Guides

The best Winter activities to do in South Australia

By Kelly Noble

Posted on June 1, 2021

With the arrival of Winter, and more Aussies ‘holidaying here’ this year, we’ve pulled together some of the best Winter activities in South Australia.

SA is home to some of the most curious and unique once-in-a-lifetime adventures right in our backyard, and some of these things only happen over the cooler months, so here’s some amazing things to keep you entertained this Winter.

Check out a light show at Illuminate Adelaide

A celebration of innovation, music, art and light, Illuminate Adelaide will bring winter to life over 17 days and nights from 16 July 2021. The curated program will light up the city’s streets, laneways and architecture with a program of free and ticketed events by local, national and international artists and companies.

Explore Adelaide Hills at Winter Reds Weekend

To celebrate South Australia’s Year of Wine, head to the hills from 23^rd-25^th July and escape the winter blues with a drop (or two) of the Adelaide Hills’ best reds. With more than 30 wineries showing off their incredible wines and a smorgasbord of sumptuous food, make a weekend of it and stay a night to drink-in all the Winter Reds Weekend has to offer.

Swim with Giant Cuttlefish

While the sound of cold water might not be immediately appealing, just once per year, these visually striking underwater creatures migrate and congregate for their breeding season and are well known for their ability to display arrays of luminescent patterns and colours. SA’s waters are the only place in the world where the cuttlefish aggregate annually on mass and with such great predictability.

Mount Lofty Botanic Garden

From waterfalls to wildlife, the cooler months are the perfect time to head for the Adelaide Hills and explore Mount Lofty Botanic Garden’s 97 hectares of lush, green paradise. With meandering paths through some of South Australia’s most beautiful and diverse plant-life, flowing streams and camellias in full bloom, you’ll be walking in a winter wonderland bursting with the colours of autumn and a taste of Winter mist will transport you into the Northern Hemisphere.

Arkaroola Astronomical Observatory Tour

Enjoy a truly intergalactic experience that is not normally available to anyone but astronomers and scientists. Arkaroola not only has one of Australia’s largest privately owned Astronomical Observatories but also enjoys some of the best astronomical ‘seeing conditions’ in the Southern Hemisphere, and Winter makes for the best star gazing with longer nights and mostly cloud free conditions. Jump on a tour at the observatory for a close-up look at distant galaxies using impressive professional telescopes.

Witjira National Park

Warm up in Witjira National Park’s more than 120 mound springs, including oasis gem Dalhousie Springs. These warm waters reach temperatures of up to 43 degrees bubbling up from a deep millions of years old fissure, surrounded by trees in the Simpson Desert. The area is home to unique species of fish and rare aquatic life found nowhere else in the world, and if you’re lucky enough to be visiting the park after a soaking rain, you’ll be rewarded with the ephemeral wildflowers bursting into bloom.

Head of Bight Whale Watching Centre

Each year the Southern Right whales leave their feeding grounds in the sub-Antarctic region and migrate north to give birth in warmer waters. The Head of Bight is one of the best viewing spots and semi-protected areas for an unparalleled opportunity to view Southern Right whales as they congregate and give birth to their calves. Whales gradually enter the nursery waters of the Bight in early June. Early October the whales then slowly continue their long journey of migration.