South Australia news highlights this month include celebrities galore – Barry Humphries, Russell Crowe and Sam Worthington – as well as pop up wine at Adelaide Central Market and mad-March festival season in Adelaide.

FOOD & WINE: (read more)

• The World’s Food & Wine Capital According To Exsus
• Tuck Into Kangaroo Island’s “Feast-Ival”
• Pop Up Wine At Adelaide Central Market

FILM NEWS: (read more)

• Sam (Avatar) Worthington, To Film Gallipoli Story
• Russell Crowe Already Filming In The Clare Valley

WILDLIFE: (read more)

• See What Wildlife Wakes Up When The Sun Goes Down

EVENTS: (read more)

• ‘Mad March’ Festival Season Commences In Adelaide
• Barry Humphries New Artistic Director For Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2015

DESTINATION NEWS: (read more)

• Multiple Accolades For South Australia
• 1,000 Steps Video Guide Captures Essence Of Adelaide

THE WORLD’S FOOD & WINE CAPITAL, ACCORDING TO EXSUS. Luxury tour operator Exsus considers South Australia to be the world’s food and wine capital. And, to prove the point, they have created a micro-site designed to whet the appetite of discerning travellers keen to experience delicious and distinctive local foods and enjoy world class local wines. This easy to navigate site divides the State into five regions – Adelaide, the Barossa, Eyre and Fleurieu Peninsulas and Kangaroo Island – and explains the appeal of each area with the use of eye catching images, maps and snappy editorial.

TUCK INTO KANGAROO ISLAND’S FEAST-IVAL – this five-day (24th – 28th April) gastronomic celebration features over 15 extraordinary dining events created to capture the true spirit and character of Kangaroo Island. Highlights include the Big Day Outfeaturing interactive cooking displays and competitions, live entertainment and market stalls. Other options include joining locals for a home-cooked meal and Table Surfing with a group of friends or dining al fresco at a collection of pop-up and wilderness events staged around the Island. There is also the chance to meet the Island’s food, wine and spirits producers at exclusive Meet the Maker soirees, coffee breaks and tastings.

POP UP WINE AT ADELAIDE CENTRAL MARKET – During this year’s vintage season, Adelaide Central Market will be home to the Vinteloper Urban Winery Project (21st February – 29thMarch), a fully working micro-winery and cellar door. The initiative aims to pull back the curtain on wine production and demystify wine through interactive demonstration, participation, education and tasting. 

SAM (AVATAR) WORTHINGTON, TO SHOOT GALLIPOLI STORY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA – This mini-series, entitled Deadline Gallipoli, will be filmed ahead of next year’s 100th anniversary of the landings.  The project is due to go into pre-production in April with filming taking place later this year.  The series will tell the story of a team of journalists – including publisher Sir Keith Murdoch, Rupert’s father – at Gallipoli during World War I who smuggled out information that helped end the disastrous campaign involving Allied forces. Worthington said he chose South Australia because of the similar topography to the original Mediterranean location and the high calibre of the new film studios at Glenside.

RUSSELL CROWE IS ALREADY FILMING IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S CLARE VALLEY

Also on the theme of Gallipoli, Crowe’s film, and his directing debut, The Water Diviner, is a story about fathers and sons, a tale of loss and discovery, of lives affected by the battle of Gallipoli. Scenes from the film were shot in Quorn and Burra.

SEE WHAT WILDLIFE WAKES UP WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN at Cleland Wildlife Park near Adelaide. Nocturnal walks have been introduced around the Park to enable visitors to experience its shyer residents. Wildlife lovers can encounter potoroos, bettongs and bandicoots foraging for food, bats waking up and possums searching for adventure. TheCleland Nightwalks are held on the last Friday of the month until the end of April and include a night feed of Tasmanian Devils. Alternatively the Indulgence Nightwalk is designed for two to ten people and starts with an Adelaide Hills’ tasting plate of local meats, cheeses and dips before heading out to explore. 

‘MAD MARCH’ FESTIVAL SEASON COMMENCES IN ADELAIDE this month as the peak event season sees numerous festivals converge on the South Australian capital.  Named a ‘top 10 city’ to visit in 2014 by Lonely Planet, visitors to Adelaide can catch a show, visit an art gallery and attend a major sporting event all in one day. Key festival dates include:

• The Adelaide Fringe, 14 February – 16 March
• Adelaide Festival, 28 February – 16 March
• WOMADelaide, 7 – 10 March
• The Adelaide Cup, 10 March
• The Rolling Stones in concert at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval, 22 March
• The Future Music Festival, 10 March

BARRY HUMPHRIES NAMED NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR FOR ADELAIDE CABARET FESTIVAL 2015 – Barry Humphries needs no introduction: he is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most loved comedians, satirists, artists, and authors. Best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson, he is also a respected film producer and scriptwriter, a star of London’s West End musical theatre, an award-winning writer and an accomplished landscape painter. It is hoped he will use his inimitable style to keep Adelaide’s Cabaret Festival in the international spotlight. The 2015 Adelaide Cabaret Festivalwill open on Friday 5 until 20 June.

MULTIPLE ACCOLADES FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA – Travel experts at Flight Centre named South Australia one of their top 10 hotspots for 2014, a list compiled according to three factors: a).what the company believes to be emerging hotspots, b). what its customers are enquiring about and c). what the travel industry is offering. According to Flight Centre, “South Australia is a cultural haven for tourists looking to experience award winning wines, food and some of the most spectacular scenery in Australia.” Kangaroo Island’s Southern Ocean Lodge was singled out as must-see insider’s tip. Meanwhile Kangaroo Island was been named one of the top 10 islands in the South Pacific in the Trip Advisor 2014 Traveller’s Choicelist.

1,000 STEPS VIDEO GUIDE CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF ADELAIDE – Last year the South Australian Tourism Commission commissioned a series of films about Adelaide. The result is a four-part series entitled Adelaide 1,000 Step Discoveries focussing on four themes: Art Culture, Street Food, Families and the Creative West End. Filmed by local filmmaker, Dan Peters, the series, now on YouTube, celebrates a “small and nimble, yet eclectic and unexpected city”. Art Culture:  Street Food:  Family Fun Day:  Business to Play

This latest release complements the previous short films released under the ‘Through Local Eyes’project, which includes ‘More than just fizzy yellow stuff’, a celebration of beer tasting in the Adelaide Hills.

AND FINALLY… A new TV commercial is challenging the way Australians think about Adelaide. The powerful new campaign, portraying an eclectic city full of intrigue and surprise, is airing on Australian TV as well as appearing on social media channels including YouTube. Featuring a new version of the INXS classic Never Tear Us Apart - performed by Aussie singer Emma Louise – the ad includes evocative visuals of Port Willunga beach, McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills and historic Port Adelaide warehouses as well as iconic elements of the city including Adelaide Oval, the Art Gallery, Rundle Street lantern, and Adelaide’s laneways. The commercial was developed by the same creative team who produced last year’s Barossa. Be Consumed commercial, which won the award for best ad in the world at the Cannes Corporate Media and Television Awards.

For South Australia news visit www.uk.southaustralia.com

For further information & images, input for fact boxes & round ups, to discuss media visits & feature ideas please contact Jovanka Ristich on +44 (0) 1628 630 965 or Jovanka@ipr-online.co.uk ; www.ipr-online.co.uk