jenn, somewhere

it’s the last weekend for Illuminate. Have you been yet? #illuminateadelaide #adelaide #southaustralia

hit a button, morty. and take us back to Kangaroo Island.

Nothing better than cruising down the coast on a sunny afternoon! We’ve done this drive so many times since it was created last year, but we’re always discovering new spots along the Route 31 Coastal Drive - cute little cafes, lunches with a view, yummy wine, great beers, local shops, and hidden little beach spots - we’re so lucky to have all of this so close to home! Don’t forget to tag your own adventures down Route 31 with #route31CoastalDrive and #valeandcoast - and follow @mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast for more McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Coast inspiration!

Mother Nature just be out here painting up masterpieces left, right, and centre 🎨 The diversity and depth of colours on display in McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Coast really is nothing short of incredible. There’s so much inspiration to be found, whether it’s taking in the sights along Route 31 Coastal Drive, or wandering beside vineyards along the Shiraz Trail. So. The only question is - where will you next seek inspiration from? Share your favourite colour palette by tagging #valeandcoast and #route31coastaldrive on the photos and video you capture while exploring @mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast #mclarenvale #fleurieucoast #southaustralia #australia

There’s honestly nothing better than cozying up next to a fire in the winter. Ok wait - scratch that - there is ONE thing better than a toasty fire… …a toasty fire AND a glass of McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Coast’s finest wine. 🍷 We recently went on a little adventure to seek out the best cellar door fireplaces in McLaren Vale & the Fleurieu Coast and after a few days of exploring we still haven’t managed to visit them all! It hasn’t been easy tasting all that wine, but I’m committed to doing this research for you! (jk it was super easy, maybe a little bit toooo easy??) 🙃 Here’s a few of our top picks so far: 🔥 Down the Rabbit Hole (on the lawn with blankets and pillows for maximum cozy) 🔥 Maxwell Wines (and they also have mead! yum!) 🔥 Hastwell & Lightfoot (grab a platter while you’re here!) 🔥 Samuel’s Gorge (beautiful views from up here!) 🔥 Berg Herring (my new favourite sunset spot) 🔥 Alpha Box & Dice (I’m now obsessed with orange wines thanks to these guys!) 🔥 Big Easy Radio (live music on weekends!) 🔥 Yangarra Estate (intimate cellar door tucked away in the hills - you’ll love it!) Check out @mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast for more cozy spots to discover in the region, and share your photos by tagging #valeandcoast #southaustralia #australia #wineanddine #winterwarmers

You’ve never heard of this place on IG before - but I promise, you're going to wish you'd discovered it sooner! Cottagecore vibes? ✔️ Cozy fireplace? ✔️ Walking distance to wine? ✔️ Easy access to everything @mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast has to offer? ✔️ and ✔️ Amanda's Cottage 1899 is an actual hidden gem. They don't have an IG presence, in fact, you'll hardly find any photos of the property online at all. What they do have though, is a beautiful heritage cottage in the most idyllic countryside setting. Farm fresh eggs and homemade bread baked just for you. A luxurious claw-foot tub to soak in. A wam & cozy fireplace to read a book in front of. All only minutes away from stunning walking trails, awesome cellar doors, and award-winning restaurants. It's the perfect base to explore the region from. It's also the perfect getaway if you just want to escape for a bit and do nothing at all. 🔖 SAVE this post for your next trip to McLaren Vale so you know how to find & book this hidden gem - search "Amanda's Cottage 1899" online ✨ note: pets are not allowed, this is the owner's dog that wandered down for a visit and posed so sweetly I couldn't not take photos with her in them | hosted stay #valeandcoast #mclarenvale #fleurieupeninsula #southaustralia #australia

✨ chasing small moments of bliss along Route 31 Coastal Drive ✨ Coastal villages, beautiful beaches, and stunning vistas - this coastal drive packs a lot into it’s 31km length. With so much to see and do along this route, you’ll be returning again and again to visit familiar favourites and discover new hidden gems. A few of the many ways you could spend a day exploring this winter: ✨ start with brunch at @districtb5165 ✨ walk along the Port Noarlunga jetty out to the reef. (you can jump in for a snorkel if you feel like braving the winter water!) ✨ drive on the sand at Moana, Silver Sands, or Sellicks beaches ✨ check out the historic fisherman’s caves at Port Willunga (grab coffee & a snack from @portwillykiosk if you’re hungry!) ✨ do a little shopping at the boutiques in Aldinga or grab a beer at the always popular @kickbackbrewing ✨ watch the sunset light up the cliffs at Sellicks Beach ✨ enjoy a wine tasting inside a heritage sandstone chapel at @bergherring ✨ finish off with a meal at one of SA’s best pubs @victoryhotel Have you discovered the Route 31 Coastal Drive yet? What’s your favourite stop along the way? Follow @mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast for more winter exploring ideas and show off your photos from the drive by tagging #route31CoastalDrive 📸

✨ never forget that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair ✨ winter is my favourite season for exploring the walking trails around @mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast . Earth blanketed in every shade of green; moody, misty mornings and crisp sunny days; the soft afternoon pastels that dapple trees and paint the sky before the sun sinks below the horizon. Here’s a few of my fave spots to get outside and connect with nature: 🌿 Willunga Basin Trail - newly opened and covers a huge variety of landscapes from red coastal cliffs, undulating vineyards of the vale, and up into the hills and thick bush around Kangarilla. It’s 130km in total, but broken into 11 sections that you can do as half day hikes. (📸 1&2) 🌿 Onkaparinga National Park - bet you didn’t know we had dramatic gorges like this around here!? The park is also one of the last remaining pockets of remnant vegetation south of Adelaide, and you’ll find yourself sharing the trails with koalas, kangaroos, and echidnas just to name a few. (📸 3&4) 🌿 Shiraz Trail - following an old rail line, this one is mostly flat and paved so it makes for a great accessible walk, or easy cycle, through the vineyards. (you can hire bikes from the McLaren Vale Visitors Centre!) Stop at some of the cellar doors along the way to fill up on food or quench your thirst. (📸 5&6) Tag your outdoor adventures with #valeandcoast and #route31coastaldrive to share your favourite spots in the region. Don’t forget to follow @mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast to discover even more of what the Vale and Coast has to offer.

Just because we hit the big ol' pause button on travel for a while doesn't mean I stopped earning frequent flyer miles while we were all grounded. There are lots of ways to keep earning miles just by doing everyday things like: ✈️ always using a debit or credit card linked to a rewards program for all my shopping ✈️ double dipping on points by going through airline e-stores when I'm shopping online ✈️ signing up with an insurance provider that offers miles for every dollar spent on my monthly premiums (my health insurer even gives me miles for really easy things like walking, exercising, and getting a good nights rest! - it almost doesn't even seem fair, does it?) Now that travel is back on the cards, @pointhacksau has helped me figure out the best way to use all those miles, and make sure I'm getting the best value from them! Because the only thing better than a tropical vacation is a tropical vacation you didn't have to pay for! | AD

Discover a different side to McLaren Vale & the Fleurieu Coast this winter - explore some of the best independent & local breweries that Australia has to offer on the McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Coast Brewery Trail. Locations from the vid: 🍻 Shifty Lizard Brewing @shifty.lizard.brewing 🍻 South Coast Brewing @southcoastbrewingco 🍻 Fox Hat Brewing & Vale Brewing @foxhatbrewing @valebrewing 🍻 Goodieson Brewery @goodieson_brewery 🍻 Swell Brewing @swellbeer 🍻 Victor's Place @victorsplace.mclarenvale 🍻 Kick Back Brewing @kickbackbrewing Follow along at @mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast for even more ideas to add to your winter exploring bucketlist and don't forget to tag #valeandcoast when you share your posts from the region!

If I could only eat one dish for the rest of my days, it would probably be pizza. And if there's one thing I've discovered after exploring around @mclarenvaleandfleurieucoast this winter, it's that they do pizza really well down here. Like, really REALLY well. There are a lot of options here too - which means everyone has to be on their pizza game if they're going to put it on the menu. And because it's also one of Australia's top wine regions (and some distilleries and breweries too!) you won't be going thirsty either. Here's a rundown of a few of our new faves - all offering local beer, wine, and spirits (usually made right there too!) 🍕 Beresford Tasting Pavillion @beresfordestate 🍕 Pizzateca @pizza_teca 🍕 Oscar's @oscarsmclarenvale 🍕 Cucina di Strada @cucinastrada #valeandcoast #southaustralia #australia #pizza #pizzaislife #sponsored

Kangaroo Island from the sky. A parting shot for now, but I’ll be back to visit this island as soon as I can ✨

mornings done right. ✨ a fire crackling softly. kangaroos grazing outside. a breakfast hamper overflowing with fresh, local produce. coffee. slowing down to appreciate small details. taking a moment to breathe. -- it's probably pretty obvious by now how much I love @ecopiaretreat ✨ There’s a million reasons to love being here - a private wildlife sanctuary at your door, skies so dark you can see the Milky Way with your naked eye at night, a bathtub so luxurious I probably could have slept in it - but there’s lots to love in the smaller details as well. Like the care thats been taken to source as much as possible from as local as possible. Food and wine from island producers, tea crafted in Adelaide, art created by Indigenous Australians on the mainland, and the most gorgeous handcrafted @ceramicsbyviv ceramics and @rustic_wren leather goods from the Adelaide Hills. These are the details you might not be able to put a finger on right away, but they make all the difference. #authenticki #kangarooisland #southaustralia #sagreat

✨not all those who wander are lost ✨