Book Tour

Explore South Australia with Mogens Johansen - Adelaide, Kangaroo Island & the Murray River

8 Nights 10 - 18 Mar 2022 Dates From $3,199 pp, twin share Perth

Book Tour

Bookings Call 08 6319 0207

West Travel Club Tour, in partnership with Imagine Holidays

Mogens Johansen is an experienced travel writer and photographer, and a senior member of the West Travel editorial team.

He’s very familiar with the Barossa, Kangaroo Islands, Murray Princess and the route on the Murray River, having recently been there writing for the Travel supplement.

Mogens will accompany guests throughout the trip, making this a chance to travel alongside a member of our experienced team, and an opportunity to learn photography from a professional with 40 years’ experience.

Pre-departure get together at Newspaper House.

This social event will be a chance to meet and be briefed by Mogens Johansen, and include a presentation by Travel Editor Stephen Scourfield.

Photowalk with Mogens Johnsen and Stephen Scourfield.

Get your eye in before leaving, and meet out team on this special two-hour Photowalk, just for guests travelling to South Australia.

On the trip

Each day, there will be an opportunity to work on photography with Mogens Johansen, Travel’s lead photographer.

Mogens will teach fundamental photography skills, lead Photowalks and show post-production techniques. He will help travellers collect sets of photographs which capture the spirit of their trip, including landscapes, portraits, night and food photography.

Your adventure begins in Adelaide, nicknamed the City of Churches and regarded as one of the most liveable cities in the world. A full day tour will take you to South Australia’s premium wine region where you’ll sample some of the Barossa Valley’s finest wines. You’ll also explore the town of Hahndorf, with its original German-style architecture and charming boutiques.

After a two-night hotel stay, you’ll take the ferry to Kangaroo Island, home to a plethora of nature-based activities. During a two-day tour of this magnificent island, you’ll enjoy encounters with koalas and majestic birds of prey as well as the kangaroos the island is named after.

You’ll also get to experience some of the famously picturesque landscapes this region has to offer, from the rugged coastline of Pennington Bay to the enchanting vineyards of Dudley Wines.

Next, you’ll embark the paddlewheeler PS Murray Princess, at Mannum, where you’ll settle in for a wonderful voyage that harks back to the river cruises of yesteryear. Savour the timeless charm and elegant surroundings as you begin your cruise along the delightful Murray River, calling first at Blanchetown where you’ll visit the Burk Salter Boutique Winery. Sample their award-winning red and white wines and spot the flora and fauna of the surrounding wetlands on a vintage truck.

You’ll then sail to Swan Reach where you’ll head on a walking tour to the Swan Reach Museum, and then Sunnydale with its Native Wildlife Centre – a great place to see the local wildlife up close. After a barbecue feast on the river bank, choose from one of two nocturnal experiences that either take in the wildlife after dark or the marvels of the night sky.

Before disembarking back in Mannum tomorrow, you’ll also spend some time at the fascinating Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Reserve, a sacred indigenous site that’s the ancestral home of the Nganguraku people. Learn about their culture and history and witness their ancient rock art.

Tour Highlights

4 night Murray River Cruise with all meals and sight seeing
Walking tour of the Swan Reach township and visit the Swan Reach Museum
Seal Bay Conservation Park guided beach walk
In-Flight Birds of Prey Display at Raptor Domain
Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park

Prices include

Pre-departure get together July 22 at Seven West Media Newspaper House
Special 2-hour photowalk August 1
All flights, taxes and transfers
3 night four-star hotel stay in Adelaide with breakfast
1 night four-star hotel stay in Kangaroo Island with breakfast and lunch
Full day tour Barossa Valley and Hahndorf village with lunch and wine tastings
2 day Kangaroo Island tour including guided beach walk and and wildlife park

Thank you to our tour partner

Day 1
March 10, 2022

ARRIVE IN ADELAIDE

On arrival into Adelaide, you will be transferred to your centrally located hotel.

Adelaide, South Australia’s cosmopolitan capital, is a culturally vibrant city that regularly hosts international arts festivals. Compact in size and with a number of major arts institutions and entertainment venues as well as 29 large public parks, it regularly ranks among the world’s most liveable cities.

Explore the collection of Aboriginal, colonial, and Melanesian art at the South Australian Museum, stroll the historic Adelaide Central Market, or simply relax beneath a fig tree canopy in the Botanic Garden.
Day 2
March 11, 2022

ADELAIDE - HOTEL STAY AND TOUR

Today you’ll embark on a tour to South Australia’s premium wine region to sample some of the Barossa’ Valley’s finest wines. Soak up the sights of sprawling vineyards with a stop at the multi-award-winning Jacob’s Creek Visitor Centre, where you’ll sample delicious wines and enjoy a walking tour.

Next, you’ll travel to Mengler Hill Lookout for beguiling views of the valley before continuing on to Saltram Wine Estate for a further wine-tasting tour. Following a tasty lunch, you’ll journey through the landscapes of Adelaide Hills to Hahndorf, Adelaide’s oldest German settlement.
Day 3
March 12, 2022

KANGAROO ISLAND - HOTEL STAY & TOUR

Leaving Adelaide behind, you’ll embark on a ferry journey to Kangaroo Island to begin your two-day tour. Kangaroo Island offers stunning scenery, crystal-clear waters and beautiful wilderness inhabited by native Australian animals.

First, you’ll visit Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery where you’ll take a guided walk before lunch. Next, you’ll enjoy a guided beach walk amongst Australian sea lions at the Seal Bay Conservation Park before reaching Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park. Make unforgettable memories as you spend time with koalas, hand feed kangaroos and wallabies, interact with snakes and learn more about endangered species.
Day 4
March 13, 2022

KANGAROO ISLAND - HOTEL STAY & TOUR

Enjoy more of the attractions of this captivating island beginning with a visit to Clifford’s Honey Farm where you’ll enjoy an informative talk and sample homemade honey ice cream. Next, you’ll travel to Emu Bay Lavender Farm for a delicious lunch and a walk through the vibrant lavender fields.

Explore highlights with stops at Reeves Point, Pennington Bay and Kingscote, before finishing the day with a wine tasting at Dudley Wines Clifftop Cellar Door. Indulge in the flavours of their boutique wines and relish the panoramic vistas of the sapphire blue ocean and lush green hillsides.
Day 5
March 14, 2022

MANNUM - EMBARK PS MURRAY PRINCESS

Spend some time at leisure this morning before you transfer to Mannum Wharf port where you’ll embark the PS Murray Princess for a unique cruise experience along the Murray River. Embrace the character and charm of yesteryear as you savour your elegant surroundings. This remarkable vessel was built specifically for the Murray River and offers a true taste of a bygone era to anyone who cruises with her.

You’ll head downriver as you tuck into a delicious Welcome Dinner, perhaps spotting nocturnal wildlife on the riverbank as you cruise under floodlight.
Day 6
March 15, 2022

MURRAY RIVER CRUISE

Keen photographers and early risers will enjoy the chance to capture the morning movement of wildlife at daybreak including the prolific birdlife of pelicans, wrens and swans. Savour a leisurely morning as you cruise upriver to Blanchetown where you’ll moor overnight. As daylight begins to fade, you’ll visit Burk Salter Boutique Winery and relish wine tasting at the cellar door, detailed with stunning red gum bars.

Following a delicious dinner, enjoy an evening of excitement as you participate in the “Murray River Cup.”
Day 7
March 16, 2022

MURRAY RIVER CRUISE

Following a hearty breakfast, you’ll cruise downriver to beautiful Swan Reach for a walking tour and a visit to the Swan Reach Museum. Cruising further downriver to Sunnydale, you’ll experience a Woolshed Show, before discovering the Native Wildlife Shelter which looks after some of the country’s most interesting animals.

Come evening, relish a great Aussie Barbeque on the banks of the river. You could then embark on a Nocturnal Tour in a purpose-built cart or enjoy a Dark Sky Night Tour to marvel at the awe inspiring sights of the Milky Way across the ink blue sky.
Day 8
March 17, 2022

MURRAY RIVER CRUISE

Today you’ll cruise slowly downriver past magnificent cliffs to Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Reserve, one of Australia’s most significant archaeological sites. Take a step back in time during a guided boardwalk tour where you’ll witness ancient rock carvings and learn more about Aboriginal history and culture.

You’ll return to your vessel for a further cruise downriver to Younghusband. Adventure seekers can enjoy a scenic tender boat ride through the emerald waters en route.
Day 9
March 18, 2022

MANNUM - DISEMBARK PS MURRAY PRINCESS AND FLY HOME

Your delightful adventure across land and river complete, today you’ll disembark and transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Inside room: From $3,199 per person, twin share

Outside room: From $3,799 per person, twin share

Stateroom: From $4,599 per person, twin share

Terms and conditions for Imagine Holidays apply and can be found here.

Initial deposit 25%. Balance due 110 days prior to departure.

Covid policy – If tour/cruise cannot travel due to Covid -19, we will offer an alternative date. If that is not suitable, customers will be entitled to a full refund.

Deposits are non-refundable. If customer chooses to cancel. We will attempt to resell and if possible, a refund will be passed back to the customer. We strongly recommend they take out travel insurance.

Terms and conditions for Imagine Holidays apply and can be found here.

Initial deposit 25%. Balance due 110 days prior to departure.

Covid policy – If tour/cruise cannot travel due to Covid -19, we will offer an alternative date. If that is not suitable, customers will be entitled to a full refund.