South Australia

Australia

Coriole vineyard. South Australia's wine industry is the largest in Australia. South Australia is a state of Australia in the south of the country between Western Australia to the west and Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria to the east, and south of the Northern Territory.

South Australia covers a vast amount of area, from coastal towns to arid desert. The more settled areas are in the south east of the state, hence the smaller regions around that area.

Adelaide. — the state capital

Coober Pedy. — opal mining and underground houses

Mount Gambier. — in the south-east of the state, home to the famous Blue Lake

Murray Bridge. — centre of South Australia's farming area

Port Augusta. — at the top of Spencer Gulf at the very east of the Eyre Peninsula, gateway to the Flinders Ranges

Port Lincoln. — at the bottom of the Eyre Peninsula and a good base for seeing this part of the state

Port Pirie. — city centred on the mining economy, but centrally located to most attractions in the state

Oodnadatta. - desert frontier town, the old Ghan railway use to pass through here

Victor Harbor. — coastal playground to the south of Adelaide

Whyalla. — mining town halfway down the Eyre Peninsula

Coonawarra. — wine region

Hallett Cove.

Lake Eyre. — dry lake that occasionally fills up

Nullarbor Plain.

Riverland. - Murray River wine region

The Coorong. — the mouth of the Murray River

Kangaroo Island.

Eyre Peninsula.

Yorke Peninsula.

South Australia covers a large territory in the lower middle part of the country, with a small population of 1.7 million. Of that population, 75% live in the state capital of Adelaide and its surrounding areas. Most of the state is arid, although the southern part hosts a great deal of agriculture. It was first split off from New South Wales and proclaimed a colony in 1834, and unlike the other states in Australia was never a penal colony, instead being settled entirely by free settlers from Britain from the 1830s onwards. Following the British settlement, waves of settlers also began to come in from other parts of Europe, most notably Ireland, Germany, Italy, Greece and Poland. With nearly 1.6 million people, however, the state comprises less than 10% of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the states and territories. However, the state covers a vast amount of land area, including some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories. The state also includes Kangaroo Island, Australia's third largest island which lies off the coast of the mainland in the south-east of the state.

South Australia is a state that has remained culturally vibrant throughout its history and is known for its festivals and fine produce. While South Australia is not the tourist magnet that its northern neighbour is, South Australia offers a different perspective on Australia from many of its different parts. With world-class wine and other produce, friendly people, unspoilt environment and a very relaxed pace of life, it offers the break in Australia that you may have been looking for.

South Australia is half an hour behind the east coast cities. It is 9 hr 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Daylight Savings time is 10 hr 30 minutes ahead and is observed from the first Sunday of October to the first Sunday of April the following year.

Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island

South Australia is home to Kangaroo Island, an internationally renowned wildlife haven.

It is also known for its wine. The Barossa Valley is Australia’s richest and best-known wine region. Premium wines, five-star restaurants and cellar doors abound among the hills and vineyards. Local winemakers include household names such as Seppelt, Penfolds and Peter Lehmann.

South Australia also offers other world-class wine regions, including the Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra.

Visit the world-heritage listed Naracoorte Caves, or awesome Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges – one of Australia's first official national landscapes.

Swim with wild sea lions at Baird Bay on Eyre Peninsula and with dolphins at Glenelg, and cage dive with Great White Sharks at the Neptune Islands.

South Australia is also known for its exciting events, like the international cycling race Tour Down Under. Lance Armstrong made it his comeback race in 2009. Adelaide hosts the Clipsal 500, a thrilling V8 race through a city circuit. The Adelaide Fringe is an annual feast of comedy, music, theatre and fun. And the fabulous and captivating Adelaide Festival of Arts takes place every second year.

In Adelaide, South Australia's capital city, you will find stylish architecture, boutique shopping, sandy swimming beaches, fabulous arts events, nightlife, fine dining, and some of Australia's best café strips.

It is easy to navigate your way around South Australia, with most of the regions just an hour or two drive from Adelaide.

  • Highways and tracks:

*Birdsville Track
*Eyre Highway
*Oodnadatta Track
*Stuart Highway

Diving in South Australia

While tropical dives sites like the Great Barrier Reef or those in Southeast Asia are more popular, those who are more adventurous should consider diving in South Australia, which offers some very good temperate dive sites. Those of particular interest include Rapid Bay, which home to leafy sea dragons, a type of seahorse which is only found in the temperate waters of Australia.

South Australia is the largest wine producer among Australia's states, and it is known for some of the best wines in Australia. Wine regions in the state which are well known among wine connoisseurs include the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and Coonawarra.

South Australia has a good reputation for high quality fresh food and produce.

The Adelaide Central Market is in the city centre just to the west of Victoria Square and has an enduring reputation for fresh market produce as well as cheeses, smallgoods, fresh seafood, fresh butchered as well as processed meats and a huge range of culinary speciality items bearing an Australian, European and Asian food heritage. The Central Market precinct is the location of Adelaide's small Chinatown and has many Asian food outlets and restaurants. Many cafes, restaurants and retail food outlets line the streets around the Market complex.

The official opening of the Adelaide Central Market was on 22 January 1870. The Central Market was open on Tuesdays and Saturdays with 50 to 100 produce carts. The market sold vegetables, fruit, hay, fish and game meats. On 8 February 1900 the first stone was laid to build the current Central Market façade, which still stands today. In the same year a 40 metre veranda was added.

  • Adelaide Central Market, Between Gouger and Grote Streets, a little west of Victoria Square. Mon: closed, Tues: 7AM-5:30PM, Wed: 9AM-5:30PM, Thurs: 9AM-5:30PM, Fri: 7AM-9PM, Sat:7AM-3PM, Sun: closed. The Central Market has over 80 stalls and is South Australia's most visited tourist attraction.

The state produces citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit, stone fruits such a nectarines, peaches and plums, apples, pears, and table grapes such as sultana and muscatel.

Wheat, barley and oats are staple grain crops, legumes such as peas and many bean varieties are also produced. The state has an extensive market garden industry growing a wide range of vegetables in all seasons. Nuts such as almonds and walnuts are grown near Adelaide and the state has a vibrant high quality olive oil industry.

Seafood is both farmed in sea-water pens, grown in onshore tanks and caught in the wild by line fishing, trolling and trawling. South Australia has a well developed tuna, scale fish, oyster, craysish (lobster) and abalone industry. The cold fresh waters of the Southern Ocean and the two gulfs has historically been bountiful but due to overfishing stringent controls have been brought to bear upon both commercial and recreational fishing. Historically, inland waterways such as the Murray river and the Coorong were also highly productive but have declined drastically due to environmental impacts and degradation.

The state also has a highly developed viticulture and wine making tradition. The industry produces many wine varieties for local, national and international markets.

South Australia also has a good reputation for rearing beef cattle for veal and beef meats, dairy production including milks, yoghurts, fresh and matured cheeses. The state has a strong history of sheep meat production including mutton and lamb. Local game meats include kangaroo and rabbits, which are wild harvested, normally in the mid-north and far north of the state. The poultry industry is well developed and provides both battery farm, free range and 'organic' eggs, chicken, ducks and turkeys.

Adelaide especially has a good reputation for restaurant and cafe dining. Other areas, including the Clare Valley, Barossa Valley and Kangaroo Island have strong regional cafe and restaurant industries that exploit the high quality fresh produce available in those areas.

The ethnic culinary influences and production skills borne by many generations of immigration has helped the development of the food and produce industry in South Australia. Italian, Greek, Polish, German, Malaysian, Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants to the state have had particularly strong influence on the state's food culture.

Adelaide Central Market, Between Gouger and Grote Streets, a little west of Victoria Square. Mon: closed, Tues: 7AM-5:30PM, Wed: 9AM-5:30PM, Thurs: 9AM-5:30PM, Fri: 7AM-9PM, Sat:7AM-3PM, Sun: closed. The Central Market has over 80 stalls and is South Australia's most visited tourist attraction.

  • Coopers Beer, is an icon of South Australia. It is often described as the biggest small brewery in Australia. It is still family-owned. All Coopers products claim to be made by "natural" methods. There is a range of products from crisp lager styles to dark stout. South Australian pubs will often have Coopers Pale Ale on tap, which while not as distinctive as a craft beer, certainly gives the beer aficionado a tasty beer option not widely available in other states.
  • West End, is the local mass-produced lager, on tap just about everywhere.
  • Southwark Premium, is also produced by mass-produced Lion Nathan, but at a smaller brewery in Thebarton. Arguably one of the best brews produced in Australia by the mega-brewers.

Beer measures in South Australia are the schooner and the pint. A schooner is a smaller measure, known variously as a middy or a pot elsewhere in Australia. A pint isn't a pint at all, and is a larger size known as a schooner everywhere else in Australia. In most pubs in SA a pint of pale will return you a reasonable measure of Coopers Pale Ale.

Coopers Beer, is an icon of South Australia. It is often described as the biggest small brewery in Australia. It is still family-owned. All Coopers products claim to be made by "natural" methods. There is a range of products from crisp lager styles to dark stout. South Australian pubs will often have Coopers Pale Ale on tap, which while not as distinctive as a craft beer, certainly gives the beer aficionado a tasty beer option not widely available in other states.

West End, is the local mass-produced lager, on tap just about everywhere.

Southwark Premium, is also produced by mass-produced Lion Nathan, but at a smaller brewery in Thebarton. Arguably one of the best brews produced in Australia by the mega-brewers.

Highways that connect to other Australian destinations.

  • Barrier Highway to Broken Hill and on to western New South Wales
  • Birdsville Track to Birdsville and on to Queensland and the Simpson Desert
  • Eyre Highway (National Route 1 A1) to the Nullarbor Plain, Eucla and on to Western Australia
  • Eyre Peninsula and on to the Great Australian Bight
  • Ouyen Highway to Victoria and on to Albury/Wodonga
  • Princes Highway (National Route 1 B1) to the southeast of the state, the Coonawarra wine region in the south east of the state, Mount Gambier and on to Victoria
  • Stuart Highway, Coober Pedy with its opal mining and underground houses, and on to Alice Springs and the Northern Territory
  • Sturt Highway (National Route A87) and on to the Riverland, Mildura, Victoria and New South Wales
  • Dukes Highway (National Route A8) (Western Highway) to Bordertown and on to Ballarat and Melbourne
  • The Coorong at the mouth of the Murray River and on to the Limestone Coast including the Coonawarra, Robe and Mount Gambier then on to the Great Ocean Road in Victoria
  • Kangaroo Island, Australia's 3rd largest island, due south from Yorke Peninsula and accessed by aircraft from Adelaide or by ferry across the Backstairs passage from Cape Jervis on Fleurieu Peninsula

Barrier Highway to [[Broken Hill]] and on to western [[New South Wales]]

Birdsville Track to [[Birdsville]] and on to [[Queensland]] and the [[Simpson Desert]]

[[Eyre Highway]] (National Route 1 A1) to the [[Nullarbor|Nullarbor Plain]], [[Eucla]] and on to [[Western Australia]]

[[Eyre Peninsula]] and on to the Great Australian Bight

Ouyen Highway to Victoria and on to [[Albury]]/[[Wodonga]]

Princes Highway (National Route 1 B1) to the southeast of the state, the [[Coonawarra]] wine region in the south east of the state, [[Mount Gambier]] and on to [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]

[[Stuart Highway]], [[Coober Pedy]] with its opal mining and underground houses, and on to [[Alice Springs]] and the [[Northern Territory]]

Sturt Highway (National Route A87) and on to the [[Riverland]], [[Mildura]], [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]] and [[New South Wales]]

Dukes Highway (National Route A8) (Western Highway) to Bordertown and on to [[Ballarat]] and [[Melbourne]]

[[The Coorong]] at the mouth of the [[Murray River]] and on to the [[Limestone Coast]] including the [[Coonawarra]], [[Robe]] and [[Mount Gambier]] then on to the [[Great Ocean Road]] in [[Victoria (state)|Victoria]]

[[Kangaroo Island]], Australia's 3rd largest island, due south from Yorke Peninsula and accessed by aircraft from Adelaide or by ferry across the Backstairs passage from [[Cape Jervis]] on [[Fleurieu Peninsula]]