travel
Partners in wine and wildlife
Wine lovers can now enjoy a glass or two of award-winning wine while also helping endangered animals. Grapes for Good brings together Zoos SA and six Langhorne Creek wineries, with part proceeds from the sale of a select range of wines helping to support Zoos SA’s conservation efforts.
The unique range is available to buy at each winery’s cellar door or online. Oenophiles can also sample the wines on the Grapes for Good Tasting Trail. Offered as self-driving or luxury chauffeur-driven transport, guests can visit all six wineries on this magnificent day out.
They can taste each of the wines specially paired with an accompanying dish, while also contributing to critical wildlife conservation programs. Each winery has a dedicated wine variety for the initiative.
Try a Lake Breeze Bernoota shiraz cabernet to support the bongo antelope – a species of antelope rapidly declining in their native habitat. A Gipsie Jack Dolcetto rosé from The Winehouse will help with efforts to save the striking African painted dog from habitat loss, hunting and disease. White-wine lovers can purchase Mollie & Merle verdelho from Bremerton Wines and aid wide-eyed ring-tailed lemurs to help them stay a leap ahead of extinction.
Other partners include Bleasdale, Kimbolton Vineyards and Vineyard Road Wines, supporting plains zebras, giraffes and meerkats respectively. As part of the trail, guests also receive an entry voucher to Monarto Safari Park to see the wildlife they’re supporting.
Find out more about Grapes for Good at monartosafari.com.au/grapes-for-good
3 off-grid stays
Find peace and quiet at these tranquil spots across South Australia.
CABN X
Experience luxury in McLaren Flat, just a stone’s throw from the bustling city.
Soak away life’s pressures in your exclusive outdoor bath or warm your bones in the woodfired sauna.
SKYTREK WILLOW SPRINGS STATION
Enjoy true bush hospitality in the quiet surrounds of the Flinders Ranges. Choose from seven private heritage accommodations, nestled in the Australian outback.
TANONGA LUXURY ECO VILLAS
Unearth your private sanctuary on the Eyre Peninsula. Be nurtured by nature in one of two environmentally sensitive, sustainable eco-lodges, each with their own unique view.
Venice to charge eday-trippers
50Make sure you have some spare change if you’re visiting Venice in 2024, as local authorities rollout a pilot program to help control overcrowding in the UNESCO World Heritage site. Tourists visiting the Italian lagoon city on a day trip on peak weekends will be charged €5 (AU$8) each.
The initiative is designed to encourage visitors to stay longer and improve conditions for residents. Some exclusions apply, and people who have booked overnight accommodation will not be required to pay the fee in addition to the Venice lodging fee already collected by hotels.
In peak season, up to 110,000 tourists visit Venice each day.
Source: CN Traveler
Do I need an International Driving Permit (IDP)?
We ask RAA’s Adelaide and Mount Barker Shop Team Manager Jo Gentilcore why it’s important to have a IDP before getting behind the wheel overseas.
An IDP is a permit that allows Australian tourists to drive overseas without needing to sit a driving test or complete a licence application.
The document translates your capability to drive and the details of your valid Australian driver’s licence into nine languages – English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Greek, German and Japanese.
Valid for 12 months from the date of issue, an IDP can be used on multiple holidays and in countless countries within that timeframe. More than 150 countries require an IDP. Sometimes, car hire companies require an IDP before you can collect your rental car and, in the case of an accident, some insurers may not honour the claim if you’re not carrying your IDP.
It’s important to be aware that there are a handful of countries, such as China and Vietnam, that don’t recognise either an IDP or your Australian licence.
In these countries travellers must apply for a local, temporary licence. Your IDP isn’t a replacement for your Australian drivers licence but an accompaniment.
Don’t forget to always carry your Australian driver’s licence while driving overseas too.
RAA is the only organisation in SA authorised to issue IDPs.
Get your permit instore or online at raa.com.au/international-driving-permit
Award-winning SA experiences to try in 2024
Kool Tours, Spirit of Coorong and Port River Cruises were big winners at the 2023 South Australian Tourism awards, held last November.
The awards highlight outstanding achievements by local businesses in the tourism industry. RAA Travel proudly supported the following categories:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Tourism Experiences, won by family-owned Kool Tours, delivering immersive Aboriginal experiences.
- Tour and Transport Operators, won by eco-tourism boat touring company Spirit of the Coorong.
- New Tourism Business, won by Port River Cruises for their exceptional marine tours at Port Adelaide.
Monarto Safari Park won the coveted Major Tourist Attraction award and Illuminate Adelaide received the Major Festivals & Event award.
To book your own South Australian experience, visit satravel.raa.com.au
IMAGES: FilmPark and CABN; Getty; RAA; SATC/Jonathan Van Der Knapp; Skytrek Willow Springs Station; Tanonga Luxury Eco Villas.
