The South Australia guide: Adelaide to Flinders Ranges

Wilpena Road, via Hawker. Phone: (08) 8648 0030. rawnsleypark.com.au.

KICK-STARTING THE DAY

- (city) Nano Ready 2 Go

Tucked away off Rundle Street in Ebenezer Place, Nano is big, bright and very Italian, with all the right elements for breakfast, fast or slow. Top of the menu is the Mediterranean omelet and "in carrozza" (pan-fried bread with egg, crisp pancetta and mozzarella). If you feel like a sleep-in, you can order breakfast until 3.30pm. This is the place locals flock to. You might even see indie senator Nick Xenophon talking on two phones at once.

23 Ebenezer Place, Adelaide. Phone: (08) 8227 0468.

- (bush) Rawnsley Bluff Highlife breakfast walk

This is what we call working up an appetite for breakfast. The three-kilometre, two-hour hike ($65) to the base of the Rawnsley Bluff escarpment passes native pines, yaccas, quandongs and native plum trees, as well as grey kangaroos and euros feasting on mouthfuls of Triodia or sedge. Then it's down to the shady, tranquil Highlife Creek for a breakfast of bacon, sausages, tomatoes and eggs cooked over an open fire. And, of course, billy tea.

Wilpena Road, via Hawker. Phone: (08) 8648 0030. rawnsleypark.com.au.

LET'S DO LUNCH

- (city) Bistro Dom

This perfect narrow dining room would be right at home in a Parisian backstreet but fortunately for us it's in central Adelaide. Take a load off in one of the bentwood chairs and admire the art on the walls above. Then indulge in some French-inspired fare from chef Andrew Davies, such as côte de boeuf with truffled potato purée or confit duck with star-anise-roasted duck breast. Be parochial and order a glass of local wine - or do as the French would and splash out on a bottle of burgundy.

24 Waymouth Street, Adelaide. Phone: (08) 8231 7000. bistrodom.com.au.

- (bush) Into the Dreamtime

Brachina Gorge, north of Wilpena Pound, is a place where you can travel through time - up to 130 million years, in fact - via the geological trail along its 20-kilometre length. It's best to start at the Blinman Road end to the east, to get the chronology right. Although it passes over rocky outcrops and through creeks, it's mostly okay for two-wheel-drive vehicles. At some point you'll need to reflect on all of this over lunch, beside a creek and shaded by 1000-year-old river red gums, barbecue on the go, Coopers ale in hand. There'll be yellow-footed rock wallabies and wedge-tailed eagles watching as you slip into a very personal Dreamtime.

southaustralia.com.

TASTE THE MAGIC

- (city) Apothecary 1878

It would be a shame to be in Adelaide, surrounded by some of Australia's best wine regions, and not enjoy a glass or two of something sensational. Oddly, Adelaide doesn't have a lot of wine bars but this Euro-style bar and restaurant proves that quality is more important than quantity. Sample local wines (an '09 Cloudbreak Pinot Gris, perhaps?) and delicious tapas (such as lamb shoulder, yoghurt and green bean stufato) in an intimate space that takes its name from the bar's 19th-century mahogany pharmacy benches and cabinets, unearthed from an Adelaide antiques shop.

118 Hindley Street, Adelaide. Phone: (08) 8212 9099. theapothecary1878.com.au.

- (bush) Prairie Hotel

This is a very big-hearted pub in a very small place (permanent population: seven on a busy day). The Prairie, 90 kilometres north of Hawker, has gained fame partly because of its great accommodation, partly because of its Lee Kernaghan concerts and largely because of its famous feral mixed grill: camel sausage, a goat chop, kangaroo fillet and wallaby shashlik served with mashed potato and gravy. There's also kangaroo-tail soup, emu-egg frittata and camel sirloin. And they promise there's strictly no roadkill involved. Great views of the Flinders Ranges.

Cnr High Street and West Terrace, Parachilna. Phone: (08) 8648 4844. prairiehotel.com.au.

TAKE IN THE SIGHTS

- (city) To market, to market ...

Ask any dedicated food lover and they'll agree that Adelaide's 140-year-old Central Market is one of the best food markets. Coffee at Lucia's, stinky stuff from Smelly Cheese, organic chicken at Barossa Fine Foods, laksa at Asian Gourmet ... everyone has their favourites among the 80 specialist stalls and shops. First-time visitors should take a 90-minute market tour (from $55). Open Tuesday to Saturday (with limited stalls open Wednesday).

Gouger Street, Adelaide. Phone: 0402 165 800. centralmarkettour.com.au. adelaidecentralmarket.com.au

- (bush) Up, up and away

Lake Eyre has filled to capacity only three times in the past 150 years but it's well on the way to doing so again as water flows in from Cooper Creek. The locals are calling it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Australia's largest inland lake in full flood and the only way to get the full impact of these prehistoric river systems is from the air. Several local air services are available (from $460), with flights also over Wilpena Pound (30 minutes for $142). Alternatively, if you visit in July or August, you can surprise emus, kangaroos and the occasional feral goat as you sail serenely over some of Australia's most rugged country by hot-air balloon (from $330).

www.wrightsair.com.au. centralairservices.com.au.www.goldrushballooning.com.au.

DIG A LITTLE DEEPER

- (city) A crafty approach

JamFactory Contemporary Craft & Design supports some 400 artists and each year sells about $1.5 million worth of beautiful things to beautiful people. Tours are available to its metal, glass, ceramics and furniture studios (10am Wednesdays and Fridays, $5). The studios have been home to some of Australia's leading craftspeople, such as Nick Mount, who once headed its glass studio. Book in to visit his Leabrook home studio, where you can view his oversized Venetian-style perfume bottles and beautifully crafted tableware. And if you love fine contemporary furniture, be sure to make a pilgrimage to Khai Liew Design's showroom and workshop.

JamFactory, 19 Morphett Street, Adelaide. Phone: (08) 8410 0727. jamfactory.com.au. Nick Mount Glass. Phone: (08) 8364 3170. nickmountglass.com.au. Khai Liew Design, 166 Magill Road, Norwood. Phone: (08) 8362 1076. khailiewdesign.com.

- (bush) Take a stroll through Wilpena Pound

Intrepid walkers will head for the Heysen Trail, a 1200-kilometre "stroll" that takes in Wilpena, the nearby Elder Range and ABC Range on its way to Parachilna. But there are many other local trails that traverse some of the most spectacular country in South Australia, from a leisurely hour-long Drought Busters Trail that highlights native plants to - and this is not one for the unfit - a full-day walk to St Mary Peak, the highest point in the Flinders. The starting point is the visitor centre at Wilpena Pound, where you can stock up on maps, water and good advice.

wilpenapound.com.au. southaustralia.com.

ABSORB SOME CULTURE

- (city) North Terrace Cultural Boulevard

From Parliament House at the less cultured end to the Botanic Gardens at the other, North Terrace contains many of the city's iconic institutions. Have a flutter at the Adelaide Casino (located in the historic railway station), call in for tea with the State Governor, admire the world's largest Aboriginal cultural exhibition at the SA Museum or, until January 26, 2011, catch Desert Country - the first exhibition to chart the 40-year history of the desert painting movement - at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Cool down in the new Amazon Waterlily Pavilion at the Botanic Gardens and then recover with a glass of wine at the National Wine Centre.

- (bush) Go walkabout

Discover the Dreaming journey of Yurlu, the old kingfisher man, at Ikara (Wilpena Pound) or learn about the powerful Dreamtime serpent Akurra, who always lives in or near water. The Flinders Ranges are home to the Adnyamathanha (which means hills or rock) people. Many Adnyamathanha still live in the area, with strong ties to the land, and the Come Walkabout chauffeured four-wheel-drive tours provide a window into traditional Aboriginal life with visits to significant sites and ancient cave paintings.

Two-day Flinders tour, $995 ex-Adelaide; half-day tour, $135 ex-Wilpena Pound. Bookabee Australia. Phone: (08) 8285 5033. bookabee.com.au.

GO STAR-GAZING

- (city) Windy Point Restaurant

It used to be called the Starlight Room - and for good reason. The dining room here has a retractable roof to let the stars shine in and, if that's not enough, spectacular wall-to-wall views over Adelaide. Once the sort of place Liberace would have played while he waited for fame, these days it's big-night-out territory. And, along the way, the menu, like the wine list and the place itself, has matured beyond being just respectable to seriously good.

Windy Point Lookout, Belair Road, Belair. Phone: (08) 8278 8255. windypoint.com.au.

- (bush) Arkaba walking safaris

Some people take these tours because they really want to immerse themselves in some of the most gorgeous walking country in Australia - hills covered in cypress pines, craggy ridge lines, ancient river red gums and isolated waterholes. Others can't wait until dark when, after dinner, the most luxurious swags are rolled out in the most breathtaking locations on Arkaba Station for a magical night under the stars. Cotton sheets, pillows and a thick mattress are more than any bushman could dream of - much nicer than curling up with your dog to keep warm.

Four-day safari, $2000 per person, twin share ex-Port Augusta or Hawker. Phone: 1300 790 561. arkabastation.com.