Wine and Dine the Riverland

A visit to the Riverland region in South Australia isn’t complete without visiting a couple of iconic establishments, both of which we’ve returned to recently and will visit again.

If you love comfortable, welcoming places for relaxed dining, make sure to put both of these places on your itinerary.

The Overland Corner Hotel has had new management since December 2020 and the mood of this old pub is renewed and relaxed. The hotel is now run by the local business and families of Brad and Nicole Flowers, Tom and Sarah Freeman (Woolshed Brewery) and Nikki and Fred Monaco (River Jack’s Café) and its reputation as a family friendly pub with amazing food is spreading and well-deserved.

There are a number of good reasons to visit including free camping at the back of the hotel, a beautiful big beer garden for outdoor dining, the food is excellent and servings huge, and the owners are friendly and welcoming.

It’s a very popular pub with travellers and locals so it pays to book if you’re planning to stop in for a meal. Travellers with self-contained caravans can stay in the roomy space at the back of the hotel or at the free camping area at Heron’s Bend, which is within walking distance.

There are a lot of shaded places in the beer garden and inside the hotel looks warm and cosy for the cooler months. Make sure to wander through the hotel when you visit, to see historic items from the past uses of this building, built in 1859.

The Overland Corner Hotel is on the Old Coach Road, Overland Corner (around 30 kilometres west of Berri) and is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 11am – 5pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 11am – 9pm.

Caudo Vineyard is at Cadell, around 9 kilometres from the town of Morgan on the Murray River. This winery is another family friendly venue and the spectacular grounds and position on the river wow you as soon as you arrive. All ages are catered for, as are all the ways you can get here. There are drive through parks for caravanners and reserved areas on the riverfront where speedboats and houseboats can park.

The winery is situated on Hogwash Bend and has uninterrupted views over a couple of levels, so all visitors can find a space to suit them where you can drink and dine with river views. The booths on the riverfront are shaded and comfortable for a group of people and you can dine on locally sourced food with a tasting platter, wood oven pizzas or a cook your own BBQ at your table.

You can order drinks by the glass or bottle and have a wine tasting of 6 wines of your choice with the generous servings making it great value for money. The specialty of this winery is Sangrias and the location and weather made a jug of the tasty, fruity beverage an easy choice.