McLaren Vale
McLaren Vale is a wine region in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Adelaide metropolitan area and centred on the town of McLaren Vale about 38 kilometres (24 mi) south of the Adelaide city centre.
It is internationally renowned for the wines it produces and is included within the Great Wine Capitals of the World. The region was named after either David McLaren, the Colonial Manager of the South Australia Company or John McLaren (unrelated) who surveyed the area in 1839. Among the first settlers to the region in late 1839, were two English farmers from Devon, William Colton and Charles Thomas Hewett. William Colton established the Daringa Farm and Charles Thomas Hewett established Oxenberry Farm. Both men would be prominent in the early days of McLaren Vale. Although initially the region's main economic activity was the growing of cereal crops, John Reynell and Thomas Hardy planted grape vines in 1838 and the present-day Seaview and Hardy wineries were in operation as early as 1850. Grapes were first planted in the region in 1838 and some vines more than 100 years old are still producing.
Getting to McLaren Vale
Mclaren Vale is an easy 45 minute drive by car from the centre of Adelaide. From the Adelaide CBD, take Goodwood Road south to South road, then head west. Use the Southern Expressway (or the Main South Road), and follow the signs first towards Victor Harbor and then to McLaren Vale. Car hires are available in Adelaide for all budgets ranging from the world wide brands, down to rent-a wreck cheapies.
Worth seeing
- 01d'Arenberg Cube
A five-level Rubik's Cube plopped atop a hill, the d'Arenberg Cube is McLaren Vale's signature building, hosting a tasting room and the bizarre Alternate Realities Museum.
Things to do
Blessed Cheese, 150 Main Rd,. Go on one of their Cheese and Wine trails. The Cheese and Wine trail provides you with a cooler-bag of cheeses and instructions on which wines to taste whilst trying the cheese. A wonderful experience for those who are wanting to become more familiar with the wineries in the region.
- 01Glenthorne National Park–Ityamaiitpinna Yarta
A reasonably new national park with several mountain bike trails.
- 02Port Willunga Beach
This beach has both your classic expanse of sand as well as the remnants of a jetty and crumbling cliff face dotted with manmade caves once used to store boats.
Where to eat
Many wineries operate restaurants where you can have lunch overlooking the vineyards. Oscar's, 201 Main Road. Mains $12-$30.
Getting around McLaren Vale the local way
- Get aroundFor a day trip, you can rent a bicycle and take the Coast to Vines Rail Trail (see Do section) to get to McLaren Vale and Willunga.
From Wikivoyage: McLaren Vale, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: No Swan So Fine (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.