Mr & Mrs Smith

Vintners Bar & Grill, in historic nearby town Angaston, is a smart yet relaxed open-plan restaurant surrounded by vineyards, with a welcoming bar and courtyard for outdoor dining. Dishes draw on local South Australian fare, including peppered kangaroo, pan-fried Kangaroo Island haloumi and SA prawns and oysters, plus there's an award-winning wine list (+61 (0)8 8564 2488; www.vintners.com.au). On Murray Street in Angaston, Rendezvous House offers casual dining with hearty globally inspired cuisine (+61 (0)8 8564 2762). Another local favourite is the 1918 Bistro & Grill, on Murray Street in Tanunda, set in a historic home with a jasmine-scented terrace. Food is fresh, seasonal Mod Oz fare with Asian and Middle Eastern influences, such as steamed black mussels with Asahi beer (+61 (0)8 8563 0405; www.1918.com.au).

On Tanunda’s main drag, Murray Street, the 1846 Tanunda Hotel (+61 (0)8 8563 2030; www.tanundapub.com) is an anything-goes kinda joint: pool tables, big bar meals and live bands twanging.

You might have seen South Australian celeb Maggie Beer on The Cook and The Chef on ABC TV or tasted one of her range of condiments, preserves and pâtés. Swing by the brilliant Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop on Pheasant Farm Road, Nuriootpa (+61 (0)8 8562 4477; www.maggiebeer.com.au) for a superb gourmet picnic lunch. In Tanunda, bright contemporary café Keils Fine Food & Coffee (+61 (0)8 8563 1468) delivers a decent caffeine fix, as well as home-made soups and pies. Good bets on Angaston's Murray Street include the pizza-purveying Roaring 40's Café (+61 (0)8 8564 2901; www.40scafe.com.au) and Blond Coffee (+61 (0)8 8564 3444; www.blondcoffee.com.au), the latter known for its high-energy baristas (pick up juices, sandwiches and salads).

The Louise can book you in for ‘Breakfast with the Kangaroos’ at dawn, where a local guide whizzes you away in a 4WD to a nearby conservation park. After a 15-minute hike, your guide will throw out the picnic rug and plate-up a gourmet breakfast, rousing the curiosity of ’roos who enjoy their own tucker nearby (it’s not kosher to feed them). Wine tasting is a Barossa must: ask at reception about local cellar doors, or exclusive tastings by appointment. Wine tasting in the Barossa is an essential experience, with over 100 world-renowned winemakers within spitting distance. Ask at reception about local cellar doors, or try one of these tasting-tour operators: Barossa Experience Tours (www.barossavalleytours.com), Barossa Epicurean Tours (www.barossatours.com.au) or Barossa Valley Tours (www.barossavalleytour.com). If you're going it alone, consider visiting the biggest and best Barossa vineyard Penfolds (www.penfolds.com) in Nuriootpa, home of the iconic Penfolds Grange. Major labels Jacobs Creek (www.jacobscreek.com) and Peter Lehmann (www.peterlehmannwines.com) are both near Tanunda.

JanuaryThe Tour Down Under cycling race wheels through the Barossa – watch ‘em fly by (www.tourdownunder.com.au). February Barossa Under the Stars and A Day on the Green music festivals see crooners like Shirley Bassey and Chris Isaak charm mature viticultural crowds (www.barossaunderthestars.com.au; www.adayonthegreen.com.au). Lay out a picnic rug on the winery lawns and soak up the good times. April The week-long Barossa Vintage Festival (www.barossavintagefestival.com.au), in odd-numbered years, is a frenzy of maypole dancing, street parades and music (oh, and plenty of wine). September The Barossa Wine Show is a let’s-pat-ourselves-on-the-back awards event with tastings for the passing public (www.barossa.com). October The Barossa Music Festival shifts the emphasis from crooners to classical and jazz in intimate venues (tasting rooms, churches, wine vaults). Expect picnics and wine aplenty (www.barossa.org).