck overlooks the vines, perfect for alfresco summer meals prepared in the fully-equipped sage green kitchen, while the outdoor fire pit encourages cosy evenings outdoors.

The house is situated a five-minute drive from the iconic d’Arenberg Cube and a 10-minute drive to Willunga Farmers Market.

Location: McLaren Vale

Price range: From $1077 for two nights

Sage

the dining area at Sage, Mclaren Vale accommodation
The dining room is bright and airy with warm wood tones.

This beautifully renovated two-bedroom cottage blends warm limestone walls and a soothing neutral palette to create a relaxed, secluded hideaway just minutes from McLaren Vale’s main street. Built by local stonemasons and thoughtfully restored, it’s ideal for couples, small families, bridal parties, or friends, with each bedroom featuring its own bathroom.

The open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area, flooded with natural light, opens onto a garden with a fire pit and redwood benches – perfect for evening wine. Guests can step straight onto the Shiraz Trail or stroll to nearby cafes, wine bars, and restaurants, making Sage a memorable and charming retreat.

Location: McLaren Vale

Price range: From $682 for two nights

Tegan Forder
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Film lovers need to add these Victorian theatres to their bucket list

    Ricky FrenchBy Ricky French
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    Theatres have always been a cornerstone of regional Victoria, reflecting the character and history of their local communities.

    From grand, gold rush-era masterpieces to Art Deco wonders to repurposed prisons, we’ve rounded up four of Victoria’s best regional theatres to catch a show at next time you’re travelling through.

    Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat

    Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat 
    Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat has been standing for 150 years. (Image: Michael Pham)

    A monument to the immense gold rush wealth flooding through Ballarat in the second half of the 19th century, Her Majesty’s Theatre (‘Her Maj’ to locals) celebrates its 150th anniversary as the city’s premier performing arts venue this year.

    Built in a classical style and immaculately preserved (thanks largely to a recent $16-million restoration), this Lydiard Street landmark is the oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia, notable for its double balcony and a stage that slopes towards the front, making it one of the most audience-friendly venues in the country to see a show.

    The Capital, Bendigo

    The Capital Theatre, Bendigo
    The Capital in Bendigo was built in 1873 as a Masonic Hall. (Image: Michael Pham)

    Denoted by its distinctive Corinthian columns, more reminiscent of ancient Greece than regional Victoria, The Capital theatre in Bendigo has been through several iterations since the first stone was laid in 1873.

    Originally a Masonic hall, the renaissance revival-style building became a theatre in the 1890s, falling into disrepair for a time during the 1970s, before being restored and reopened (as the Bendigo Regional Arts Centre) in 1991. Today, the 480-seat venue hosts everything from comedy to cabaret to traditional theatre, dance, opera and live music.

     Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo

    a look insideBendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre
    Inside Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre, a former prison. (Image: Michael Pham)

    Bendigo has busted out as a regional performing arts hotspot, so it’s fitting that one of its newest venues is housed within a former prison. Meaning ‘meeting place’ or ‘gather together’ in the language of the local Dja Dja Wurrung people, the $26-million, 950-seat auditorium rose from within the red brick walls of the historic Sandhurst Gaol in 2015.

    It’s an eerie feeling as you approach the imposing granite facade, pass beneath the old gallows and pick up your ticket from the box office occupying a repurposed cell block. With the building playing a main character in the show, this is performative architecture at its finest.

    Rex Theatre, Charlton

    the Rex Theatre in Charlton
    The 1938-built Rex Theatre in Charlton is an Art Deco gem. (Image: Jenny Pollard)

    Regional theatres don’t come more romantic than this Art Deco gem in the river town of Charlton, in north-central Victoria. Built in 1938, the 350-seat community-owned theatre provides an essential entertainment outlet for residents in the Wimmera Mallee region, as well as visitors making the trip up the Calder Highway from Melbourne.

    The volunteer-run venue is the last remaining purpose-built cinema in regional Victoria, and hosts the Charlton Film Festival every February, plus three weekly film screenings (Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday).