The coast around both houses
37 places, and Naiko already knows all of them
Nature & wildlife
Penguins, whales, alpacas and a horse-drawn tram
Granite Island
A short ride from Victor Harbor. Walk it, or take the horse-drawn tram across the causeway. Home to little penguins.
Urimbirra Wildlife Park
Open-range, and set up for hand-feeding kangaroos. Koalas and emus too.
Whale watching
June to September, southern right whales along this coast. The same migration the retreat sits above.
South Australian Whale Centre
(08) 8551 0750Exhibits and displays on the whales, dolphins and marine life of the region.
Big Duck Boat Tours
0405 125 312Out onto the water for dolphins, seals and, in season, whales.
Penguin tours, Granite Island
0403 378 459Seasonal, in the evening, guided. Little penguins in their own habitat.
Softfoot Farm
0400 983 922Private alpaca and wildlife safaris across 600 acres in Hindmarsh Valley, by guided ATV buggy.
Walks, trails & bikes
The coast path, the river, and 30km of bikeway
The Bluff (Rosetta Head)
A short drive or a hike up. Panoramic lookout over the Southern Ocean.
Inman River Walk
Flat and quiet, along the river. Good with small children, and good for birdlife.
Victor Harbor Heritage Trail
A coastal path with interpretive signs on the town's history.
Encounter Bikeway
Runs the coastline from Victor Harbor to Goolwa. Bikes and e-bikes hire in town.
Food & coffee
Where Naiko sends people
Whalers Seaside Dining
121 Franklin Parade, Encounter Bay — the closest to the Villa, and a walk. Bistro cooking on local produce, with Granite Island and The Bluff in the window. Wednesday to Sunday, breakfast through dinner.
Nino's Café
08 8552 3501Forty-five years in the middle of Victor Harbor. Award-winning pizza, pasta, and a menu that works for children.
Port Elliot Bakery
(08) 8554 2475The pastries, and the Donut of the Month.
Siam Seaside
(08) 8528 8555Thai, in a converted train-station-inspired room in the town centre.
Qahwa Espresso Bar
(08) 8552 2538Coffee roasted on site, in the old red-brick tennis club building. Daily, 8am–3pm.
The Larder Kitchen
(08) 7509 20051/2–3 Esplanade. Chargrilled steaks, slow-cooked lamb shoulder, sustainable seafood. Closed Tuesdays.
Lost Phoenix Farm
0423 822 177Share plates and seasonal cooking out in Hindmarsh Valley, in the middle of the hills.
Swagman Country Dining
0400 983 922Inside Softfoot Farm — a converted shearing shed, chargrilled, with native flavours from the farm's own gardens.
Markets
Three of them, on a rotation
Victor Harbor Farmers Market
0438 858 667Fresh produce, artisanal goods and things made that week.
Beachside Market
0428 568 222Second and fourth Sunday of the month, and every Sunday through January.
Artisan Market
0401 956 546Third Sunday, at Railway Plaza under the Moreton Bay figs. Makers, food and live music.
Golf
Six courses inside an hour, and one of them is a top-100
McCracken Golf Club
(08) 8551 0200A championship links-and-lakes course by Tony Cashmore — 85 bunkers, 14 lakes, and the Hindmarsh Valley behind it.
Victor Harbor Golf Club
(08) 8552 203018 holes with coastal and hinterland views, an all-weather driving range and a pro shop.
The Links Lady Bay
(08) 8558 0650Normanville. Designed by Jack Newton, Graeme Grant and John Spencer, on a true St Andrews-style sand base. Thirty minutes from the Retreat.
Mount Compass
(08) 8556 8022Voted among Australia's top 100 courses in 2022. Fifty minutes from Adelaide.
Wirrina Cove
(08) 8598 2400Championship 18, with the Gulf of St Vincent and the Fleurieu hills around it.
South Lakes, Goolwa
(08) 8555 2299Links-style, flat enough to walk, with the surf audible from the fairways.
With children
The train, the tram, and somewhere to burn an afternoon
The horse-drawn tram
(08) 8551 0720A Clydesdale pulls it across the causeway to Granite Island. It is the reason most children remember Victor Harbor.
The Cockle Train
(08) 8552 2782A historic steam train down the coast between Victor Harbor and Goolwa.
George T. Fisher Playground
On the foreshore, known locally as the Train Park. Ocean views from the bench you will be sitting on.
Warland Reserve
Picnic ground with a carousel and harbour views.
Victor Harbor Skate Park
By Warland Reserve. Where the teenagers go.
Surf lessons, Middleton Beach
1800 786 386Gentle waves and instructors used to beginners.
Victor Harbor Bowling Club
08 8552 1380Night Owls sessions are the relaxed way in, and the bar is licensed.
Kangaroo Island
Across the water, and worth the whole day
By ferry from Cape Jervis
The SeaLink ferry runs from Cape Jervis, a short drive from the Retreat. Naiko calls the island the Galapagos of Australia, and it is on the horizon from the deck.
By helicopter
Helivista fly across, which buys you most of a day on the island rather than most of a day travelling to it.
An hour apart, and both of them here
Everything on this page is inside an hour of the Villa and most of it is inside an hour of the Retreat as well. Whichever house you end up in, the coast is the same coast.
