With our Summer Fiesta happening tomorrow night in Mount Gambier, the Koonara team is officially back on deck and ready to party! 🎉

Before the festivities kick off, we wanted to share what the team has been up to this summer. From the drinks they’ve been sipping to the books they’ve been devouring and the tunes keeping them sane, here’s a glimpse into our team’s Summer Favourites.

We hope it gives you some inspiration for your own summer fun (or at the very least a few good playlist and drink recommendations!).

NICOLE’s Summer Favourites

DRINK: A rose cocktail of Rosé, soda and verjuice with lots of ice and strawberries to garnish
READING: Nightingale by Kristen Hannah, This is an emotional story set in France during the Second World War. It was hard to put it down.
LISTENING: I don’t get much control over what is being listened to; Dru and Lucy take charge.
FUN: I’ve been swimming a lot. The cold Bonny upwelling hasn’t arrived yet in Robe, so the water is a lot warmer than other years, so I have been making the most of that. (It doesn’t even have to be over 30 degrees to get me swimming which is highly unusual). I’ve also been playing some golf which has been great to get back into.

Nicole's Summer Collage with a city skyline view, a book titled "The Midnight Library" with tea, wine bottles on a table, and a tranquil beach scene.

CHICAGO’s Summer Favourites

DRINK: loving the new Zonzo Estate Zoncello! Limoncello Spritz 🍋
READING: Showing Up by Nedd Brockmann – the guy is a machine and absolutely built different 💪🏼
LISTENING: Fred again is on high rotation to drain out the last of the Christmas playlists that we had playing on repeat in Cellar Door over December 😅
FUN: Got up and ran a half marathon around Coonawarra and Penola on New Years morning (although that doesn’t sound very fun) and also got to go and watch Sam’s horse Dubai Poet win the Christmas Handicap at Morphettville Races (hello winners lounge bubbles! 🥂)

Chicago's Summer Favorites Collage: A hand holds a Zoncelò bottle, a person shows a thumbs-up on grass, a Spotify playlist, a book titled "Ned Brockmann Showing Up," and a horse race.

jen’s Summer Favourites

DRINK: It’s been the summer of Rosé and bubbles for me. My favourites are Kenneth from Cuvee Co., and Rosé is our Emily May.
READING: I was gifted The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and it is a brilliant read! Lots of thought-provoking sliding door moments.
LISTENING: Jamie XX is on high rotation, especially Gosh and good times
FUN: We’ve had some day trips to Robe, a family holiday in Melbourne and lots of quality family time in the South East and Adelaide.

Collage with a city skyline view, a book titled "The Midnight Library" with tea, wine bottles on a table, and a tranquil beach scene.

Tash’s Summer Favourites

DRINK: Nothing says summer like a Matsos Ginger Beer – served with a wedge of lime.
READING: Some great op shop finds, Kokomo by Victoria Hannan and Prettier If She Smiled More by Toni Jordan. I’m also really enjoying reading books by Aussie authors.
LISTENING: To the Cricket test matches over the holidays on the radio and various cheesy radio stations while in the car touring around.
FUN: Enjoyed the sights of Port Arthur and a Tasman Island Cruise around the Tasman Peninsular. Theres some wild scenery down that way. Also enjoyed some beach time in Shearwater in Tasmania too. The water is pretty fresh down there!

a collage of Tash's Summer Favorites which includes six images: two books, a can of ginger beer, towering sea cliffs, an old stone building, and people walking on a beach with distant hills.

AMANDA’s Summer Favourites

DRINK: Ginscarto – 30ml Gin, 60ml Flowers for Lucy Moscato and soda water
READING: Trent Dalton – Lola in the Mirror
LISTENING: The Spotify playlist ‘Party Songs Everybody Knows’ is my go-to at the moment.
FUN: A week at Blanchetown skiing and relaxing with family & friends, but keeping things lowkey, as 2025 sees us all heading overseas for a family holiday – bring on the Eiffel Tower

Collage with a book cover, outdoor view with sun rays, woman holding a green ornament, pouring drinks into glasses, and a playlist titled "Party songs everyone knows.

KATE’s Summer Favourites

DRINK: Champagne breakfast for Christmas enjoying both the Guardian Angel Sparkling Chardonnay and The Golden Orb Sparkling Shiraz because we couldn’t decide. I’ve also been enjoying gin spritzers for the festive season with a mixture of the Angel’s Footprints Sauv Blanc, and the Emily May Rosé.
READING: I’ve been reading It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover, and I recently finished The Lawson Legacy by Janet Gover
LISTENING: ‘Mum and Dad are on the Piss again’ playlist for some quintessential classic bangers.
FUN: Took the kids away for a holiday before our eldest starts school. The regular routine is playground climbing competitions, skatepark on repeat, stop for a milkshake and go again