South Australia Getaway - A337A Grand Princess departing 23 Oct 2023

Victoria may be Australia’s smallest continental state, but Melbourne, its capital, is big on everything. With a population of 2.7 million people living in 59 separately named communities within 715 square miles, Melbourne is a sprawling city offering culture, art, fashion and friendly, sports-minded Australians. It is also an easy city to explore. At the heart of the city is the Golden Mile, the city’s governmental and commercial center, home to hotels, shops, restaurants and theaters.

Originally part of New South Wales, Victoria became a colony in its own right in 1851. The discovery of gold propelled Melbourne’s growth to prominence and prosperity.

Kangaroo Island boasts the kind of beauty that will stop you in your tracks. Over half the island is covered with “old-growth” bush land supporting huge populations of kangaroo, koala, goana, wallaby and other native Australian animals. Blessed by vast, open spaces and loads of sun, the “Islanders” raise sheep, create and cellar wines, produce sheep’s milk cheese, distill eucalyptus oil, and harvest the honey of the treasured Ligurian Bee. And there is a thriving art community producing internationally-renowned artwork, woolen items, and crafts. The quintessential seaside town of Penneshaw, where cruise ships dock and ferries come and go, is your gateway to it all.

Founded in 1836, this graceful city lies nestled on the coastal plain between Gulf St. Vincent and the Adelaide Hills. Adelaide was the vision of Colonel William Light, Australia’s Surveyor General, who created a one-mile-square grid for the city’s center and surrounded it with a belt of stunning parkland. Today, Adelaide is a metropolis of over one million people, boasting wide, tree-lined boulevards, superb Victorian and Edwardian architecture, tranquil parks, world-class shopping, and the highest number of restaurants per capita of any city in Australia.

Beyond the city and the rugged Adelaide Hills lie the Barossa and Eden Valleys. Here Australian vintners are winning international acclaim for their Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz.