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    Itinerary

    10 Days in South Australia: Adelaide, Barossa & Flinders Ranges

    This is a wine-then-outback shape: two of South Australia's best-known wine regions first, then the genuine outback scenery of the Flinders Ranges, all as a loop back to Adelaide. It deliberately doesn't try to also fit in Kangaroo Island — that's a different trip with its own logistics.

    Length
    10 days
    Total distance
    ~875 km loop
    Season
    April–October. Summer in the Flinders Ranges regularly exceeds 40°C and the walking tracks become genuinely dangerous.
    Vehicle
    Any 2WD as far as Wilpena Pound. Some Flinders Ranges gorges and lookouts beyond the sealed road (Brachina Gorge, Bunyeroo Valley) are unsealed and better suited to a higher-clearance vehicle, especially after rain.
    Suits
    Couples, Friends Group, First-Time
    10 Days South Australia — Adelaide, Barossa & Flinders Ranges — South Australia

    Route map

    Approximate route: Adelaide → Tanunda → Clare → Wilpena Pound. Shown for planning only — this is not a turn-by-turn route. Always check current road conditions before you travel.

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    Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors

    Route stops in order: 1. Adelaide, 2. Tanunda, 3. Clare, 4. Wilpena Pound.

    South Australia's wine regions sit unusually close to Adelaide and to each other, which is what makes the first part of this loop easy. The Flinders Ranges is a different kind of driving — real distance, real heat, and a genuine change in scenery from green wine country to red outback.

    Wilpena Pound is the accessible heart of the Flinders Ranges and where most visitors should base themselves — the gorges and lookouts further out reward a spare day more than they reward rushing between all of them.

    Day by day

    10 Days South Australia — Adelaide, Barossa & Flinders Ranges — stage plan
    DaysRouteDistanceDriveWhat you doSleep
    Day 1Arrive Adelaide——Settle in. The Adelaide Central Market and the riverside precinct are an easy first day.Adelaide
    Day 2Adelaide Hills day trip~30 km20mHahndorf, Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, and Mount Lofty summit for the city view — both barely out of the CBD.Adelaide
    Day 3Adelaide → Barossa Valley~70 km1hSettle in early. One or two cellar doors close to Tanunda or Nuriootpa before the light goes.Barossa Valley
    Day 4Barossa Valleylocal—Some of the world's oldest continuously producing shiraz vines are here, planted in the 1840s — ask specifically about old-vine blocks at cellar doors rather than the standard tasting flight.Barossa Valley
    Day 5Barossa → Clare Valley~115 km1h 20mThe Riesling Trail — a converted rail line — runs the length of the valley and is walkable or cyclable between cellar doors.Clare Valley
    Day 6Clare Valley → Flinders Ranges (Wilpena Pound)~260 km3hLong transit day into genuine outback country. Arrive with the afternoon free to get oriented.Wilpena Pound
    Day 7Wilpena Poundlocal—The Wangara Lookout walk (7.8 km return) is the best short way to actually see inside the Pound, a natural amphitheatre about 17 km by 8 km.Wilpena Pound
    Day 8Flinders Ranges~60 km1hThe Brachina Gorge scenic drive, if your vehicle and the current conditions suit it — otherwise a second, easier walk near Wilpena and time to simply be in the landscape.Wilpena Pound
    Day 9Flinders Rangeslocal—A rest day, deliberately. This is remote country and the heat makes back-to-back big walking or driving days harder than they look on paper.Wilpena Pound
    Day 10Flinders Ranges → Adelaide~430 km5hDirect return via Port Augusta. Depart.—

    Cost and booking notes

    • Cellar door tastings are commonly $10–$25 and often waived if you buy a bottle.
    • A Flinders Ranges National Park entry fee applies per vehicle — buy it on arrival or in advance online.
    • Wilpena Pound accommodation is limited for the region it serves — book well ahead, especially over school holidays.

    Common questions

    Yes, at the pace in this itinerary, including a genuine rest day in the Flinders Ranges. Cutting the rest day frees up time for Kangaroo Island instead, but that's a meaningfully different trip — see our separate Adelaide Hills, Barossa & Kangaroo Island itinerary for that shape.

    Not for Wilpena Pound itself, which is sealed. Some of the scenic drives and gorges further out — Brachina Gorge, Bunyeroo Valley — are unsealed and better suited to a higher-clearance vehicle, particularly after rain.

    April to October. Summer temperatures routinely exceed 40°C and several walking tracks close on extreme heat days for safety.

    Useful services on this trip

    Related guides

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