McLaren Vale Voyage Tips and guide

McLaren Vale is in the Fleurieu Peninsula region of South Australia, only 45 min south of the Adelaide CBD. McLaren Vale is one of South Australia's world renowned wine regions, and boasts excellent wineries, gourmet restaurants and many boutique stores.

The adjacent beach towns of Port Willunga and Altinga, all part of the local government area of Onkaparinga, are also covered here.

• McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Coast

Mclaren Vale is an easy 45 minute drive by car from the centre of Adelaide. From the Adelaide CBD, take Goodwood Road south to South road, then head west. Use the Southern Expressway (or the Main South Road), and follow the signs first towards Victor Harbor and then to McLaren Vale. Car hires are available in Adelaide for all budgets ranging from the world wide brands, down to rent-a wreck cheapies. Renting and returning a hire car is a no-brainer.

A far more scenic route, avoiding miles of car yards, traffic lights and suburban build up is to take the Mt Barker Highway (the main road out of Adelaide to Melbourne) and leave the highway to enter Hahndorf. From there drive to Meadows and then follow the sign posts to McLaren Vale. On arriving in McLaren Vale, initially turn right, back toward Adelaide, and drive about 300 metres down the main street to the outskirts of the town as the tourist centre with winery location maps is on the Adelaide side of the town.

From Adelaide, take a train to Seaford, then connect to bus 751 to McLaren Vale. The journey takes about 1.5 hours.

35°13′15″S 138°31′27″E

Map of McLaren Vale

McLaren Vale is hilly and spread out, meaning you need some wheels to get around. If you're here for the wine tasting, your options are to either rent a car and sample very carefully, or join one of the numerous tour companies that will take care of the driving so you can indulge. Somewhere between the two is the Trailhopper, which offers a hop-on, hop-off bus that runs hourly between some of the larger wineries, letting you set your own pace.

For a day trip, you can rent a bicycle and take the Coast to Vines Rail Trail (see Do section) to get to McLaren Vale and Willunga.

Buses 751 and 752 connect the main population centers, but are of little use for visiting most wineries.

• -35.1972138.55111 d'Arenberg Cube. A five-level Rubik's Cube plopped atop a hill, the d'Arenberg Cube is McLaren Vale's signature building, hosting a tasting room and the bizarre Alternate Realities Museum. The highlight here is the Salvador Dali exhibition scheduled to run until 2028 ($10 extra), featuring 24 works by the Surrealist maestro. D'Arrys restaurant, next door, is also well regarded. Cube entry $20, includes wine tasting.  

Pick up a brochure at any of the many art galleries in the region for the "Art Trail" which will take you through the region.

• Red Poles.  
• Magpie Springs.  

• Blessed Cheese, 150 Main Rd, ☏ +61 8 8323 7958. Go on one of their Cheese and Wine trails. The Cheese and Wine trail provides you with a cooler-bag of cheeses and instructions on which wines to taste whilst trying the cheese. A wonderful experience for those who are wanting to become more familiar with the wineries in the region. 
• -35.053056138.5451 Glenthorne National Park–Ityamaiitpinna Yarta. A reasonably new national park with several mountain bike trails.  (updated Feb 2022)
• Coast to Vines Rail Trail. Cycle along the 37km long rail trail. It starts in Marino Rocks and ends in Willunga. The last 8km section between McLaren Vale and Willunga is the Shiraz Trail and passes many cellar doors. (updated Dec 2022)

• -35.2619138.45972 Port Willunga Beach. This beach has both your classic expanse of sand as well the remnants of a jetty and crumbling cliff face dotted with manmade caves once used to store boats. Plenty of interesting bits and bobs like shark eggs to be found in the rock pools at low tide. The Star of Greece clipper was wrecked nearby in 1888 and the wreck is easily accessible to scuba divers.  (updated Apr 2026)

• -35.2635138.55451 Willunga Farmers Market (At Willunga High School about 1km North of the town square). Every Sa 08:00-12:00 in any weather. Fresh food just outside of McLaren Vale.  (updated Dec 2022)
• Stop in at the clothing boutiques and antique stores nearby the Willunga Farmers Market.

Many wineries operate restaurants where you can have lunch overlooking the vineyards.

• Oscar's, 201 Main Road. Mains $12-$30. 

McLaren Vale is famous for wine, but it gets much fewer visitors than the better known Barossa Valley to the north of Adelaide. There are around 80 wineries with cellar doors open to the public, although many of the smaller ones are open by appointment only. Tastings usually charge $15-20 per person, which can be often credited against wine purchases (but not always, so check the small print).

Like Barossa, the most famous grape here is shiraz (syrah), but unlike punchy, peppery, full-bodied Barossa shiraz, McLaren shiraz tends to be lighter and fruitier, making it an excellent tipple on its own and not just when paired with steak. Many winemaking families here have Italian heritage and offer Italian varietals rarely seen elsewhere in Australia, including Sangiovese, Nero d'Avola, Montepulciano and more.

• McLaren Vale Cellars, Victor Harbor Road, McLaren Vale, ☏ +61409605605, [email protected]. Local wine store. (updated Jan 2025)
• Curtis Winery (Curtis Family Vineyards), 1 Martins Rd, ☏ +61439800484, [email protected]. Curtis Winery is established just west of the McLaren Vale township. Its vineyards have flourished, and now its sought-after McLaren Vale wines are available on the Australian and export markets. 100% Family-owned and Operated (updated Sep 2025)

• -35.1804138.54911 Coriole Vineyards, Chaffeys Rd, ☏ +61883238305. Daily 11am-5pm. Italian wines and olives on a lovely hilltop spot, with a restaurant and snack bar. The Nero d'Avola is particularly tasty.  (updated Apr 2026)
• -35.2126138.54732 Chalk Hill Wines, 56 Field St. Daily 11AM-5PM. Beautiful hilltop winery that makes a fine Syrah. Their casual on-site restaurant Cucina di Strada, literally "street food" in Italian, offers tasty pinsa (Roman-style pizza), appetizers and tasting platters, which you can wash down with a glass or two of vino from the bar. Wine tasting $25-35.  (updated Apr 2026)

• -35.2095138.53011 McLaren Vale Motel & Apartments, cnr Main Rd & Caffrey Street, ☏ +61 8 8323 8265. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10AM.  (updated Jun 2021)