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Our guide to the best McLaren Vale accommodation

Tegan Forder 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

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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

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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

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Tegan Forder

Tegan Forder

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The Vineyard Retreat - Cadole Sierra, McLaren Vale
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3 vintage train journeys to step back in time and explore NSW

(Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    Elizabeth Whitehead Elizabeth Whitehead
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    From country landscapes to the coast, Vintage Rail Journeys blends the grandeur of the golden age of rail travel with immersive local experiences.

    Travelling aboard the historic Southern Aurora train is the ultimate scenic journey through regional NSW. Operated by Vintage Rail Journeys, the former Southern Aurora is a step back in time, from the lovingly restored carriages to the Off Train Experiences that spotlight local history, artisanal crafts and regional producers.

    Once the overnight express that ferried passengers between Sydney and Melbourne throughout the 1960s, this train has been revived to its former mid-century glory, from the cabin layouts to the original lettering. Today, the train takes passengers on scenic and historic five-day journeys – starting and ending in Sydney – through three distinct regions of NSW: The Riverina, Golden West and North Coast.

    Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train carriage
    Be transported into the golden age of travel. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    One of the most magical parts of travelling with Vintage Rail Journeys is waking up on the train. Each night, the train stables at a station so guests can enjoy a restful night’s sleep in stillness, before departing again at dawn. Passengers awake to the gentle motion of the carriage, flicking open the blinds to watch the landscape unfold at sunrise. There is no better way to start the day.

    The onboard experience come evening time is just as picturesque. Guests enjoy the all-inclusive food and beverages, nursing cocktails in the Art Deco-inspired lounge carriage or lingering over a three-course dinner in the dining carriage. Outside the window, Eastern grey kangaroos bound across open plains and flocks of cockatoos scatter from the gumtrees. It’s an old-world way of travelling, a slower pace that’s increasingly rare amid the frenzy of modern life. From coastal sojourns to adventures through agrarian landscapes, these are the multi-day Vintage Rail Journeys itineraries transporting guests back in time.

    The Riverina

    Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train travelling through nsw
    Travel through the agricultural heartland of NSW. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    The Riverina is the agricultural heartland of NSW. Over five days, Vintage Rail Journeys takes passengers through the region to experience its celebrated produce, wines and local history. Travelling in a loop through the Central West, guests can sample sweets at the Junee Liquorice & Chocolate Factory, housed inside a former flour mill, tour an olive grove alongside a second-generation olive farmer, and enjoy tastings at family-owned wineries where the grapes are harvested mere metres away.

    The Riverina is also a region shaped by passionate local historians. The Fairground Follies museum in Bowral houses one of the world’s largest collections of mechanical music and carnival memorabilia – a riot of colour and nostalgia tucked away where you’d least expect it. Meanwhile, Temora Rural Museum offers a glimpse into the history of everyday life in rural NSW. It’s home to the NSW & ACT Ambulance Museum (yes, a museum within a museum), packed with ambulances that span the past 120 years (including horse-drawn!). And seeing it all aboard a vintage train makes it feel not just like you’re visiting history, but living inside of it.

    North Coast

    Forest Sky Pier
    Take in the views from Forest Sky Pier. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    This five-day journey is all about ocean views and slowing down in tune with the rhythm of coastal life. As you make your way north from Sydney, the water is never too far from sight, whether Vintage Rail Journeys is tracing the Gloucester River or travelling alongside sweeping stretches of coastline. You’ll want to sit by a window as the train passes through the Coffs Harbour region – it’s one of the most scenic stretches of the whole journey.

    Guests can also disembark at Coffs Harbour to take in the beauty of the Great Dividing Range at the Forest Sky Pier – a surreal lookout point that looks like a runway disappearing into the sky. The train continues onward to Byron Bay, where guests can disembark to explore the iconic beach town at their own pace. And on the return journey to Sydney, keep your eyes peeled for dolphins – they’re known to frequent the Kooragang Wetlands near Newcastle, which guests visit on a lunch cruise on the final day.

    Golden West

    winery experience in new south wales
    Jump off the train for a winery experience. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    Travelling through the Golden West by rail is like stepping into a Frederick McCubbin painting – a nod to the golden era of rail travel. This five-day journey evokes the era of Australian Impressionism, passing through some of the country’s most painterly landscapes while tracing a path through history.

    Starting in Sydney, the train makes its way to the Hawkesbury River, where the train crosses a historic rail bridge over the bronze, glassy waters below. Guests disembark here to cruise the brackish inlet aboard a historic postal boat before returning to the train to continue into Gold Rush country. Ahead lie grand heritage towns and historic estates, including the 1870s Abercrombie House in Bathurst.

    Special event journeys

    meal onboard Vintage Rail Journeys Southern Aurora train
    Enjoy all-inclusive dining and beverages on the way to special events. (Credit: Krista Eppelstun)

    Regional NSW is home to some truly one-of-a-kind events, and Vintage Rail Journeys offers a memorable way to get there. Planning a trip to the Bathurst Repco 1000? Vintage Rail Journeys’ special itinerary combines accommodation, dining and transport into one seamless experience. Guests take the scenic route to Bathurst, where the train becomes a unique home base for the event, complete with transfers, all-inclusive dining and beverages, and three days of reserved grandstand seating before returning to Sydney Central Station.

    For something a little more playful, guests can also join fellow Elvis enthusiasts on a special overnight journey to Parkes for the town’s iconic annual Elvis Festival. It’s a vintage rail journey – with a little added rock ‘n’ roll.

    Step back into the golden age of rail travel at vintagerailjourneys.com.au.