31 Jul 2014
South Australia highlights this month include a new restaurant at the Adelaide Oval, gourmet hampers on Kangaroo Island, scenic flights from Rawnsley Park Station, flyboarding and marking 30 years of Jacob's Creek wine in the UK:
- “HILL OF GRACE” – A NEW RESTAURANT FOR THE NEW LOOK ADELAIDE OVAL
- GOURMET HAMPERS SHOWCASE KANGAROO ISLAND PRODUCE
- KANGAROO ISLAND FOOD SAFARI RETURNS
- NO EXPENSE SPARED FOR “JAMIE'S ITALIAN”
- THE LOUISE & APPELLATION JOIN RELAIS & CHATEAUX
- SOUTHERN OCEAN LODGE RANKS AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP HOTELS
- AIR SAFARIS START FROM RAWNSLEY PARK STATION
- SPOOKY GOINGS ON IN ADELAIDE AFTER DARK
- FLYBOARDING TAKES OFF IN PORT ADELAIDE
- JAMFACTORY BRINGS ART TO THE BAROSSA
- 30 YEARS OF JACOB'S CREEK
- UK VISITORS TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA ON THE INCREASE
“HILL OF GRACE” - A NEW RESTAURANT FOR THE NEW LOOK ADELAIDE OVAL Reservations are now being taken for the new Hill of Grace restaurant, opening at Adelaide Oval on August 26. Chef Dennis Leslie will deliver dishes inspired by a number of influences, from his Filipino heritage to native Australian ingredients and French cooking techniques. The menu will have a strong focus on seasonality and the use of locally-grown, farmed or fished produce wherever possible. A range of acclaimed Henschke wines will headline the extensive, all-South Australian wine list. More than 160 wines will feature on the list, while the restaurant will also be home to the world's only complete set of Henschke's Hill of Grace wines on display. The restaurant will be open to the public for dinner from Tuesdays to Saturdays and lunch on Fridays.
GOURMET HAMPERS SHOWCASE KANGAROO ISLAND PRODUCE - Kangaroo Island's newest catering service, Hannaford and Sachs, are now delivering hampers of restaurant quality food to Lifetime Private Retreats, transporting guests' taste buds on a journey around the island's exceptional produce hotspots. The island's precious culinary cargo is cooked under the expert guidance of chef and Lifetime Private Retreats owner Rachel Hannaford, dishing up everything from breakfasts to decadent feasts.
KANGAROO ISLAND FOOD SAFARI RETURNS - Following the sell-out success of the Kangaroo Island Food Safari in 2013, the event returns this month. The hands-on, muddy-boots paddock and vineyard discovery of Kangaroo Island's best produce follows its journey to the plates and glasses at the lauded Southern Ocean Lodge. The Safari will travel across Kangaroo Island, a destination emerging globally as an island of exceptional food producers who operate on a mostly small scale, sustainable and personal basis. In the company of stellar guides, Maggie Beer and Mark Best, participants tour from farm to winery to choose the finest and freshest produce for the evening's menu, meeting producers, tasting straight from the source and hearing remarkable stories along the way.
NO EXPENSE SPARED FOR “JAMIE'S ITALIAN” - Adelaide's “Jamie's Italian” restaurant looks set to be the chain's most luxurious in Australia when it opens later this year. Work is underway to restore the grandeur of the former bank, the oldest and most architecturally significant of all the Australian Jamie Oliver sites, which is slated for an autumn opening date. Design elements are set to include enormous chandeliers, a bespoke bar back, and luxury furniture sourced from the UK. Jamie's, along with the new Mayfair Hotel, will from part of a burgeoning food precinct alongside the rejuvenated Rundle Mall and Adelaide Oval.
Accomplished celebrity chef Sean Connolly is also set to open a restaurant in Adelaide as part of Sky City's Adelaide Casino redevelopment and expansion. Sean has built a reputation over the years for attention to detail, extolling the use of local produce.
THE LOUISE & APPELLATION JOIN RELAIS & CH TEAUX - The Louise Barossa Valley and Appellation have been welcomed as a member of Relais & Châteaux, one of only four Australian properties to be part of this prestigious international group that boasts 500 of the world's top rated small hotels and restaurants across 64 countries. Known for its luxurious rooms and culinary destination restaurant whilst situated in the heart of the legendary Barossa wine country, The Louise offers inspired design with breathtaking vineyard views.
SOUTHERN OCEAN LODGE RANKS AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP HOTELS - Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island has been named the fourth best resort in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine in the USA. It's the only Australian hotel/resort to make the top 100. The luxury lodge was also named number one resort in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, the second time it's been bestowed with that title. This is the latest in a string of accolades since its opening in 2008.
AIR SAFARIS START FROM RAWNSLEY PARK STATION - Scenic flights, aerial tours, air transfers and air safaris are now available from Rawnsley Park Station in the Flinders Ranges. The 30-, 45-minute and one hour scenic flights, provided by Chinta Air, are in a Cessna 206, with every passenger guaranteed a window seat with unobstructed views, and a headset to hear the pilot's in-flight commentary. As well as Wilpena Pound, passengers can fly over Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges, take a flight to Arkaroola and the Northern Flinders Ranges, or join a longer flight to Lake Eyre or Mungo National Park.
SPOOKY GOINGS ON IN ADELAIDE AFTER DARK - Adelaide's oldest cemetery is set to come alive after dark with the new West Terrace Cemetery By Night tours. Visitors will hear chilling stories of the state's most colourful and mysterious characters through a theatrical sound and light show, complete with period actors providing an eerie and exhilarating atmosphere. Venture back to 1836 and discover South Australia's rich and sometimes violent history, including stories about eccentric entertainer Percy Grainger and the mysterious 'Somerton Man' who was found dead at Somerton Beach in 1948. Two, one-hour tours are held every Friday night at 6.30pm and 8pm and cost AUD$15 per child and AUD$25 per adult.
FLYBOARDING TAKES OFF IN PORT ADELAIDE - For a truly uplifting experience, visitors to South Australia can now try flyboarding, the latest technological advancement in extreme recreation. The new water sport is best described as a wakeboard with a jetpack. A flyboard is connected by a long hose to a jet ski, then jet nozzles force water pressure to a pair of boots, thrusting the rider up to 10 metres in the air or through the water. Flyboard SA operates at Port Adelaide, Mannum and Blanchetown and offers joyride packages from 15 minutes to an hour. First-time fliers are given a briefing session and will learn how to fly, levitate, fall and land safely before taking to the water. From AUD$100 per person.
JAMFACTORY BRINGS ART TO THE BAROSSA - Adelaide's art and design renaissance typified by JamFactory, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, is rippling out to the Barossa with the recent opening of JamFactory at Seppeltsfield located within the Seppeltsfield wine estate. Located in the former Stables building on the expansive Seppeltsfield property, it features an exhibition gallery, retail shop, art studios and workshop spaces. The JamFactory venue is part of an ambitious development that will eventually include accommodation and a five-star restaurant on the property.
30 YEARS OF JACOB'S CREEK - The much loved South Australian wine brand, Jacob's Creek, celebrated recently 30 years in the UK. Tour de France legend Phil Liggett MBE, ex England cricketing legend Bob Willis MBE and current Australian cricketer Shaun Tait joined Jacob's Creek Chief Wine Maker, Bernard Hickin to mark the occasion.
UK VISITORS TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA ON THE INCREASE - Record numbers of international visitors continue to flock to South Australia. New figures released by the Federal Government show South Australia attracted 381,000 international visitors in the 12 months to March 2014, a 7.8 per cent increase on the previous 12 months, and above the national growth rate of 6.3 per cent. Visits from the UK were up an impressive 27.5 per cent.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
For further information & images, input for fact boxes & round ups, to discuss media visits & feature ideas please contact Jovanka Ristich on Jovanka@ipr-online.co.uk or +44 (0) 1628 630 965.
To view a selection of news and background releases please visit our web site's newsrooms.
