Another year of travels is coming to a close and whilst the biggest highlight of the year would have to be the months we spent in Queensland, we had an unbelievable amount of travel aside from that.

All of the smaller trips we took were just as memorable and that was mainly due to spending the time with family and friends, and I’ve found that even if you’re visiting familiar places, if you approach every trip from a tourist’s point of view, it’s amazing what you can discover in your own backyard.

Treating every journey with fresh eyes and a sense of discovery, you will be amazed at the interesting things to see and learn about.

So Queensland aside (those highlights will feature in another post), here were my top picks from travels this year, and perhaps some places you may want to visit in 2024.

Moonta Bay – Yorke Peninsula

Most of January was spent at this regular holiday spot which is just one of many spectacular beaches on Yorkes. Moonta has the added bonus of lots of interesting small shops in town to browse and buy from.

The main drawcard though is the beach with lots of opportunities to catch a feed of seafood from the jetty, boat, or wading.  Go for blue swimmer crabs, whiting, garfish, flathead and of course, squid.

Always a highlight of our year for catching up with family and friends on a relaxed long summer holiday where everyone can kick back and enjoy lazy days.

Must visit places in the copper triangle area are, the Port Hughes Tavern, the Bond Store at Wallaroo, Kadina for the shopping and street art, and Moonta for the shopping, street art and historic buildings.

Port Elliot – Fleurieu Peninsula

February was another one stop holiday at Port Elliot with its swimming beach, great coastal walks, boutiques and interesting shops on The Strand, and some top hotels and dining options in town.

All of Port Elliot is easy to walk to from the caravan park which is nestled on the edge of Horseshoe Bay. If you want more activity you can ride or walk on the Encounter bikeway through Middleton and towards Goolwa in one direction, or past Chiton Beach and into Victor Harbor the other way.

All of the towns along this part of the Fleurieu Coast have their own charm and are worth visiting. Don’t forget to pack the surfboard, boogie board, bikes and walking shoes.

Tumby Bay & West Coast – Eyre Peninsula

March is a perfect time to visit Eyre Peninsula where you can have the pick of uncrowded beaches and lots of spots to park the van in caravan parks and at some awesome off grid camping places as close to the coast as you’d want to be.

Over the March long weekend the fabulous Colour Tumby Festival happens with street art murals being painted and a heap of other activities on. There are markets, fireworks, a car show, fun run and entertainment for everyone in the family.

While you’re on Eyre Peninsula visit Coffin Bay for the best seafood and natural wildlife experiences, Port Lincoln is full of things to do and you can easily spend a week discovering the town and beaches.

Melbourne – Victoria

A special birthday in April (our son’s 30^th) saw us take a road trip to Melbourne, without the caravan this time, so  that we could enjoy the crazy busy Melbourne nightlife as well as wander the interesting suburbs, find street art and just take in the vibe.

We love our visits to Melbourne, usually at least once a year, where we feel like country mice in the big city. Loads of fun always and we’re never lost for quirky places to eat and drink.

Tanunda and Nuriootpa – Barossa Valley

In the middle of the year we were busy with two trips to the Barossa Valley to catch up with friends and enjoy this beautiful wine region of South Australia. We made sure to visit some different wineries to what we’d seen before and found some new favourites.

These short getaways were full of more wonderful wines, exquisite food, campfires and warm times with friends.

We stayed firstly in Tanunda which is perfect for taking a stroll along the main street with great shopping, wine bars, and cafes. Nuriootpa has a terrific caravan park for groups to get together and they provide individual campfire pits and some firewood to use in these colder months.

There are many wineries to visit in the Barossa no matter where you stay, and some other not to be missed places to visit are the Barossa Farmers Market, and the towns of Angaston and Greenock.

(From July through to the end of October we hit the road

travelling through Queensland – the highlights of that trip will be in another blog)

Clare – Care Valley

We weren’t home for long before heading off again in November to Clare for you guessed it, a chance to gather with friends at the Caravan Park and being another South Australian wine region, well we had to visit a few wineries while we were at it.

I always find Clare to be one of the friendliest and most welcoming wine regions of SA with the cellar door staff always happy to spend time and chat with visitors.

The information centre is a great first stop with really helpful staff who can give you loads of ideas on what to see and do in the area. The Riesling Trail is a popular bikeway for exploring the area and there are interesting towns to visit with plenty of historic buildings.

Hahndorf – Adelaide Hills

Early in December was our last caravan trip before Christmas, this time to the historic village of Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills. Having lived in the hills for more than 30 years, I thought I was pretty familiar with this and other towns in the region but I was surprised to see how many new shops and businesses had sprung up in the area.

It just goes to show that it pays to revisit places every so often because you never know what’s new.

The Adelaide Hills is the perfect region to find small, unique shops selling handmade, crafty, different items for the home and garden as well as clothes boutiques, smallgoods, chocolates, fresh farm produce and more.

Visiting on weekends is best for seeing markets but you’ll find it less crowded at venues if you visit during the week.

A busy and wonderful year of travels! Next: The best of our Queensland trip.

Cheers

Glenys