Vacationing In Fleurieu Peninsula on the South Australian Coast

The Fleurieu Peninsula is in the state of South Australia, to the south of Adelaide, the state's capital city. The peninsula was named by the French explorer Nicolas Baudin, in honor of fellow explorer Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu. The peninsula is an attractive and picturesque place.

There are surfing beaches at Browns Bay and at Waitpinga, historic and attractive towns such as Willunga and Victor Harbor, and wine growing areas, including the renowned McLaren Vale area. From the peninsula it is possible to take a ferry to Kangaroo Island.

Victor Harbor is the peninsula's largest center of population. In 1802 there was a famous encounter between Matthew Flinders, sailing on HMS Investigator, and Nicolas Baudin, on Le Geographe. The Englishman was exploring along the South Australian coast while sailing east; the Frenchman was exploring in the opposite direction.

The Investigator and Le Geographe both sheltered in the bay which is now named Encounter Bay. There the two captains compared notes on their voyages, apparently unaware that England was at war with France.

Nowadays Victor Harbor is a very popular holiday destination, and it is reckoned that the population is tripled during the summer season. Many visitors take the short journey (by horse drawn tram!) across the causeway to Granite Island, the home of a large Fairy Penguin colony. The birds can be seen setting off to sea each morning, and returning at sunset, after a day spent hunting for fish.

Whale spotting is another form of amusement at Victor Harbor. The season for this is from June until September, when the Southern Right Whales come inshore for mating and calving. Useful whale spotting tips can be found at the South Australian Whale Centre.

Other visitors to Victor Harbor enjoy fishing and surfing. There is also a preserved railway terminus in the town: the Cockle Railway runs steam hauled and other services to Goolwa.

The state of South Australia is the largest wine producer in Australia, responsible for more than 50 per cent of the nation's production. There are several wine producing regions in the Fleurieu Peninsula, but McLaren Vale is the largest and best known. The vale's climate is classified as Mediterranean. Summers are warm and dry, and both droughts and winter frosts are rare due to the coastal location.

The main variety of grape produced in McLaren Vale is Shiraz, but there is also substantial production of Chardonnay, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon. As might be expected there are a number of wine and food attractions and events in the area.

In June one can visit the McLaren Vale Sea and Vines Festival, which combines excellent wines and sea food, with live music events. There are also many culinary events in October, when it is Fiesta time. As McLaren Vale is only 35 km from Adelaide many of these events will be in easy reach of visitors to the state capital.

One can find Fleurieu Peninsula accommodation to suit most budgets. In particular there are many self catering complexes and other types of accommodation in Victor Harbor. The Breeze Apartments, which are on Flinders Parade, have a range of luxury apartments. More budget priced alternatives can be found in beachfront holiday parks.

By : Sidney_Morgan