Heritage & Hidden Treasures: Naracoorte Caves & Yallum Park Private Tour
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Highlights
- Exclusive Adventure: Discover the history within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Naracoorte Caves on this curated private tour.
- Behind-the-Scenes Access: Explore the renowned Victoria Fossil Cave and active fossil dig sites with a senior guide, offering insights into ancient history.
- Gourmet Dining: After your cave exploration, savour a delightful set menu lunch at Ottelia, a renowned restaurant in Coonawarra.
- Private Yallum Park Mansion Tour: A hosted tour of the mansion built for Coonawarra founder, John Riddoch in 1880.
Tour Overview
Embark on a remarkable journey that immerses you in the rich history of ancient discoveries and the storied past of the Limestone Coast. Our exclusive private tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Naracoorte Caves is perfect for those passionate about palaeontology and unique, immersive experiences.
Your adventure begins with a 3+ hour private exploration of the Naracoorte Caves, led by an experienced national park expert. This rare opportunity takes you ‘under the ledge’ to active fossil digs, including the renowned Victoria Fossil Cave and Blanche Cave, typically off-limits to the public. You might even encounter scientists at work, eager to share their fascinating discoveries.
The tour also includes a visit to the Fossil Lab, where you may observe researchers in action and get up close with fossil collections, deepening your understanding of the ancient world.
After your cave exploration, unwind with a gourmet set menu lunch at the award-winning Ottelia restaurant in Coonawarra, where local produce meets culinary excellence.
Your day concludes with an exclusive tour of Yallum Park, one of Australia’s best-preserved Victorian-era homesteads, located just outside Penola. Built in the late 19th century for Coonawarra founder John Riddoch, this magnificent mansion boasts grand interiors featuring 14-foot high ceilings, marble mantelpieces, and large stained glass windows. The estate is also home to an extensive collection of original English wallpapers, adding to its historic charm.
Experience this exclusive, intimate journey tailored just for you, no large groups, only a thoughtfully designed tour that offers unparalleled access to the hidden treasures of the Limestone Coast.
What’s Included
- Private Cave Tour: Experience a 3-hour private tour of the Naracoorte Caves, including access to restricted areas and active fossil digs.
- Gourmet Lunch: Enjoy a delicious set menu lunch at Ottelia, located in the heart of Coonawarra.
- Private Mansion Tour: End your day with a private tour of the historic Yallum Park mansion in Penola. This Victorian-era gem boasts 14-foot ceilings, marble mantelpieces, stained glass windows, and original English wallpapers.
- Luxury Transportation: Travel in our V-Class Mercedes-Benz for a comfortable and stylish journey.
- Convenient Pickup: Pickup service from your Penola/Coonawarra/Naracoorte accommodation.
- Expert Guidance: Learn from a senior guide with deep knowledge of the Naracoorte Caves and its palaeontological significance.
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The apartment was perfect in every way, so close to town, bright, neat, impeccably clean, and so well appointed.
They had thought of everything, right down to the details! Separate cups for tea and coffee, cheese boards and knives, and several different types of wine glasses, and even the solar activated night light and underfloor heating in the bathroom.
The bed was by far one of the best we have slept in away from home!
We had a wonderful and cosy 2 night stay, and the wine and chocolates that welcomed us was a beautiful touch.
Thank you Simon and Kerry.
Helen and Peter
The apartment was perfect in every way, so close to town, bright, neat, impeccably clean, and so well appointed.
They had thought of everything, right down to the details! Separate cups for tea and coffee, cheese boards and knives, and several different types of wine glasses, and even the solar activated night light and underfloor heating in the bathroom.
The bed was by far one of the best we have slept in away from home!
We had a wonderful and cosy 2 night stay, and the wine and chocolates that welcomed us was a beautiful touch.
Thank you Simon and Kerry.
Helen and Peter
We loved our stay with Simon and Kerry and the wine tour we did was fun, informative and well worth doing. All the communication I had with Simon before we arrived was prompt and professional with all my questions answered. We were met on arrival with a bottle of wine and lovely cuvée chocolate and it is those little extras that made the whole experience so good. Very comfortable bed with quality bedding. A very well appointed bathroom, again high quality towels and toiletries. In the lounge/kitchenette was a microwave, decent size fridge and a good selection of crockery, cutlery etc. very happy to see a variety of good wine glasses and an Espresso machine! Really good value, accomodation exceeded expectations
Normally we take ourselves around cellar doors but so glad we decided to take the tour with Coonawara Experiences. We had such a good time. It was very personal and lots of fun. The lunch platter was lovely and meeting the people running the tastings was what really made it. Kerry and Simon are very obviously passionate about the Coonawara and the local produce. Book a tour with them, you won’t regret it.
Enjoyed our day with Simon who was a knowledgeable and interesting host.
Spotted the Brown snake before we did and saved us. :-)
Had a lovely trip out into a few wineries that we wanted to visit and Simon accommodated our requests
We were made to feel like locals and very welcomed! Massive thanks to the team for such a great day :)
If you haven’t done a Coonawarra Experiences experience, then you must put it on your bucket list .
Topped off with an excellent lunch at Ottelia .
We had the best day tasting wines with 2 other couples who we had the best time with, Kerry was a wealth of information during the day and Simon was fantastic to chat with on the phone and organised our day perfectly
Well done guys ????
He managed to adjust the tour to our taste and pace, and provide an extremely fun experience.
Highly recommended!
Our tour was a private tour in a modern comfortable van.
Booking and planning was easy with Simon being very responsive to all of our requests. Our tour was over 2 days with the days tour being hosted by Kerry on the first day Simon on the second. Both were friendly and knowledgeable.
It’s obvious that Simon and Kerry are liked and respected by the wineries and restaurants ensuring that as tour guests we were given 5 star treatment throughout.
We were unable to stay in their accommodation on the first night but Simon arranged for nearby accommodation and then transferred us to their appartments. Their apartment is well appointed and comfortable. The bathroom is spacious and modern, the bed comfortable and the kitchenette had all we needed. The bottle of wine and chocolates on arrival are a nice touch.
We have loved both our visits.
The following day, our tour of the Coonawarra Wine Region along with lunch at Ottelia was excellent.
Our host, Simon was a mine of information on the region and took the time to explain to us the history of the Coonawarra and its early inhabitants, all of which we both found of great interest.
The accommodation provided by Simon & Kerry was superb as was the Wine and chocolates..
The van was clean, comfortable and in good condition.
Simon was full bottle on the wineries, vines and wine makers. He has strong community relationships.
Simon asked us what wines we wanted to try and tailored the trip to our tastes and preferences.
The staff at all wineries we visited were attentive, knowledgeable and pleasant.
We had a hearty lunch in the middle of the tour.
We were with a like-minded crew.
Well done Simon!
Definitely a must do experience.
Simon took us to 4 wineries and they were all fantastic. We had the best steak at Mayura Tasting Room.
Highly recommended and definitely will be back in the future.
Cheers,
A&H
Simon is a wealth of knowledge & his recommendations are higtly recommended. The unique and wonderfull cellar doors were great and we would have never found them ourselves!
We look forward to returning for our next adventure here.
Cheers,
Alkie & Hayden
Would recommend this company very, very highly.





































