AL RU FARM! South Australia’s Secret Garden.

⏱ Read time: 2–3 min

With French and Mediterranean influenced architecture, surrounded by the lushest flora this side of Mount Lofty’s Botanic Gardens, AL RU Farm is for anyone seeking an oasis. It’s a green and floral refuge amidst the blonde summer rolling hills of the Sampson Flats, forty minutes northeast of the Adelaide CBD, on the outskirts of the Adelaide Hills.

It's boutique, bespoke, and fashionable.

AL RU Farm, Established by Alan and Ruth Irving (AL RU) in 1979, is well known for hosting some of the most lavish weddings across the estate, but during our visit we found the property to have so much more potential!

AL RU Farm is a popular South Australian wedding and event venue amongst those who are in-the-know (or actively seeking). It's boutique, bespoke, and fashionable. While placed here in the "Venues" category, AL RU could easily fall into our "Stays" category as well, given its well considered rural-luxury accommodations.

As mentioned, AL RU is notably a wedding venue, but we would be the first to suggest there is so much more to this estate than meets the eye. While we spent the afternoon enjoying the full summer light filtering through the canopy of native flora, it quickly became apparent that there were multiple locations around the property with phenomenal potential to host events from fashion shoots to engagement photo sessions. 

A heads up to all our photographer friends out there, magenta Paper Flowers encase the doorway to the Hayshed (The Barn). The path below is covered by a translucent roof that casts buttery smooth light during the heat of the day, perfect for soft shadows that make for gorgeous portraits.
An Instagramer’s dream!
Be sure to catch a flush though. The flowers make the image! 

The Glass House is another perfect locale to find brilliant light, backed by striking botanics that could easily be home to a two-page Dior spread for Vogue. According to the AL RU website, there’s always something in bloom, so if you miss the flush of magenta Paper Flowers at The Barn, fear not, you won’t need luck to find another bloom of stunning flowers elsewhere on the property. 

We can't say we had the pleasure of enjoying an evening stay at any of the accommodations on the property, but if images of their suites are any indication, we have no doubt they would be as inspiring as a walk through their gardens.

This is definitely a not-to-miss venue!