Things to do in Coonawarra with Coonawarra Experiences

I’m excited to introduce the first of Community Back Pocket’s Australian Community Characters. Meet Simon and Kerry Meares owners of Coonawarra Experiences in South Australia. With an unwavering passion for Coonawarra, they provide authentic and personalised tours. In this article share their story and why they love the area. There are some great hints, tips, and recommendations to get the best out of your stay in the Coonawarra area. Thanks, Simon and Kerry for helping to raise the profile of the ‘spend local’ movement.

Visitors who choose locally-owned options over international global conglomerated help minimise tourism leakage.

How long have you run Coonawarra Experiences and what got you started?

We first visited Coonawarra in January 2013 for the Coonawarra Vignerons Cup. It’s a fantastic race day event that caters to visitors who love horseracing and/or wine.  After our first visit, we talked about how relaxed we felt and noticed that every time we visited it was the same.  With each visit, we developed more great friendships. After three years of returning to the area, we started talking about the ‘what ifs’.  

It was in 2016 that we started investigating the idea. Our corporate roles were no longer satisfying us, we wanted to build something for ourselves.  So, we decided on starting up a business introducing others to what we had discovered. With the support of some great friends in the region, in particular Steven & Emma of Raidis Estate, we decided to take the plunge. In May 2017 we moved from Melbourne, launching the business in August 2017.

Surrounded by amazing people and great wine, we have built a very rewarding tourism business.

What is the most memorable tour and why?

Our first pick-up from the Coonawarra Airstrip.  We received a call one morning only weeks into commencing the business for a group that was looking to have lunch in Coonawarra that day. They were travelling from The Clare Valley. Little did we know when we first took the call that they were flying in. They were relocating their planes from Darwin to Melbourne which they do each year for seasonal reasons.

Anyway, with less than 2 hours to get ready, we were off and picking up our first fly-in guests.  We were able to show them around a couple of cellar doors, take in some lunch and have them back to the Airstrip on time.  

When is the best time of year to visit Coonawarra in your opinion?

That is a hard one to answer, we have so many great events spread out across the year involving wine, food, art, and music.  Come in the warmer months to enjoy the outdoors with a Riesling, or in the winter months, you can sit next to open fires with a glass of Cabernet.

We keep a close eye on what’s going on and post events on our socials so if you follow us you will know what is coming up.

What part of Coonawarra would you advise visitors to stay in to get the best from their trip?

Penola is great if you want to be close to cafes, pubs, etc. But, for those who want a vineyard experience, there are several options in Coonawarra. Choose from quaint cottages to family-sized accommodation. It’s worth noting that there are no taxis in Penola/Coonawarra.

What experience would define a stay in Coonawarra?

Definitely our “Private Wine Experience”! Imagine traveling in your own private luxury vehicle and whisked off to your “meet the winemaker” session to enjoy a discussion about winemaking techniques, barrel tasting new releases and then sitting down to a sumptuous 4-course luncheon with matched wines. We also provide a brief history of the region and discuss the major players that started our wonderful region. 

Where is your favourite place to eat that’s locally owned?

A morning stroll around Penola taking in the history and checking out the retail outlets. Then breakfast at one of the local cafes before getting off to check out the cellar doors to taste some great Coonawarra wines. All this whilst chatting to the local characters who make each stop fun and interesting.  Lunch is then a choice of Ottelia of Coonawarra or Chardonnay Lodge both great experiences offering different styles of food.

What are Coonawarra’s hidden secrets off the tourist track / What do the locals not want tourists to know, so they can keep it to themselves?

I am not sure there are any as the locals love showing off every aspect of the region and what it has to offer.  Having said that, we do exclusive experiences and locations such as private vineyards or unique dining options we can introduce our guests to.

Are there any local bands or musicians you would suggest visitors look up and where’s best for live music?

At the moment we don’t have regular live music but we do have some great artists come to the region for various events and hopefully these will become more regular as borders open up and visitation to the region returns to somewhat normal.

If you were a Coonawarra visitor what would be your top tip not to miss?

This is a tough one but the best way to answer this is, you will never see everything in one visit, there is so much to explore and experience so make your first visit at least 3 nights, get a feel and you will be sure to want to come back. The history here is amazing and a visit to The Penola Visitors Centre is a must!

What cultural/behavioural advice (if any) would you give that would help visitors to Coonawarra?

We have so much to offer here in Penola/Coonawarra and the greater Limestone Coast but one piece of advice would be to make sure you book your dining and cultural experiences in advance. Given all that has changed with Covid, we are no different here and we’d be very disappointed if you missed out on seeing everything you wanted to see. Of course, we are very happy to assist with bookings and to offer advice to anyone looking to visit our magical region. 

Other than run Coonawarra Experiences what do you like to do in your spare time?

Gardening, there is lots to do in our backyard and we love growing our own veggies as well.  We also love live music and watching our footy team, Richmond when we can.

It’s always great when new vintages of wines are released and we get to sample and enjoy them for ourselves. It’s important to have a good knowledge of each winery so we can in turn make the correct choices for our guests when setting up their itinerary. 

We try and get out and explore other parts of the Limestone Coast and other regions of SA when we can as well so that we can provide a more holistic and informed service to our guests.

What’s next on your bucket list?

For our business we are always looking at ways to develop and improve so we have a few exciting options currently in the pipeline to add to our new website:

• A luxury tour package that stretches across multiple SA wine regions.
• Joy Flights of the Limestone Coast allowing visitors to take in the amazing coastline and other natural wonders from above.

We hope to be able to deliver these services from mid-late December in our Renault Master van or our new Mercedes V250 that we hope to have on the road by Christmas.  Both of these will have the new Branding that we are currently rolling out. We have also just released our brand new website so please do check out www.coonawarraexperiences.com.au.