Is Adelaide a good base, and who do the trips from it suit?
All threeAnd the two famous days out are both gentle ones.
All three, and the two famous days out are both easy ones. Kangaroo Island and the Barossa are each a day trip from Adelaide, both rated 2 out of 5 for effort — coach, ferry, short walks, a lot of sitting down and eating. From $195. Adelaide is also the quietest place in the country to start something long: five days to Uluru from $1,039 through Coober Pedy and the Flinders Ranges, or ten days across the Nullarbor to Perth.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Adelaide is the most underrated starting point in Australia. It is small, walkable, and it sits within a day of a wine region, a wildlife island and the edge of the outback.
The day trips, and how hard they are
| Trip | Length | Effort | Group | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Kangaroo Island Food & Wine | 1 day | — | Max 48 | $195 |
| 1 Day Kangaroo Island Experience | 1 day | — | 2 to 48 | $399 |
| 2 Day Kangaroo Island + Barossa Valley | 2 days, you arrange your own night between them | — | 2 to 48 | $465 |
| 2 Day Kangaroo Island Camping Adventure | 2 days, 1 night | — | Max 20 | $869 |
| 3 Day Kangaroo Island Camping Adventure | 3 days, 2 nights | — | Max 20 | $885 |
Effort is rated 1 to 5 on the trip's own page. The food and wine day and the full island day are both 2; the camping trips are 3.
If you are bringing children
- Kangaroo Island is the one.Sea lions on the beach at Seal Bay, koalas and kangaroos in the wild rather than in an enclosure.
- The ferry is 45 minutesfrom Cape Jervis, which for most children counts as part of the day out rather than a chore.
- It is a long daypick-ups from Adelaide hotels start between 6:30 and 6:45am.
- The camping version adds a nightwhich works once children are old enough to enjoy it.
If you are an older visitor
The Kangaroo Island Food and Wine day at $195 is rated 2 out of 5 for effort and is exactly what it sounds like — the island's producers, lunch, and short walks. The Barossa pairing over two days is the same idea with a night in between. Neither asks anything of you physically.
If you are travelling solo
- The camping trips are where people meet peoplegroups cap at 20 and you are cooking and sleeping together.
- Adelaide is cheapwhich matters if you are funding a long trip.
- It is the start of two of the best long runs we sellnorth to Uluru and west across the Nullarbor.
- The day trips carry up to 48so they are sociable without being a group you are stuck with.
Starting something longer from here
This is Adelaide's real argument. North to Uluru takes five to seven days through Coober Pedy and the Flinders Ranges. West to Perth is ten days across the Nullarbor. East to Melbourne is two or three days along the coast. All of them leave from here and none of them is crowded.
| Trip | Length | Starts and finishes | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Day Adelaide to Uluru | 5 days, 4 nights | Adelaide / Alice Springs | $1039 |
| 6 Day Adelaide to Uluru | 6 days, 5 nights | Adelaide / Yulara or Uluru airport | $1300 |
| 7 Day Adelaide to Uluru Tour | 7 days, 6 nights | Adelaide / Yulara | $1505 |
| 10 Day Adelaide to Perth Tour | 10 days, 9 nights | Adelaide / Perth | $3000 |
| 3 Day Adelaide to Melbourne Tour | 3 days, 2 nights | Adelaide / Melbourne | $695 |
How long to give Adelaide
Three days. One for the city and the market, one for Kangaroo Island, one for the Barossa — or keep the third and start heading somewhere. There is more on what is in a Nullarbor crossing on our what is included on a Nullarbor crossing page.
Where this comes from. Trip lengths, effort ratings, group sizes, pick-up times and prices are each trip's own details as held on its page here, and prices update on their own.