South Australian restaurants and caterers have won nine categories at the Restaurant & Catering Industry’s National Awards for Excellence, recognizing the excellent quality and ‘value for money’ eateries in South Australia. The SA winners were: Goodlife Modern Organic Pizza (Best Pizza Restaurant); Chianti Classico (Best Breakfast Restaurant); Penny’s Hill Restaurant Best Restaurant in a Winery); Tandoori Oven (Best Indian Restaurant); The Strand Cafe (Best Café); Epicure Catering at the State Library (Best Venue Caterer and Caterer of the year); Blanc Bistro (Best Seafood); Auge (Best Italian Restaurant).
More information: 08 8351 7837

Five South Australian hotels have been recognised at the 2007 AHA National Hotel Awards for Excellence. The Lion Hotel, at North Adelaide, was named Overall General Hotel of the Year and also won the Best Restaurant category. The Hilton Adelaide took out honours in the Best Restaurant (Accommodation Division) and the Best Marketed Hotel categories. Fullarton’s Arkaba Hotel scored Best Sporting Entertainment Venue. The Highway at Plympton was named Best Redeveloped Licensed Premise and the Frances Hotel Motel won Best Hotel or Pub Accommodation.
More information: 0419 627 693

This month marks five years since the scuttling of the ex-HMAS Hobart in the waters of Yankalilla Bay, off South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula. The ship is now a premier eco-tourism dive site, home to an array of marine flora and fauna and a declared marine reserve. It's also a lasting memorial to the ship and its crew, and a valuable tourist attraction for South Australia. Around 90,000 square metres of the ship are open for diver access, including an engine room, missile launcher, gun turrets and both funnels. The ex-HMAS Hobart was a Charles F. Adams class guided missile destroyer in the Royal Australia Navy (DDG 39), built in the United States of America and commissioned in 1965 in Boston. Her role was air defence of the fleet. Originally one of Australia's great naval destroyers, the ex-HMAS Hobart is now Australia's most accessible and exciting war wreck.
More information: www.diveexhmashobart.com

Sue and Sean Delaney, of Sinclair's Gully, have won third place in the 2007-08 SA Landcare Awards for Nature Conservation. The couple have also been awarded Peoples Choice Award and the Civic Trust Award for the Natural Category in this year’s Civic Trust Awards. Sinclair's Gully Wines is an Adelaide Hills winery and cellar door, which shares space on the Delaney family’s property with a vineyard and significant stand of native vegetation. The property has state conservation rating, and the couple are passionate about restoring and protecting their patch of bushland with funds from the sales of their wines. More than 130 different species of native plants and 66 species of native birds have been identified on the property.
More information: 08 8390 1995

‘Ikara – the meeting place’ at Old Wilpena Station, Flinders Ranges National Park, has won this year’s Ruby Award for Best New Work. The Ruby Awards are South Australia’s arts and cultural awards that recognise the very best of the state’s artistic talents and enterprises. Ikara is a sculptural installation that symbolically tells the story of indigenous pastoral history in the Flinders Ranges. It is the second stage of the award-winning ‘Living with Land Interpretive Trail’. There is a small entry fee for Old Wilpena Station. Tickets can be purchased from the Flinders Ranges National Park Visitor Centre. All visitors receive a souvenir guide booklet to the self-guided Living With Land Interpretive Trail.
More information: 08 8204 1910

A preview of the line-up for WOMADelaide 2008 has just been released, including Billy Cobham Septet, Black Grace, Cesária Évora, Dr Natesan and Ramani. KidZone activities, street theatre, workshops and visual arts will be announced along with the rest of the line-up on Thursday 17 January. In other WOMADelaide news, Australia's largest environmental organisation, Greening Australia, has joined forces with WOMADelaide to make the 2008 event carbon neutral through local biodiverse tree plantings. You can offset your attendance at the festival by choosing the ‘carbon offset’ option when you purchase tickets. WOMADelaide 2008 will be held 7-9 March in Botanic Park, Adelaide.
More information: www.womadelaide.com.au

The family-owned D’Arenberg Winery, in South Australia’s McLaren Vale, has received three major awards. D’Arenberg’s Chief Winemaker and Viticulturist Chester Osborn has been crowned Best Red Winemaker at the Japan International Wine Challenge. Chester also accepted the Best Other Varietal White or Rose Trophy at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show, and D’Arenberg winery was also awarded a Judges Commendation for Outstanding Achievement in Export at the Business SA Export Awards last month.
More information: 0404 809544

Australian singer, Diesel, will headline Mannum’s 2008 Tour Down Under Three Day Festival with a live concert on Thursday 24 January 2008. Diesel will be supported by talented regional acts from 4pm including “Creatures of Habit” who took to the stage after a long break during the 2007 Tour Down Under concert. These local guys received enormous response and delighted visitors and locals with their collection of country rock hits and will again lead the crowd into the right mood and set the scene by the banks of the River for one of Australia’s finest acts.
More information: 0414 857738

A small family-owned winery in the Adelaide Hills has scooped the equal highest number of top-ranked wines in the Adelaide Hills according to Australia's most influential wine critic. Eight wines from Tilbrook Estate, in Lobethal, were rated 90 points or higher in the 2008 "James Halliday Australian Wine Companion". The micro-boutique winery, which has never been rated previously by Mr Halliday, was also awarded five-star status. The winery’s Tilbrook Sauvignon Blanc 2006 was exceptionally rated under the heading "Best of the Best by Variety”.
More information: 08 8389 5318

Do you own a classic ute, 4x4, or farm truck (up to five tonne)? If so, entries are now open for the 2007 Birdwood Music & Ute Festival at the National Motor Museum to be held on Sunday 25 November 2007. You could win some fantastic prizes as well as having a great day out. Entry forms are now available and entries close on Friday 16 November 2007. Entry forms are available through the National Motor Museum, on the History Trust of South Australia’s website at www.history.sa.gov.au or can be collected from the History Trust’s office at the Torrens Parade Ground, Victoria Drive, Adelaide.
More information: www.history.sa.gov.au

Recent surveys in the Coorong National Park have detected two small groups of the critically endangered Orange-bellied Parrot (OBP). Surveys conducted by Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) rangers, interstate biologists and volunteers have confirmed that Orange-bellied Parrots continue to migrate to the Coorong coastline each year. The encouraging results follow increased survey efforts during the past two winters. Notably, three of the parrots sighted this winter were identified as first-year birds undertaking their first migration.
More information: 08 8552 7659

This year’s winners of the Fiesta! Culinary Competition, Olive Awards and Punter’s Pick have been announced. Dustin Rodgers from Think Food Catering Service was named the Fleurieu Food Chef of the Year. The Fiesta! Olive Awards awarded four Gold Medals – to Willunga Olive Farm, Hugo’s Winery, Coriole and Brian’s Gourmet Olives. The Punter’s Pick award gives the people a chance to vote for entries in the Olive Awards, and this year this award went to Diana Olive Oil. The Fleurieu Peninsula Food Producer of the Year was awarded to Tori Moreton from The Producers.
More information: 08 8363 6811

Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2008, Adelaide Festival Centre has announced its year-long season of world-class theatre, dance and music. Season 08 features seven Australian premieres and six performances exclusive to Adelaide, plus a stunningly diverse live performance program from around the globe. Making up Season 08 are brand-new seasons of CentreStage (the best works from stages around the world), Pivot(al) (world's best dance) and trans:mission (universal beats, grooves and rhythms), featuring a wide variety of Australian and international artists. Two additional year-long seasons are Australian Stories (multi-genre program about the Australian way of life) and Symphonic (large-scale orchestral music) have been introduced in 2008. Also during 2008, the Adelaide Festival Centre will continue to present its ever-popular Something on Saturday – the best winter entertainment for 3 to 10 year olds, Morning Melodies, the best in day time entertainment, a family program and an ever-changing visual arts program in the Artspace and throughout the foyers. Tickets are now on sale through BASS 131 246 or www.bass.net.au
More information: 08 8216 8796

SA Great has launched a Christmas gift guide on the Buy SA website as part of the ongoing Buy SA campaign encouraging consumers to support local producers, growers and manufacturers. The gift guide at www.buysouthaustralian.com.au is live from 5 November.
More information: 08 8332 8200

Barossa Wine and Tourism’s Marketing and Administration Coordinator, Brooke Modra, has been selected as South Australia’s Inaugural Young Tourism Ambassador for the Australian Regional Tourism Convention being held in Canberra, 30 October - 2 November 2007.
More information: 08 8563 0662

The Fleurieu Peninsula joins the Barossa and the Clare Valley as home to A Day On the Green, one of the most popular concert events in South Australia. Rod Stewart will headline the first Fleurieu Peninsula A Day On the Green concert, to be held at Leconfield Wines, on Sunday 2 March 2008. Tickets are now on sale for the event at ticketmaster.com.au.
More information: 08 8323 8830




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