Wild Olive Cottage Auburn review | SA’s Great Travel Planner

It’s the perfect spot for a romantic weekend – wineries around every corner, creative dining options, and a pleasing mix of pioneer history and stark natural beauty.

I’d spent most of my 40 years living in Adelaide and never once made it up to the Clare Valley. What a slacker. But after a debut visit, it’s now obvious why this picturesque region is regarded as a jewel of SA tourism.

It’s the perfect spot for a romantic weekend – wineries around every corner, creative dining options with an emphasis on local produce, and a pleasing mix of pioneer history and stark natural beauty.

Our base was a lovely rustic B&B in the centre of Auburn, arguably the most picturesque of the small towns dotted along the valley and the first you come to when driving from Adelaide.

Wild Olive Cottage. Picture: Supplied

A late booking meant we secured the cottage in the week after Easter for just $312 for two nights – that’s terrific value when you factor in the quality of the accommodation, its convenient location and the generous food and wine provisions.

It’s just a 25m stagger across the road to the Rising Sun Hotel, one of the region’s finer pubs. Just a few more steps away is fine dining restaurant Terroir, where we revelled in a memorable three-course meal on “local appreciation night”. No wonder one of the first questions asked at nearby cellar doors is invariably “are you going to eat at Terroir?”

Wild Olive Cottage has a bit of a split personality – the upstairs living and sleeping area is rustic and full of character, while the downstairs dining and bathroom zone is more modern.

Wild Olive Cottage. Picture: Supplied

Period touches upstairs are delightful – vintage woodbox and combustion stove, Victorian-era metal bed frame and polished cedar floors. But they are balanced with modern creature comforts such as leather lounges, split-system aircon and a high-quality mattress.

A warning – free-to-air TV wasn’t working when we visited. This turned out to be a blessing. The getaway turned out to be much more relaxing with a blessed break from the mind-numbing tedium of commercial television. If you really need some screen time there’s a reasonably diverse DVD collection.

Downstairs there’s a large triangular spa bath and well-equipped kitchen with French doors to the back patio. What a glorious little oasis this is under the grapevine trellis – the perfect spot for a full English breakfast!

The tranquil rear garden has a private bridge over a creek that separates Wild Olive from another B&B. The creek was dry when we visited but would amplify the romance factor in winter (another reason the cottage is targeted at child-free couples).

It’s the little touches of care that elevate a B&B from average to excellent. With generous breakfast provisions, choccies and a nice bottle of Clare Valley wine to welcome us, and the fireplace already prepared, Wild Olive Cottage provided a blissful respite from the city grind.

• St Vincent Street, Auburn
• 0439 708 341
• wildolive.net.au
• LOCATION In the centre of Auburn, 111km north of Adelaide at the foot of the Clare Valley.
• ACCOMMODATION One bedroom, self-contained.
• FACILITIES Queen-sized bed in combined living room/bedroom, indoor combustion heater and air conditioning, TV/DVD/wi-fi, bathroom with spa bath, full kitchen, garden, barbecue, a free bottle of wine of your selection plus treats and other surprises.
• PRICE Standard rate from $225 per night for two people – last-minute deals often available