A 60-second guide to doing summer in Adelaide right

Alexis Buxton-Collins Alexis Buxton-Collins
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The best ways to stay cool in Adelaide this summer.

Adelaide’s Mediterranean climate shines during the warmer months when long, hot days are alleviated by cooling sea breezes.

Add in some lazy beach days at limestone-ringed coves, long lunches fuelled by eminently quaffable wines and cultural festivals that continue long into the night and you have the perfect antidote to any lingering Euro summer envy.

Taste an Adelaide summer at these restaurants and bars…

The temperature drops a few degrees in the Adelaide Hills, but the region’s dining options are red hot right now. Hyperseasonal small plates meet small-batch spirits at Ondeen , and Vinteloper’s new cellar door is as sophisticated and pretension-free as the wines on pour.

the dining interior at Ondeen
Small plates and spirits at Ondeen.

The exquisitely presented long lunches at LVN Restaurant shine even brighter with a stay at the luxe onsite accommodation.

pouring a drink into a glass beside a food plate at LVN Restaurant, Bird in Hand winery
LVN Restaurant at Bird in Hand winery.

Hit snooze at these Adelaide stays…

Book a room at Hotel Alba on the CBD’s southern fringe and you might not make it beyond the dangerously seductive pool (or the breezy Mediterranean diner next door).

If you prefer to be in the heart of the city, the chic Mayfair Hotel marries a prime location with a sophisticated rooftop bar.

the pool at Hotel Alba, Adelaide
Cool off at Hotel Alba’s chic pool. (Image: Terence Chin Photography)

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

AI Prompt

Adelaide’s summer to-do list…

Watch the morning sun refracted through Dale Chihuly’s kaleidoscopic glass sculptures in the Botanic Garden before stopping in at Bloom for a breezy brunch overlooking the River Torrens.

the dining interior at Bloom, Adelaide
Casual eatery Bloom is set on the river.

Keep heading west for a cooling ocean dip followed by dreamy artisan scoops from Bottega Gelateria , then toast the sunset with oysters and bubbles at Henley House’s third-floor bar .

the Henley House in Adelaide
Sip sundowners at beachside Henley House. (Image: Jack Fenby)

Our hot tip: Instead of ending with the school holidays, Adelaide summer ramps up over February and March when dozens of pop-up venues magically sprout from the grassy Park Lands.

More than 8000 artists help turn the month-long Adelaide Fringe into a city-wide party while WOMADelaide concentrates that energy into an ecstatic four-day celebration of music and dance from across the world.

Alexis Buxton-Collins
Alexis Buxton-Collins spent his twenties working as a music journalist and beer taster before somehow landing an even dreamier job as a freelance travel writer. Now he travels the world from his base in Adelaide and contributes to publications including Qantas, Escape, The Guardian and Lonely Planet. Alexis has never seen a hill he didn't want to climb and specialises in outdoor adventures (he won the 2022 ASTW award for best nature/wildlife story for a feature on Kangaroo Island). When he's not scouring South Australia for the newest wineries and hikes, he's looking for excuses to get back to spots like Karijini and Ningaloo.
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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael Turtle Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves . Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.