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Our guide to the best cafes in McLaren Vale

Tegan ForderBy Tegan Forder
Fuel up ahead of a day exploring the McLaren Vale the right way with coffee and breakfast at these standout cafe spots.

Before the beach or McLaren Vale wineries, their needs to be coffee and a hearty breakfast. Luckily the region is home to plenty of coffee holes-in-the-wall, charming brunch spots and cafes with a view. All these McLaren Vale cafes offer up fresh local produce and the baristas take their craft seriously – serving up quality flat whites time and time again.

The shortlist

Best coffee: Dawn Patrol
Family-friendly spot: Manna McLaren Vale
Casual eats: Hey Juj
Best views: Pearl Kiosk
Best for Vegan/Vegetarian: The Slow Food Kitchen

Dawn Patrol

a look inside Dawn Patrol cafe, McLaren Vale
Kickstart your day with a warm brew. (Image: Tony Zolek)

Coffee enthusiasts know Dawn Patrol is the place to get a good brew. The team is passionate about their coffee and aim for 100% traceability of their ethically sourced beans. The Brew Bar allows you to sample seasonal filter and espresso options while there’s a small bagel menu and pastries for a grab-and-go option, with GF options available.

Stock up on their beans – anything from The Toucan Espresso Blend – beans grown in Mexico with toffee apple and chocolate or the floral and lemony San Jose – a dry Gesha blend hailing from Nicaragua.

Cuisine: Baked goods / Specialty Coffee

Average price: $

Atmosphere: Hole in the wall

Location: 402 Main Rd, McLaren Vale SA 5171

Visitor Centre Stump Hill Cafe

Tucked down along the main strip, Stump Hill Cafe at the McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Coast Visitor Centre feels like a welcome stop – or start – on a morning exploring the McLaren Vale township.

The building has leafy lawns and vine views, with a nature-play area and wide outdoor space for kids. The menu features slow-cooked pies, house-made cakes and locally roasted coffee.

Delivered with a relaxed, genuinely friendly service it’s a great way to be welcomed to town. Pop next door to the Visitor’s Centre to plan the ultimate McLaren Vale itinerary.

Cuisine: Australian

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Warm

Location: 796 Main Road, McLaren Vale

Hey Juj

Hey Juj cafe exterior, McLaren Vale
Hey Juj is a cafe by day and bar by night.

For a solid flat white and a sandwich on the run, Hey Juj is a go-to. Breakfast options range from avo toast to acai bowls, but it’s the sandos that really steal the show. The brekkie sando is stacked with crispy bacon, fried egg, relish and hash browns, while the vego version – with pumpkin, capsicum, eggplant, baby mozzarella and a hit of spicy mayo – is just as good.

It’s a reliable, easy-going spot that locals love as much as visitors. Licensed all day, book in for a bottomless brunch or add a Bloody Mary to breakfast. Come Thursday through Saturday, the place shifts gears into a wine bar from 3pm, pouring a generous selection of whites, reds and local gins.

Cuisine: Australian 

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Location: 150 Main Road, McLaren Vale

Manna McLaren Vale

preparing coffee at Manna McLaren Vale
Order specialty coffee from Manna McLaren Vale.

Sometimes one coffee is not enough which is why Manna’s Barista’s Breakfast tasting paddle with filter brew, white coffee and espresso is a godsend first thing in the morning.

The cafe’s menu changes with the seasons: in winter enjoy the sticky date porridge, smoky tomato soup or German apple hotcakes. It’s hard to resist the loaded croissant pocket stuffed with pork sausage, cheese, hash brown, fried egg, jalapeños, pickles and house-made brekkie sauce.

Kids are well catered for, and there’s even a free storytime every Monday morning in the Manna Studio, which also hosts regular craft workshops – another reason to linger a little longer.

Cuisine: European-Australian

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Family-friendly

Location: 211 Main Road, McLaren Vale

Willa

pouring milk over coffee at Willa, McLaren Vale
Get your caffeine fix at Willa.

Start the day right at this quaint coffee shop inside a heritage building on Willunga’s main strip. With coffee by Altura and milk by Fleurieu Milk, Willa loves its local producers.

Much of the produce is sourced locally, including Willunga Meats, The Sourdough Story and Onkaparinga Creamery, with juices from The Garden Farmers, kombucha by Gather Brewing, and coffee from Altura.

The menu is packed with filling egg dishes, crumpets with nitrate-free bacon and maple syrup, or an indulgent croque monsieur. Look out for seasonal dishes like smoked beans and market fritters made with whatever is good at the time.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Rustic charm

Location: 17a High Street, Willunga

Wild Flour Willunga

It’s worth the walk up the hill along Willunga’s main street for Wild Flour’s simple, lovingly prepared dishes. The food is cooked with genuine care, and the team couldn’t be more welcoming.

Housed in the original, heritage-listed Atkinson’s Bakery building, the cafe’s nineteenth-century facade gives way to a cosy interior that instantly feels like home. Their generous, home-style menu celebrates fresh produce from across the Fleurieu Peninsula – the All Day Breakfast is hard to beat as are the Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Croissant French toast and freshly baked cookies.

On Friday nights, Wild Flour reopens from 4pm for cocktails, wine and share plates – the ideal way to ease into a weekend in the Vale.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $

Atmosphere: Cosy

Location: 44 High Street, Willunga

Pearl Kiosk

outdoor dining at Pearl Kiosk, Aldinga Beach
Dine by the beautiful Aldinga Beach. (Image: Kate Potter)

Open Thursday to Sunday, Pearl Kiosk sits atop the cliffs overlooking Aldinga Beach – making it it one of the best views in the area for coffee and a beach stroll. Grab a takeaway and sit on the adjacent lawn or head down to the beach to sit on the sand.

The breakfast sandwich – free-range eggs with crispy bacon or haloumi, tomato and capsicum salsa, and house greens – is a winner, but so is the Port Lincoln ocean jacket fish sandwich with pickled grape, dukkah and preserved lemon. Come lunchtime, it’s a tough decision between the classic calamari and chips, the Port Lincoln mussels, or the shawarma-spiced pumpkin with tahini yoghurt and chermoula.

Cuisine: Middle-Eastern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Coastal vibes

Location: Boat Ramp, Aldinga Beach

Goodness Coffee Co.

the cosy corner inside Goodness Cafe, McLaren Vale
Goodness Coffee Co. freshly roasts in small batches. (Image: Dan Hill and Aaron Hill)

Another coffee specialist in the area, Goodness Coffee Co. freshly roasts in small batches on the Fleurieu Peninsula – choose from the Colombian, Ethiopian Guigi ‘Alaka’ or House Blend to take home.

While primarily a coffee spot, their cabinet always has something to tempt from bliss balls and cakes to croissants, pastries and vegan pies.

Set up in a cosy indoor nook, out in the sunny front yard, or find shade in the charming courtyard. Doggos aren’t forgotten – the cafe stocks treats from Veggie Paws.

Cuisine: Australian

Average price: $

Atmosphere: Rustic country charm

Location: 24 Old Coach Road, Aldinga

The Slow Food Kitchen

For a pick-me-up breakfast full of fruit, leafy greens and fresh juices, The Slow Food Kitchen always hits the spot. The light-filled interior is beautiful, with sun streaming through the windows, while outside tables are dotted amongst the flowers.

Nourish bowls are packed with colourful veg, while the buckwheat waffles are topped with coconut whip, poached pear, chai reduction, maple and fresh fruit. They really hero local produce with the relish made from local organic tomatoes and seasonal fruit adorning most dishes. Make sure to stock up on their seed oil–free ready meals for later.

Cuisine: Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Laidback

Location: 173 Port Rd, Aldinga

Tegan Forder
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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves . Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

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    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

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    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.