United's SFO-Adelaide nonstops return Dec. 17 - and South Australia is the real prize

Getting to South Australia is about to get a whole lot easier. United is bringing back its seasonal nonstop between San Francisco (SFO) and Adelaide (ADL) starting Dec. 17, the only direct flight linking the U.S. to the state capital. The route runs through Feb. 10, 2027 on a Boeing 787-9, now in its second season.

The Points Guy's Colby Kirkpatrick flew the route in United Polaris business class and spent several days exploring the region, which he argues most visitors skip by accident. "It took me several trips to Australia to realize I'd been skipping one of its best parts," he writes. From central Adelaide, the rolling Adelaide Hills, the coast and wine country are all reachable in roughly half an hour.

Three ways to do South Australia

For the active traveler, the Adelaide Central Market has been running since 1869 and now packs more than 70 vendors under one roof. Kirkpatrick's favorite find was a hot chicken roll at Smiley's, plus a honeycomb cornflake slice he calls "the Australian cousin of a Rice Krispies treat." Up in the hills, Cleland Wildlife Park lets you walk among free-roaming kangaroos and wallabies, with adult admission at AU$35.80. A paid koala encounter introduced him to Tek, a 10-year-old male whose fur was "far softer than I expected."

Adrenaline seekers can book the Adelaide Oval RoofClimb, a two-hour harnessed walk across the stadium roof that starts at AU$125 for adults and AU$95 for kids aged 8 to 15. From the top you can trace the river, the hills and the coast in one sweep.

For the indulgent, Restaurant Aptos in Stirling serves just 14 diners at a time with a 16-course tasting menu inside a converted church - the first course involves licking five native Australian fruits straight off a branch, and later courses include crocodile tongue and kangaroo seasoned with native ingredients. Nearby, Mount Lofty Botanic Garden spans 97 hectares and is free to enter.

Wine lovers should head south to McLaren Vale and d'Arenberg, where the Osborn family has been growing grapes since 1912. The winery's five-story Cube is the unmissable landmark, and visitors can even blend their own bottle of shiraz.

As for getting there in style, the Polaris overnight service - with tomato tartare, braised short rib and the famous sundae cart - lets you sleep through the Pacific and land feeling functional. Kirkpatrick's verdict after his meal at 35,000 feet: "It was genuinely tasty, to the point that I could almost forget I was eating dinner at 35,000 feet."