Top things to do

Amid the grapevines and orchards, 15km north of Renmark on a Murray River kink, the Woolshed is doing marvellous things. Part of the historic Wilkadene Homestead, the 100-year-old shed is now a craft-beer brewery, i…

Overlooking regenerated wetlands off the Sturt Hwy at Kingston OM, carbon-neutral Banrock Station Wine & Wetland Centre is a stylish, rammed-earth wine-tasting centre (love the tempranillo). The jazzy lunchtime …

Sip your way into some heady Riverland spirits at this fabulously renovated, art-deco factory on the road into Renmark. The old distillery here closed in 2002, buckling under market pressures, but it's made one hell…

About 19km northwest of Barmera, this moody 1859 boozer is named after a Murray River bend where drovers used to camp. The pub walls ooze character and the meals are drover sized, plus there's a museum, resident gho…

About 14km west of Murray Bridge, this excellent open-range zoo is home to Australian and African beasts including cheetahs, meerkats, rhino, zebras and giraffe (and the photogenic offspring thereof). A hop-on/hop-o…

Down by the river near the caravan park, the Tree of Knowledge is marked with flood levels from previous years. The bumper flows of 1931, '73, '74, '75, and 2011 were totally outclassed by the flood-to-end-all-flood…

In a big tin shed in Loxton's back blocks, this hipster haven pours craft beers and plates up beaut burgers to anyone who doesn't want to go to the local pub. The vibe is 'urbanish', says the owner. Closed Saturdays…

This is the town's cultural epicentre, a great little space housing touring and local exhibitions: paintings, ceramics, gorgeous glassware, jewellery and prints. A terrific diversion on a rainy river afternoon.

Right on the river, this old pub/club has been reborn as a shiny mod bistro, serving upmarket pub food (rustic shank pie, seared Lyrup kangaroo with bush spices and quandong jus) with unbeatable water views.

Hey, that rhymes! This simple little bakehouse does fabulous pumpkin-and-feta pasties, apricot chicken pies, jam tarts, pecan pies and bags of biscuits. Consume them on the sunny deck off to one side.