Make a day of it. Stay for the weekend.

The Fleurieu Peninsula is known for beaches, wineries, coastal towns and national parks. If you want bookable experiences, guests most often choose hands-on cooking classes, food and wine events, and a long lunch at one of the cellar doors.

Yes. Many travellers stop on the Fleurieu Peninsula before catching the ferry from Cape Jervis. Booking a cooking class turns the drive into part of the holiday.

Choose an experience you can book in advance. Cooking classes are weather-friendly and easy to plan. They start and finish on time and you leave with what you have made.

Hands-on cooking classes such as pasta, cheese making, fire cooking and seasonal food and wine events are ideal for visitors. For a slower pace, gourmet picnics and tasting-style experiences pair beautifully with a venue visit.

Fleurieu Food and Wine hosts experiences across the Fleurieu Peninsula with local venue partners. Each listing confirms the exact venue, date and start time before you book. See our venues for the full list.

Yes. Our experiences suit couples, friends, visiting family and small groups. Cooking classes are beginner-friendly with step-by-step guidance, paced for everyone at the bench.

We aim to be welcoming and inclusive wherever possible. Each experience listing outlines what is supported and we are happy to chat before you book. Learn more on our Inclusive Experiences page.

Weekends, school holidays and Kangaroo Island travel periods book out quickly. Booking ahead is recommended, especially if you are planning around ferry times.

Choose your experience and date online. Each listing includes location details, inclusions and booking information. View the class calendar to begin.

South Australia's summer school holidays run from Saturday 12 December 2026 to Tuesday 26 January 2027, and Term 1 starts on Wednesday 27 January. The public holidays in the break are Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and Proclamation Day, observed on Monday 28 December. New Year's Day falls on Friday 1 January, making 1 to 3 January a long weekend, and Australia Day is Tuesday 26 January. It is a lovely stretch for a day on the Fleurieu.

The coast itself. Walk the causeway to Granite Island, climb the Bluff, explore the rock pools at Petrel Cove and Kings Beach, picnic at Kent Reserve and call into the Victor Harbor Visitor Centre. In season, you might spot whales from the shore. To round out the day, our mozzarella making class at Cut Hill Wall Distillery in Hindmarsh Valley, near Victor Harbor, starts from $125. That is less than a typical winery day tour.

It depends on the weather. The Cockle Train does not run when Victor Harbor is forecast to reach 35°C or more. When a total fire ban is declared for the Mount Lofty Ranges, a diesel train replaces the steam train. Check with SteamRanger before you travel on a hot day. If the train is off, there's another plan nearby: our mozzarella making class at Cut Hill Wall Distillery in Hindmarsh Valley, near Victor Harbor.

Start with Granite Island, the top free thing to do in Victor Harbor: walk the causeway or ride the horse tram across. Visitors often route through Port Elliot, Goolwa and McLaren Vale on the same day. For a sit down moment, join our Exclusive Mozzarella Making and Tasting class at Cut Hill Wall Distillery near Victor Harbor, where you stretch your own cheese at a working distillery.

Cape Jervis is the departure point for the Kangaroo Island ferry and a gateway to the Wild South Coast Way, with trail notes and multi day hike details published by the park service. If you're keen to fish, snapper fishing is closed in Gulf St Vincent, Cape Jervis included, until 30 June 2027. On your way back, stop in Yankalilla for a class at Bungala House or Lot 50.

Possibly, but it's the tail of the season, so sightings aren't guaranteed. Whale watching tours in Victor Harbor run daily from June to October, with peak sightings in July and August. A local operator logged four whales in Encounter Bay on 1 August 2026. If you miss them this year, Victor Harbor still makes a lovely day out, with a mozzarella class at Cut Hill Wall Distillery nearby.

Many of the best things in Victor Harbor cost little or nothing. Try the Granite Island sculpture trail, visit Hindmarsh Falls, or walk a stretch of the Wild South Coast Way. The horse tram runs daily from 1 Esplanade from $15, and the Cockle Train runs on Wednesdays, weekends and holidays. For a sit down treat, our mozzarella classes start from $125, including one at Cut Hill Wall Distillery in Hindmarsh Valley.

Yes, and it is often better value. A winery day tour on the Fleurieu costs about $180 to $270, while our mozzarella classes start from $125. We take the class to the place, so you cook at Cut Hill Wall Distillery in Hindmarsh Valley, Hastwell and Lightfoot in McLaren Vale or Bungala House in Yankalilla, then spend the rest of the day exploring the peninsula around you.

There is plenty to do free on the Fleurieu with kids. In Victor Harbor, walk the Granite Island sculpture trail or visit Hindmarsh Falls. On Saturday mornings, Willunga Farmers Market is free to enter from 8am to 12 noon, and children love tasting their way around the stalls. For families who want to cook together, ask us about Kids in the Kitchen.

Fire danger season on the Fleurieu usually runs from 1 December to 30 April, and the CFS confirms the dates each year in the Government Gazette. For 2026/27 the CFS still lists the Mount Lofty Ranges dates as to be announced. Lighting fires on ForestrySA reserves is prohibited from 1 November to 30 April every year. On any summer visit, check the CFS on the day for total fire bans.

Yes, if you want a day out of Adelaide where you make something rather than only taste. Our classes go to the place: Hastwell and Lightfoot vineyard in McLaren Vale, Cut Hill Wall Distillery in Hindmarsh Valley, the 1850s Bungala House and Lot 50 in Yankalilla, and the Milang Lakeside Butter Factory. You cook with us, eat together at the table, and still have time for cellar doors or the coast afterwards.