Melba's Chocolate Factory

The old Farmer's Union cheese factory at Woodside is now host to child heaven. Packed to the roof with lollies and chocolate, Melba's is a working factory with free tours. I doubt there is a better place to spend the afternoon, from a kid's perspective.

The Big Rocking Horse

At 18-metres tall the horse is impossible to miss. The kids can climb inside before heading into the Toy Factory with its huge range of wooden toys, including, of course, rocking horses.

There are several places to get up close and personal with the wildlife. Cleland Conservation Park, located near Mount Lofty, is famous for its koalas, which visitors are allowed to hold ($15, comes with a photo). The park is also a great place to see other Australian wildlife from Tasmanian Devils to wetland birds. Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary is the place to go to watch animals in their native habitat. Home to the elusive platypus, Warrawong is best visited at dusk for a guided tour.

Head to the beach. The best thing about McLaren Vale is its location, five minutes drive from some of Adelaide's best beaches. Moana beach is a good swimming beach for the kids, while a few minutes up the coast Noarlunga has a reef that is accessible at low tide from the jetty. After a day at the vineyards there's not much better than fish and chips, a glass of chilled white wine, sunset over the ocean, and the kids entertaining themselves.

South of McLaren Vale is the seaside town of Victor Harbour. A popular holiday destination for Adelaideans, it is a veritable children's paradise. First up is Granite Island, Reached by a wooden walkway or horse-drawn tram (possibly the world's only horses to have their own business cards), Granite Island is home to the tiny Fairy Penguin. It's a beautiful location for a walk or take the kids on one of the guided penguin tours, looking for the elusive birds' hidden burrows. Back on the mainland mini-golf, rides and a sideshow should keep the kids busy. For some more serious adventure head to nearby Greenhills Adventure Park, or rent a motorboat from the beach near the walkway for a spin around the bay.

Whispering Wall

Stop off en route to the Barossa to let the kids try out the romantically named wall. In reality it's just a concrete retaining wall for the Barossa reservoir, but kids (and adults) love the acoustics — whispering to each other from more than 100 metres away.

The Herbig Family Tree

Okay, so it's just a tree, but I loved it as a kid; imagine living inside a tree like the Herbig family! It makes a good 15-minute break while travelling through the Barossa.

The Lego Man

Not far from the tree is Tom Lucieer's huge Lego collection. A bit strange, sure, but kids love Lego — well, they used to anyway. Now they probably just play it on the computer.

Mintaro Maze

Mintaro is a beautiful town, and well worth visiting. You can lose the kids for a while as well — let them find their way around the maze or try out the giant games as you sip a coffee next door.

Naracoorte Caves

SA's only world heritage sight, Naracoorte Caves National Park is a fascinating day trip for adults and children alike. There are amazing fossils in the Wonambi Fossil Centre and inside some of the caves themselves. Guided tours take in the more interesting caves — the kids can even observe bats by infrared camera. As a child we had a go at adventure caving, donning helmets and jumpsuits to explore the caves; it was a memorable experience.