Limestone Coast Guides Attractions Events in South Australia

The Beachport Festival by the Sea offers entertainment, local food and wine, parades and more, all in this beautiful Limestone Coast town.

Saturday is a jam-packed day of activity and entertainment for the whole family. The morning starts with a street parade and market, popular limestone sculpture competition, gourmet local food and wine, vibrant music and entertainment, workshops and activities and dedicated kids area with fund themed activities.

Saturday evening promises to be outstanding, with the Beachport community working behind the scenes one year in advance to provide the community and visitors with an experience to remember.

The Beachport Festival by the Sea is a biannual celebration of the people and produce of the area. Professional artists motivate and encourage the local community to reach maximum potential through participation in the arts.

The Beachport Festival by the Sea kicks of with the Friends of the Festival Cocktail Evening. This is an opportunity for sponsors and special guest to join members of the Friends of the Festival to celebrate this exclusive event. A night of delicious food, wine and music.

The annual Beachport Lions Club Salmon Fishing Competition is held at the picturesque Beachport Salmon Hole. This event runs for the whole two weeks of the South Australian school holidays giving everybody the opportunity to try beach salmon fishing. In 2010 the dates are set from 2 to 17 July. A great activity during the school holidays with over AUD1000.00 worth of prizes. Entry fees apply and registration/entry forms are available from At The Jetty Shop. For more information on the Beachport Lions club Salmon Fishing Competition please contact At the Jetty Shop or the Beachport Visitor Information Centre. Hope to see you there!

The Beachport Market Days are held at various times through the year. Take time out to visit the seaside town of Beachport and wander along Railway Terrace to enjoy the variety of stalls featuring handicraft items, jewellery and face painting. A great range of local produce is always on display for tasting and sales. Come in and fill your baskets to overflowing with the freshest of the best produce. The fabulous smallgoods, herbs and spices are a delight. Other home baked goodies include sausage rolls, pasties, honey, jams, pickles, sauces and relish. The smell of the sausage sizzle is sure to appeal to the senses too. There is something for all the family. Hope to see you there!

The Beachport Market Days are held at various times through the year. The October Market takes place on the long weekend in October. Take time out to visit the seaside town of Beachport and wander along Railway Terrace to enjoy the variety of stalls featuring handicraft items, jewellery and face painting. A great range of local produce is always on display for tasting and sales. Come in and fill your baskets to overflowing with the freshest of the best produce. The fabulous smallgoods, herbs and spices are a delight. Other home baked goodies include sausage rolls, pasties, honey, jams, pickles, sauces and relish. The smell of the sausage sizzle is sure to appeal to the senses too. There is something for all the family. Hope to see you there!

The Cape Jaffa Seafood and Wine Festival is the leading food, wine and music festival in the Kingston District Council area and a free family event occurring on the second Sunday in January every year. Crayfish, prawns, oysters, lobster pate and barbecue shark headline our seafood selection. For lovers of food from the land there is succulent trim lamb, prime barbecue beef, olives, almonds, jams, honey, home-style crepes, tea and coffee. To compliment this fine food, the fine wines of the Mount Benson Wine Region, including: Cape Jaffa Wines, Frog Island, Ralph Fowler, Norfolk Rise, Cape Thomas, Wangolina Station and Wehl's Mount Benson. Enjoy all of this in a relaxed environment set across the backdrop of the Southern Ocean.

Experience all the thrills, excitement and the lights of vintage as Coonawarra wineries open their doors to visitors at the peak of the grape harvest (vintage). Take a tour of a working winery, meet and chat with the Winemakers, watch the grape harvesters in action, enjoy our wonderful local produce and sample our region's finest wines.

This event is not to be missed!! The Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations showcases and celebrates the sheer quality of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon and the craftsmanship of the region’s winemaking community. This year marks the return of the ever-popular Barrel Series Auction. The 2009 vintage is prime and will be ready to go under the hammer on October 17, 2010. Alongside the Brunch, the silent auction is sure to entice you to take home a little piece of Coonawarra.

Coonawarra is renowned as one of Australia's finest wine regions and is particularly known for producing world class red wines especially Cabernet Sauvignon. Its secret lies in a magical marriage of rich red terra rossa soil, limestone, pure underground water and a long cool ripening season for the grapes.

The Coonawarra Vignerons dig out some treasures from their cellars to offer visitors a rare opportunity to taste and buy aged wines during the month of July. This will be the eighth consecutive year that Coonawarra Cellar Dwellers is being held in a move by the Vignerons to attract visitors to the region at this traditionally slow time of the year.

The sounds of clashing steel balls, screams of delight and the clink of wine glasses will echo around the Coonawarra Township.

The Annual 'Coonawarra Vignerons Classic Clash' Petanque tournament will be held at the Piste, in the Coonawarra Park.

The 'Classic Clash' has become a highlight of the national Petanque calendar, with some of Australia's best players coming from Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and the Limestone Coast to compete in this prestigious event.

Some of Australia's best wines, made by the local Coonawarra vignerons, will be available for players and spectators to sample over the two days of competition, along with some gourmet delicacies from the Redfingers Cafe.

The tournament is open to all standards of Petanque players, and players must register before 9.30am on both days. Spectators are even more welcome, especially to cheer on the locals sides.

It’s coming up to that time of year again for South Australia’s ‘best country race meeting’. Join the Coonawarra Vignerons for a day at the races. The annual Coonawarra Cup celebrations begin at 9.30am and is filled with music, food, entertainment, horses, a Calcutta, an imperial auction and of course Coonawarra Wines. Held at the picturesque Penola Racecourse, this is a great family day out. With over 3,000 visitors each year, come and experience a fun-filled day with fabulous local food, fine wine, fashion and friends.

The Penola Racecourse is the stunning backdrop for the running of the annual Coonawarra Vignerons Cup. As the sponsor of the Cup, the Coonawarra Vignerons Association plays host to 700 people in its marquee with Coonawarra wine, wonderful cuisine and plenty of good cheer.

Millicent has a huge week of excitement and entertainment with its annual Geltwood Festival and Tall Timbers Exhibition. This festival is a celebration and an acknowledgement of the quilt making and of the artisans and artists within the area.

During the week of the festival, local businesses will have a wide range of arts, crafts and quilting displayed in their shop windows or within their premises. Enjoy the displays or to take time out to enjoy the shops and browse. There will be workshops, craft displays, demonstrations, exhibitions and a market day. The Farmers Market Day takes place on the first Sunday of the festival and showcases a large variety of local produce stalls available to peruse, with plenty to enjoy and purchase.

It's a fantastic week with people coming from afar to enjoy this great experience and there is something for everyone.

Kingston Lions Club Surf Fishing Competition enables recreational anglers from around the country to pit their skills against each other in a friendly but competitive manner for a variety of prizes in both Senior and Junior level sections.

Come and enjoy the day along South Australia’s beautiful limestone in Kingston.

The Limestone Coast Real Food Farmers Markets are held at various venues throughout the year, all over the Limestone Coast region. A great range of local produce is always on display for tasting and sales. Come in and fill your baskets to overflowing with the freshest of the best produce. The fabulous smallgoods and indigenous meats and spices will excite the senses. Home baked goodies including sausage rolls and pasties make a quick and easy Sunday evening meal. If its pure indulgence you are looking for, then our chocolates and delicious range of cakes are there just for you. The market is open from 10am right through to 1pm. Join in all the fun of the market and stock up on some “real food”.

Please visit the Market Calender section on our website for upcoming dates and market locations.

Come and see amazing stunts at the Millicent AH and P Show.

On the main oval, come and see the amazing demonstration of death defying stunts!

See here a world first! The Reverse Spiral Jump. The amazing Tear Drop stunt. A soft roll, multiple caravan destruction and more!

Starring professional stunt man and local man, Joe Garner. Followed by the crash and smash of Jim's presentation of the Demo Derby. Who will win this year?

There will also be horse events, cattle, sheep, side shows, school displays, motocross, fireworks and show dogs.

Welcome to South Australia’s richest country race meeting, and the only club that has its own training track, yet races at another club’s course. In the last few years, the Millicent Cup has become one of the best-attended race meetings in the area, with 25 percent of Millicent’s population travelling the 55 kilometres to Penola. The beauty of the Millicent Cup is that you never know who may turn up - it often attracts a few celebrities. But what you can be sure of is a great day of racing mixed with live music, fashion parades and lots of socialising. The marquee packages are particularly popular, and add another dimension to the experience.

The Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival has become 'South Australia's leading regional arts festival'. It celebrates the literary and arts heritage of Penola and the fine wines of Coonawarra and our premium regional produce and will feature and exciting number of events, workshops and performances. 2010 will see the nineteenth such festival in our community and the seventh under the Penola Coonawarra name. Event features include local and national artist exhibitions, music, dance, literary and history tours, Farmers' market, photographic exhibition and a competition to create the design for the 2011 festival programme. The dates will also coincide with Mother's Day - so why not think ahead and take your mother out for a day of arts, food and fun as a way to say thank you!

This is a very special and fun way for the whole family to spend Easter Sunday (and it is the only place in South Australia having a horse racing event on this day). There will be live bands, fashion parades, rides and entertainment for the whole family, as well a great line up of horse races. Even the Easter Bunny is making a rare appearance to be part of the celebrations. So, bring a picnic lunch or enjoy the fine selection of food and refreshments available trackside, and experience the delightful country setting and terrific atmosphere of Penola Cup Day.

Enjoy a fun family day out for all of the family, whether you are touring around our state, enjoy a family weekend away or just looking for an enjoyable day out then visit the Annual Penola Country Show. The Penola Show gives you an opportunity to view the power and agility of horses in action, prime livestock at their best, animal nurseries, arts and crafts that will astonish you, beautiful roses, competitions and of course sideshow alley with rides, fairy floss and toffee apples.

Agricultural shows have been part of the country life for approximately 150 years and provide a great opportunity for visitors and the community to enjoy the atmosphere and lifestyle of the region. Experience a real country show this year.

The Port MacDonnell Fishing and Outdoor Expo will be held on the picturesque foreshore of Port MacDonnell. Patrons will be able to see everything from caravans, camping goods, outdoor gear, recreational boats, marine equipment and fishing tackle. Our sites include a number of stalls with gardening and craft, marine engines and generators, four wheel drive cars and motor bikes. The day is well catered for with barbecue, tea, coffee and donuts.

The expo has been a remarkable success and is constantly growing in strength and popularity with next year’s event to coincide with the Port MacDonnell 150 Birthday Celebration. This year we hope to have a display by our Offshore Angling Club promoting the popular Tuna Competition.

We have many attractions for children including an ‘Easter Egg Hunt’, jumping castle, go-carts and a giant slide. A giant raffle will also be drawn at 3pm on the day.

Southern Ports Golf Week is a joint venture of the Kingston, Robe and Beachport Golf Clubs. This 54 hole championship golf event will be played at all three clubs for all handicap ranges.

The tournament starts on the last Saturday in February and finishes on the first Saturday in March each year and golf will be played on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Each day has various starting times depending on the number of players in each field. Other events will be hosted at individual clubs on the other days.

Golf clubs locations - Kingston South East Golf Club, Robe Road, Kingston South East, Beachport Golf Club, Railway Terrace, Beachport and Robe Golf Club, 129 Morphett Street, Robe.

Taste the Limestone Coast Festival is the ideal way to enjoy this beautiful food and wine region. Its theme in 2010 is ‘The Italian Way’.

On Friday 12 February: Begin at the Naracoorte Golf Club with a mixed ambrose competition that includes full lunch and BBQ as well as many prizes.

The Naracoorte Art Gallery will hold a cocktail evening to open its art exhibition. This exhibition includes paint, photography and children’s best decorated shoe. Naracoorte Town Squares will open on Friday night for an Italian-themed feast with entertainment and wines.

On Saturday 13 February, taste wine and food from around the Limestone Coast. The Naracoorte Art Gallery will be open for most of the day. A children’s activity tent will promote fun, fitness and learning.

On Sunday 14 February: Naracoorte Racing Club will hold its annual Naracoorte Cup Carnival Race Day - a great finish to the weekend.

Plump up your bean bag and dust off that deck chair for our annual night at the movies with George Clooney and our very own Cluny – a delicious blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. This year we are bringing in the big screen, super sound and fresh popcorn for another spectacular George Clooney feature right in the heart of our winery. Stay tuned to www.zema.com.au to find out which George Clooney movie we are screening – all suggestions welcome. We suggest you book tickets early as space is limited. Wine, soft drinks, snacks and popcorn will be available to purchase. Strictly no BYO.

Back by popular demand, the Zema crew is beating the heat once again this year with ‘Gelati in January’. Take a break from the warm weather and cool down with a cup of the refreshing and traditional light Italian ice cream that won’t break your new year’s resolution and is a perfect treat for the kids. Located in the heart of the Coonawarra wine region and a short drive from the stunning seaside towns of Robe and Beachport, the Zema Estate Caller Door is a great place to visit offering an experience for the whole family. Gelati is available throughout the month of January.

Visit Zema Estate during the long weekend in March for their annual 'Day on the Verandah' festivities, including live music, fabulous food, sensational wines and activities for the whole family. Kick back and relax to the eclectic tunes of Ben Hood and Mark Delfabbro, who plays everything from Jeff Buckley to Crowded House. Mellow out with a glass of Zema Estate red or shot wine. Enjoy a barbecue lunch and snacks lovingly prepared by local community groups. We haven't forgotten the kids, or the kids at heart with a range of fun activities from Out to Play. Please no bring your own alcohol.

In August 2010 Zema Estate will be hosting their fourth annual tasting and discussion on Cabernet Sauvignon. The date for the 2010 event is yet to be confirmed, but will be announced in the near future.

Leading Australian Wine Writer Jeremy Oliver and Zema Estate Winemaker Greg Clayfield will be leading proceedings and will select 20 ‘Great’ Cabernet Sauvignons for this event from five of the world’s leading Cabernet producing regions.

Experience the true grace and style of Cabernet Sauvignon and its blends with related varieties as they express different nuances of taste and character around the globe. This tasting represents an exceptional opportunity not only to learn more about the qualities and complexities of the Cabernet family, but to experience five top wines from four internationally renowned cabernet regions in a relaxed and educational setting.

Wine lovers, grape growers, winemakers and commentators are all invited to participate.

During July and August 2010, the work of Limestone Coast artists will be installed and on display at the Zema Estate vineyard, adjacent to their Cellar Door.

These artworks will be created largely from our hand pruned vine cuttings will create a one-off sculpture exhibition and follow on from a Sculpture Marathon that Zema Estate is hosting on the last weekend in June. Visitors will be invited to take the self guided tour, admire the artworks, learn a bit more about hand pruning and enjoy a tasting in the warm and cosy Cellar Door.

Tasting and sales of a rare selection of museum wine will also be available and selected artworks will be available to purchase