Pictured: Watervale Hotel Team
With winter right around the corner, there’s no better time to get out and explore our beautiful state, but with so much to see, it can be tricky to decide where to adventure first. If you’re in need of some guidance in making this decision, we’ve found something that might just pique your interest.
SA’s Epicurean Way has been named among Australia’s most scenic road trips, following only the Great Ocean Road. The Epicurean Way is a 223km trail through SA’s wine country. Passing through McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, the Barossa, and Clare Valley, it is no surprise that tourists adore this iconic and picturesque route.
The team of car insurance experts over at ROLLiN’ are the ones behind the list. They had a look at 22 of Australia’s most scenic road trips, and used a range of metrics to analyse the level of interest and appreciation each has received. From there, they created index scores and rankings to see the top picks across the country.
They looked at social media posts and analysed them by posts per km. While it may fly under the radar, the Epicurean Way came in with 537,500 posts on Instagram and 2,421 social media posts per kilometre. With an abundance of drop-dead gorgeous vineyards and cellar door pit stops along the way, this journey is a photogenic as it is delicious.
The Epicurean Way was also featured in the list of the most popular road trips in Australia on Instagram, in third place. It’s no surprise that thanks to the route’s picture-perfect combination of food, wine, the road trip has racked up over 537,500 posts.
In addition, the road trip placed sixth in the most loved category, tenth in most popular on TikTok, and seventh in the most loved winter road trips.
“The Epicurean Way really connects four of the main wine regions of South Australia, which all start and finish within an hour and a half of the CBD,” shared Warrick Duthy, the owner of the Watervale Hotel in the Clare Valley.
Warrick is a local along the Epicurean and recommends people head off the beaten path and explore this beautiful part of the state.
“It’s a journey, you can start at one end and finish at the other, take a week, and book accommodation along the way. But I think what makes it so special is that you can do it in chunks, spend a couple of days in McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa, or Clare, and do bits of it at a time.
“I think if you’re coming from overseas or interstate, it’s a great idea to put it all together; they’ve done the planning for you, and you get to see the best of the best that the state has to offer. But if you’re a local with a bit less time on your hands, breaking it into chunks is a great way to do it.”
Warrick says there’s so much new stuff to see on the Epicurean Way that wasn’t there originally. Take, for example, his own town of Watervale.
“Watervale wasn’t originally an Epicurean destination in South Australia, but it’s becoming a spot to visit in its own right. You’ve got some great places in Watervale, think the Watervale Hotel, Penobscot Farm, Watervale General Store, and the accommodation offerings. From not being on the map to start with, I’d argue that we’re one of the destination superstars along the Epicurean Way.”
There are heaps of spots like this as well, that are emerging along the Epicurean. When exploring, you’re guaranteed not to experience the same thing twice, you’ll always find a new hidden gem along the way. Whether it’s a town that’s not on the map yet, a new restaurant or a winery, no two trips will be the same.
So whether you’re keen to venture on just a small part of the journey with a picnic basket and esky in hand, or fancy something a bit longer with a good playlist or podcast queued and ready to go, the Epicurean Way is one that’s sure to impress, and the perfect excuse to get out and about this winter.
If you’re looking for more things to do this winter, Adelaide was named one of the top travel destinations in June! Find out more here.
Find out what other road trips made the list here.
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