Take the long road from Adelaide

Three South Australian road trips made for slow travel.

Wine-country roads, an island ferry and a vast peninsula—sequenced honestly, with enough margin for the conditions that decide how the journey unfolds.

Choose your route ↓

Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0

The South Australian road-trip rule

Distance is only one part of the plan.

These routes begin with official South Australian touring frameworks, then add the decisions a useful itinerary needs: where to stay twice, when to stop tasting, how much ferry margin to protect and when a park alert should change the day.

Current note: Cape du Couedic Road—including Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch—closes from 5:00 am to 2:30 pm on Sunday 23 August for the Kangaroo Island Marathon. Seal Bay beach access is temporarily paused while its boardwalk remains open. Parts of Deep Creek remain closed after fire, while Dhilba Guuranda–Innes has higher feral bee activity and a storm-damaged viewing-platform closure.

Days are editorial planning guides. Traffic, weather, fire danger, park access and ferry operations can materially change them; confirm every live condition immediately before travelling.

Three different journeys

Choose by rhythm, not just distance.

Road trip	Allow	Pace	Best for	Itinerary
Epicurean Way, taken slowly	5 days / 4 nights	Hills, wine country and villages	Food lovers with transport planned	See route ↓
Southern Ocean to Kangaroo Island	6 days / 5 nights	Coast, ferry and wildlife	Wildlife and long coastal days	See route ↓
Coastal Way around Yorke Peninsula	5 days / 4 nights	Long coast and national park	Beaches, heritage and patient driving	See route ↓

Day by day

The routes, with room to breathe.

01Photo: Scott Davis · CC BY-SA 3.0

5 days / 4 nights · Hills, wine country and villages

Epicurean Way, taken slowly

Adapt South Australia's official Epicurean Way into an unhurried loop through the Fleurieu, Adelaide Hills, Barossa and Clare Valley—with tasting transport decided before the first cellar door.

Day 1: Adelaide to the Fleurieu
Begin around McLaren Vale or the northern coast. Choose one food or wine anchor and one landscape stop, then stay locally rather than treating the peninsula as a detour.
Open destination guide →
Day 2: Cool-climate Adelaide Hills
Move through the Hills slowly: one village, one garden or short walk, and one pre-booked meal is enough. Keep live fire and park conditions in the plan.
Open destination guide →
Day 3: Barossa without the rush
Use a booked tour, transfer or designated driver for tastings. A focused afternoon and a local night leave room for dinner without an onward drive.
Open destination guide →
Days 4–5: Clare, the Riesling Trail and home
Give Clare two days so the 33-kilometre Riesling Trail, villages and producers do not compete for the same afternoon. Return to Adelaide only after a proper second morning.
Open destination guide →

02Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0

6 days / 5 nights · Coast, ferry and wildlife

Southern Ocean to Kangaroo Island

Use the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island section of the official Southern Ocean Drive, protecting enough time for the ferry and the island's real distances instead of building the trip around a checklist.

Days 1–2: Fleurieu coast before Cape Jervis
Travel south through one coastal base—Port Elliot, Victor Harbor or the southern peninsula—then position close enough to protect the ferry check-in. Deep Creek still has bushfire-recovery closures, so let live access decide the walk.
Open destination guide →
Day 3: Cross with margin
The Cape Jervis–Penneshaw ferry takes about 45 minutes, but check-in, loading, weather and onward island driving require much more time. Book vehicle, passengers and accommodation together, then keep the arrival day light.
Open destination guide →
Days 4–5: Two island regions, not the whole island
Separate the east and west. Seal Bay beach access is temporarily paused while its boardwalk remains open, and the Cape du Couedic Road closes during the Kangaroo Island Marathon on 23 August; check National Parks SA alerts before committing to the western park.
Open destination guide →
Day 6: Ferry first, Adelaide second
Leave enough margin for the booked sailing and the drive from Cape Jervis. If the crossing moves because of conditions, the final day should absorb the change without risking a flight or another fixed deadline.

03Photo: Foraminifera · CC BY-SA 3.0

5 days / 4 nights · Long coast and national park

Coastal Way around Yorke Peninsula

Follow South Australia's five-day Yorke Peninsula framework south to Dhilba Guuranda–Innes and back through the western coast and Copper Coast, with fewer bases and live park access checked first.

Day 1: Adelaide to the eastern Yorke
Use Ardrossan, Stansbury or a nearby town as the first coastal pause. This is a transfer day with room for a jetty, foreshore or local meal—not the day to chase the peninsula's southern tip.
Open destination guide →
Days 2–3: Marion Bay and Dhilba Guuranda–Innes
Stay two nights near the southern park and build walks, beaches and heritage around conditions. Feral bee activity is currently higher than normal and Pondalowie Bay's surfers' viewing platform is closed after storm damage.
Open destination guide →
Day 4: Western coast, one base
Move north through only the stops that fit the weather and daylight, then stay around Point Turton, Hardwicke Bay or another matched base. Leave remote beaches alone when access or seas are doubtful.
Day 5: Copper Coast and Adelaide
Finish around Wallaroo, Moonta or Kadina before the return. Five days makes the peninsula a road trip; adding every coastal town would make it a sequence of car parks.

Before the engine starts

South Australian road-trip questions, answered plainly.

What is the best South Australian road trip for a first visit?

Choose the five-day Epicurean Way if you want straightforward sealed-road touring and a broad introduction to South Australian food regions. It links the Fleurieu, Adelaide Hills, Barossa and Clare, but every tasting day still needs a booked tour, transfer or designated driver.

How long should I allow for Kangaroo Island?

Allow at least three island nights within a six-day Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island journey. The ferry takes about 45 minutes, but terminal check-in, loading, weather and long island drives make a two-night visit unnecessarily fragile.

Can Yorke Peninsula be a weekend road trip?

The Copper Coast can work over two nights, but the southern peninsula and Dhilba Guuranda–Innes National Park deserve four or five days from Adelaide. South Australia's official Yorke itinerary uses five days, which is the framework adopted here.

What should I check before a South Australian road trip?

Check Traffic SA, Bureau of Meteorology forecasts and warnings, fire danger, National Parks SA alerts, ferry check-in, fuel range, venue opening days and accommodation access. Current closures are location-specific, so never rely on a saved itinerary alone.

Research notes

Official frameworks, independent judgement.

Route, ferry and park guidance checked 22 August 2026. The pacing is OzHoliday editorial guidance, never a paid ranking. Confirm current road, weather, fire, park, ferry and venue information before travelling.

South Australia — Epicurean Way ↗South Australia — Southern Ocean Drive ↗South Australia — five-day Yorke Peninsula itinerary ↗South Australia — Coastal Way ↗SeaLink — Kangaroo Island ferry timetable ↗National Parks SA — current closures and alerts ↗Traffic SA — live road conditions ↗

Build your own route

Six complete South Australian guides. Three very good reasons to keep driving.

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