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Adelaide and South Australia
from a Meeting Planner’s Point of View

By Sharon Borstad, Independent Meeting Planner

Until recently, when I thought of Australia I thought of the Opera House, Sydney, Kangaroos Koala and the Outback.  Then I took trip to South Australia to discover an exiting mixture of quaint houses, relaxed sophisticated city, and a food and wine culture, which is world class.  I invite you to consider South Australia for your next inventive trip and here’s why:

Gracious, relaxed lifestyle
Amazing Food
World Class Wine
Humor
Affordability
Beautiful Scenery
Mild weather

From the moment I stepped up to the Quanta’s desk at LAX, I experienced the relaxed fun loving spirit of the Aussies.  The agent informed me “We’ve had a wee problem on the runway, your plane and another rubbed noses and your plane lost. We canceled your flight to Melbourne, but we’ve one going to Sydney about 20 minutes earlier and will try our best to get you on a direct flight from Sydney to Adelaide.”  “Please be our guest in the Qantas Club until your flight time.”  On board serve and food were excellent and our flight attendants were efficient and possessed that inimitable Aussie humor. I can’t gloss over the fact that the flight from the US to Australia is long, but the airline makes every effort to accommodate all our needs for sleeping, entertainment and food.  I found that because we left the US at 11:30 pm I was able to sleep on the flight and after staying up the first day until 9 pm, I experienced very little jet lag. Although I found the in-flight entertainment above average, I look forward to my next trip down under to experience Quanta’s’ new In-flight Total Entertainment system.

The doorman at the Adelaide Hilton greeted us with a “Gooday Mates” resplendent in an Aussie hat and an amazing grin.  The Adelaide Hilton has ??? rooms a fabulous restaurant, The Grange with world-class chef Cheong Liew.  Dinner with Chef Liew is East/West event not to be missed. 

Adelaide is an ideal walking city with a fabulous farmers market, Centre Market were you can buy just about everything and ?? Street which boast a mired of outdoor café type restaurants representing every ethnic region of the world. Although Adelaide is a thoroughly modern city, she possesses the qualities I remember from my youth.  Wide clean streets, low crime rates, friendly helpful shopkeepers, and a reserved grace of a bygone era. 

Special event locations are numerous and varied.  I especially liked the idea of holding an English Tea event at the Botanical Gardens. Or, my I suggest a gala dinner at the new Wine Centre with wine tasting from the Adelaide Hills, Barossa, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Coonawarra or the Riverland wine regions of South Australia. For groups of 100 or less Red Ochre or Penfolds & Magill Estate Restaurants afford exceptional Aussie experiences.  Red Ochre serves innovative native Australian cuisine in a thoroughly modern café. My sampling dinner started with Emus Pate Cube, followed by Yabby (small lobster type seafood) Bisque with Coconut Foam, Snapper baked in paperbark with verjuice and sea parsley Beurre Blanc, Lemon Aspen Sorbet, Kangaroo Fillet with Quandong Glaze, Smoked Lamb Rack, Seared Wallaby with tomato pepperberry jam and for dessert a selection of desserts made with wattleseed, riberry, lemon myrtle, macadamia nuts and sunrise limes.  Here’s a little know fact for you.  Macadamia nuts do not originate in Hawaii they are native to Australia and transplanted to Hawaii.  www.anpi.com.au

Penfolds & Magill Estate Restaurant is juxtaposition – I love that word – in the middle or Adelaide’s residential area, the restaurant is ultra modern set in a vineyard of 100-year-old vines.  Penfolds’ wines are world class and the food matches the wine.  Both dinners were truly gourmet featuring wonderful South Australian fresh ingredients prepared to perfection.  I tasted 1995 & 1996 Penfolds Grange which was rated #1 by Wine Spectator  ?? years. Web address

A trip or two to any of the wine regions around is a must.  I especially enjoyed the train trip to the Barossa on a train restored from the 1950’s.  The Barossa makes me think that Barossa is what the California Napa Valley was 40 years ago – small family owned and operated wineries and bed and breakfasts, very little traffic, slow pace and quaint old houses.  I was charmed.  The food in the Barossa is totally today and fabulous. www.barossa-region.org

For smaller groups I recommend a trip to the Riverland.  A trip down the Murray River on first class houseboats that sleep 6 couples in luxury might be a unique experience. www.riverland.org.au

Or, the ultimate trip for your top executives or producers, a trip to Kangaroo Island.  Call Craig Wickham of Adventure Charters of Kangaroo Island to set up a memorable two-day trip to a pristine island dedicated to preserving and educating travelers to its natural beauty. As with everywhere in South Australia the wine, food and lodging was first rate.  Imagine visiting the island in a luxury four-wheel vehicle with an expert island guide seeing kangaroos, wallaby, echidna and seals.  At lunch time stopping a secluded spot in the bush feasting on fresh grilled fish, potatoes, fresh made salad, two kinds of wine all consumed on real table cloth, napkins, silver, china and glass.  It doesn’t get much better than that.  Check out the web site at www.adventurecharters.com.au 

If you click on “Who are we”, you will see the lunch I consumed.  Not really but it looked just like that.

When you have wined and dinned all your award winners, treat yourself to a few days off and head for the Clare Valley and spend a couple of days with Michael and David at Thorn Park Country House and tell them Sharon sent you. In addition to running a truly fine country inn, David teaches exciting cooking classes and Michael makes everyone feel welcome and cared for. www.thornpark.com.au

Check out the websites, take a site inspection and see for yourself that South Australia is the place to take your next incentive group.  It’s safe, affordable, and beautiful and have I mentioned, the food and wine is first class.  I loved it and know you will too.

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