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Imagine a place that brings together all the best elements of southern Australia. The Fleurieu Peninsula is a ‘coat-hanger’ shaped strip of land bounded by water � Gulf St. Vincent on its west, the Southern Ocean below, and the Murray River, Lake Alexandrina and Coorong National Park � together forming one of Australia’s largest freshwater recreation regions.

With its temperate climate, central highlands and coastal fringes the Fleurieu Peninsula offers wine, wildlife and water in delightful abundance. More than 75 cellar door wineries, many with restaurants attached, offer the opportunity to taste some of Australia�s most exciting wines and regional cuisine. Roadside stalls offer the freshest seasonal produce for your picnic baskets.

Australian wildlife presents itself to the visitor throughout the year. Little Penguins return to nests on Granite �Penguin� Island every evening of the year. Kangaroos are seen on the hillsides in most of the 20 or so national parks, in particular in Cox Scrub, Newland Head and Deep Creek. The Coorong National Park is famous for its migratory waders and the Onkaparinga Estuary, Aldinga Scrub and areas around Mount Compass, Goolwa and Hindmarsh Island reward bird watchers. Winter migrations of the Southern Right whales are seen along the coastlines of the Peninsula, particularly along Encounter Bay. Winter and springtime wildflowers and orchids delight the keen observer.

Fleurieu Peninsula is bounded by water that tempers the region’s sunny Mediterranean climate to provide ideal conditions for vineyards and orchards, for all the rural activities that make it, quite literally, a land of milk and honey. Its bountiful produce includes stunning cheeses, olive oil, venison and spring lamb, game birds, yabbies and trout from inland streams and dams, and berries of all kinds.

As a peninsula, water plays a major part in the recreational activities of locals and visitors alike. Long sandy beaches, rugged cliff scapes, and sheltered coves introduce a range of year round holiday activities that include fishing, surfing, scuba and snorkelling, sailing and swimming.