30 Of Australia's Best Wine And Beer Festivals

Whether it’s red or white, craft beer or crisp cider, this regional wine and drinks festival guide will have your ‘poison’ covered (and keep your calendar full throughout the year). Happy travels and cheers!

Crush Festival, Adelaide Hills, January

Why? Celebrates local wines but also branches out comprehensively into cuisine, fashion and art shows in intimate Hills’ venues. See: Crush Festival

The Harvest Festival, McLaren Vale, January

Why? South Australian epicurean delights (‘Joys of the Fleurieu’) blended with a relaxed outdoor Australian summer ambiance. See: Harvest Festival

Cellar Door Wine Festival, Adelaide

Why? Sample a wide range of drops from Barossa, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley et al and then maybe plan a trip afterwards to visit your favourite. See: Cellar Door Festival

Wine Time, NSW Southern Highlands

Why? Check out crisp cool climate wines in around 15 boutique cellar doors dotted around the chocolate-box picturesque highlands. See: Wine Time

Wine Harvest Festival, Canberra

Why? Visit the harvest of one of Australia’s most underrated wine regions, featuring a solid variety of drops from 140 vineyards and 33 wineries (all within 35 minutes of the capital)

Grampians Grape Escape, Victoria

Why? As far as regional wine fares go, it doesn’t get more indulgent than this, with around 100 of Western Victoria’s wine and food artisans vying for your palate in a suitably dramatic national park setting.

Noosa Food & Wine Festival

Why? Okay, so this one is famous for its food, but wine is certainly not ignored either. And it doesn’t get any bigger than this on Sunshine Coast’s social scene. Great for celeb-chef spotting!

Food, Wine & A Taste of Port (Douglas)

Why? We love an open-air tropical vino-fest and this one unfolds under the stars (and illuminated palm fronds) on Port Douglas’s foreshore.

Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend

Why? A fabulously relaxed wine region, a grape pip’s throw from Adelaide, which knows how to execute seriously international standard Riesling. Why wouldn’t you?

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High Country Harvest, Victoria

Why? An alpine twist on your usual wine and food events with energetic activities thrown in, from horse-riding to bee-keeping classes, set in the sublime autumnal High Country landscape.

McLaren Vale Sea & Vines Food & Wine Festival

Why? A Mediterranean-style climate, a choice of 65 cellar doors, some of the most awe-inspiring coastal views in Australia and a long weekend… hmmm, tough one! See: Mc Laren Vale info

Glenrowan Wine Region Trails, Tastings & Tales Food & Wine Festival

Why? Intimate but comprehensive festival with plenty of quirky hands-on highlights, such as Muscat blending workshops, in a region that knows its way around a full-bodied red.

UnWINEd, Riverina

Why? Combine a long-weekend roadtrip to this region, full of family-owned vineyards, that claims to produce one in every four bottles of wine sold in Australia. Prepare your for farm-fresh produce too.

Caxton Street Seafood & Wine Festival, Brisbane

Why? For the delectable challenge of matching Queensland wines with juicy seafood from 20 Brisbane food outlets on a lively thoroughfare – it draws the long-weekend crowds! See: Caxton Street Seafood & Wine Festival

Winter Reds, Adelaide Hills

Why? Flamboyant and hearty reds, misty mornings, blazing open fires, and the aroma of baking food – it all feels a little Continental. Rug up and go forth! See: Adelaide Hills Wine

Mudgee Wine & Food Festival, NSW

Why? Tree-changers’ paradise and honey capital Mudgee has blossomed into a wine region in its own right. If for some reason the wine is not to your taste, the rolling landscape and gourmet produce may be.

Heathcote Wine & Food Festival, Vic

Why? Within striking distance of Bendigo and Melbourne (by shuttle), ‘Shiraz Heaven’ offers a fine blend of tasting seminars and master-classes for the budding aficionado. See: Heathcote Wine Growers

Hunter Valley Wine & Food Festival, NSW

Why? Around 30 wineries get involve this Hunter festival, reborn in 2013. There’s also a wide variety of beer, cider and, of course, food on the menu at this Crowne Plaza hosted event. See: Hunter Valley Wine Festival

Orange Wine Week, NSW

Why? A charming higher altitude, cool climate wine region festival set in the crisp spring of NSW’s Central West. Keep an eye out for the week night market and terroir tour. See: Taste Orange

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Toast to the Coast

Why? Why not take a Monday sickie and combine this cool climate wine weekend with a Melbourne Cup soiree, just up the Princes Highway, on the Tuesday. Oh, there are impressive wine, food and music circulating too. See: Toast to the Coast

Margaret River Gourmet Escape

Why? There are plenty of smaller scale events on this world-class wine region’s calender, but the Escape is the go-to festival that most of the wineries and vineyards rally around. A comprehensive program!

Taste of Tasmania, Hobart

Why? The best of Tassie wine (and produce) enjoyed over summer with the hoopla and energy of the Sydney to Hobart crowd.

Beer & cider

Schützenfest, Adelaide

Why? This annual Adelaide event, based on a traditional German festival, meaning Shooting Festival’, is more about celebrating beer than tracing the heritage of its roots. Like a mini-Oktoberfest, German food, beverages, dances and music abound.

Ballarat Beer Festival

Why? For craft beer and cider connoisseurs that like hearty ‘dude food’ and plenty of entertainment (and a kids’ zone to give you a rest), these two are for you.

South West Craft Beer Festival, Busselton

Why? Proof that wine Mecca Margaret River has even more to offer indulgence. Sample the region’s finest beers and ciders from boutique producers such as Cheeky Monkey and Custard Apple Cider.

Great Australian Beer Festival, Geelong

Why? This one is b-i-g, claiming Australia’s largest ‘al fresco beer garden’ and featuring around 150 craft brews of many persuasions. See: gabfgeelong.com.au

BrewsVegas, Brisbane

Why? This craft beer carnival is only in its first year, but there are 35 venues already involved and around 90 beer-focussed events happening across Queensland’s capital.

Bitter & Twisted Int Boutique Beer Festival, Maitland Gaol, NSW

Why? Live music, craft beer and cider, Hunter Valley wines for sampling, all in the ground of an old gaol. Organise a tour of the facilities in the unlikely event that the rest of the action hasn’t taken of you.

The ultimate road trip begins and ends on NSW’s stunning Grand Pacific Drive.

Whales, charming villages, fine wine and stunning natural vistas: there’s a lot to love about a road trip along the Grand Pacific Drive in New South Wales. Winding from the Royal National Park through Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven before heading inland to the Southern Highlands, this scenic drive makes for an unforgettable road trip.

But like all great road trips, it’s not just about the drive but the stops made along the way. From incredible farm-to-plate (and grape-to-glass) dining options to unbeatable natural vistas and quaint towns with beautiful accommodation, there’s plenty to explore en route.

Where to eat

What is a road trip without incredible food? Whether you’re after fresh seafood, slow-cooked paddock-to-plate feasts or delicious wines, you’ll find something around every bend along Grand Pacific Drive.

Restaurant Santino is a local Wollongong secret we can’t keep quiet any longer. With a fresh take on Italian cuisine, servings are hearty and flavours are comforting. The chitarra with blue swimmer crab, garlic, chilli, parsley and crustacean oil is a crowd favourite.

Keep it local in Shellharbour with a menu all about fresh local produce at Relish on Addison. From South Coast oysters and blue swimmer crab linguine to crispy pork belly, surf and turf takes on an elevated meaning here.

Kiama’s neighbourhood wine and cocktail bar, Little Betty’s, is just as good for a tasty share plate as it is for creative cocktails. The signature Grilled Octopus with burnt honey, garlic confit and sautéed Asian greens is worth a trip on its own.

Only the best will do in Shoalhaven, where multi-award-winning Bangalay Dining uses native Australian ingredients to bring its dishes to life. Start with the Smoked trout croquette before moving on to the sautéed potato gnocchi. Don’t forget the white chocolate mousse for dessert.

Meanwhile, the Southern Highlands are full of culinary highlights. From dining on incredibly fresh, local fare (we’re talking ingredients plucked from the team’s on-site kitchen garden or sourced through local producers) at Eschalot Restaurant in Berrima to creating gin blends at Millsheds Distillery.

bangalay dining shoalhaven — Taste native flavours at Bangalay Dining.

Exploring nature

Scenery is everything when hitting the road, and Grand Pacific Drive serves it up in spades. Drivers don’t even have to leave the car to enjoy the iconic ocean views from Seacliff Bridge (but several lookouts make it easy to stop).

Seaside Kiama boasts stunning beaches and famous blowholes. But travellers can also swap ocean for rainforest when taking the Minnamurra Rainforest walk, culminating in a picturesque waterfall. Or soar overhead at Illawarra Fly Treetop Adventures.

The scenic coastal drive along Sea Cliff Bridge, Clifton. — Cruise along the stunning Grand Pacific Drive.

Between May and November, 30,000 whales make their way passed the South Coast between May and November. Spot them from the coastal shores or join a whale-watching cruise from Shellharbour Marina or Jervis Bay. Dive in with Woebegone Freedive.

Shellharbour’s Killalea Regional Park is home to a traditional bush tucker and medicine walk with Aboriginal tour group, Gumaraa. Learn Indigenous healing practices and gain a deeper appreciation for the rich heritage and wisdom of the land’s Traditional Owners.

Wollongong is the perfect place for hikers, with the 6.5-kilometre Wodi Wodi track serving up views, settler history and a variety of landscapes in one loop. If you prefer, skip the walk and pull up at Bald Hill Lookout for expansive views south towards Wollongong (and a hang-glider or two).

For something truly unique, join the Highland Cow experience at The Swallow’s Nest in the Southern Highlands. In a brand-new offering, get a taste of farm life and help groom and feed these gorgeous creatures.

kiama coast walk people with dog — Wander the Kiama Coast Walk.

Unique experiences

No need to choose between an adrenaline rush or a culture fix, Grand Pacific Drive serves up both.

Soar into aviation history at Shellharbour’s HARS Aviation Museum. Tour the museum, then join a guided walk onto the wing of the record-breaking Qantas Boeing 747 and see the significant historic aircraft up close.

If ever there was a place to skydive, it’s in Wollongong. Dive from 15,000 feet (tandem, of course) with Sky Dive Wollongong and see the coastal beauty of this region from above.

Shoalhaven’s Bundanon Art Museum has to be one of the most unique offerings in the country. The legacy of artist Arthur Boyd and more than just a gallery, find eco-accommodation, fine dining, award-winning architecture and community here.

Kiama’s Crooked River Estate is about more than just delicious wine. Grab a picnic blanket and enjoy casual food and drinks with live music at Kick Back Fridays, every week.

Between June and August, the Southern Highlands’ Robertson attracts novice truffle hunters. Join the hunt at family-owned and operated Robertson Truffles (alternatively, you can order truffle treats online, if your sense of adventure isn’t up for it).

Freshly dug truffles at Terra Preta Truffles, Braidwood. — Discover hidden gems beneath the soil in the Southern Highlands. (Image: Destination NSW)

Where to stay

Road trips are the ultimate promotion for slow travel, encouraging visitors to take their time, enjoy the journey and stop along the way to really immerse themselves in local towns.

Find history and elegance at Berida Hotel in the Southern Highlands. Intimately set amongst gardens, but still close to the main street of Bowral, this 1920s private residence turned boutique hotel is the perfect stay.

Stay in one of Barranca’s private villas with views of rolling farmland overlooking the dramatic escarpment at Kangaroo Valley or be surrounded by native bushland (a short walk from the beach) in Jervis Bay.

Speaking of beachside escapes, Headlands Hotel Austinmer Beach delivers unrivalled access to Wollongong’s beaches. These serviced apartments enjoy coastal views from spacious balconies.

For something completely different again, check in at Cicada Luxury Camping. Stay in safari-style or large bell tents, each with a private fire pit and top-notch kitchen facilities. Outside, enjoy spectacular countryside views.

Discover more and plan your ultimate road trip along the Grand Pacific Drive and beyond at grandpacificdrive.com.au/grand.