South Australia being more than 60 percent desert is the driest of all Australian states. The state’s capital Adelaide, the wine area of the Barossa Valley as well as Kangaroo Island with its large seal colony and unusual rock formations, form the basis of attractions for the visitor of this state.

South Australia - Overview and Highlights

• Adelaide - small and pleasant capital
  
  
• Adelaide Hills - German hospitality mixed with Australian friendliness
  
  
• Barossa Valley - Australia’s most significant wine area
  
  
• Kangaroo Island - Seal and Penguin colonies along with unique rock formations
  
  
• Coorong National Park -bird sanctuary
  
  
• Kingston - Robe - Beachport - charming coastal villages
  
  
• Naracoorte - lime stone caves - World Heritage listed 1994
  
  
• Flinders Ranges - impressive scenery, rich in contrast
  
  
• Coober Pedy - The Opal capital of the world with underground housing
  
  
• Lake Eyre - one of the largest salt lakes on earthlt
  
  
• Peninsula Yorke und Eyre - get off the beaten track
  
  
• Nullarbor Desert - experience the desert
  
  
• IGA WARTA Community - meet some Aboriginals
  
  
• Climate tables - Adelaide, Barossa Valley, Flinders Ranges

You will find more details, about the above mentioned attractions in the following section.

Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is much smaller than Melbourne or Sydney and therefore more relaxed and very pleasant. The Botanical Gardens as well as the Festival Centre are both located along the Torrens River, which divides the city into two parts and is often used for boat or canoe tours. The excellent Art Gallery and the Museum of South Australia, where you can see the world’s largest collection of Aboriginal artefacts, are also situated within this area. An informative display with a difference is found at the Museum of Classical Archaeology, with 500 exhibits and some items more than 5000 years old. A historic tram ride to Glenelg, a stroll around this beach suburb and a visit to the Central Markets, where you can experience a wide variety of wonderful smells of freshly baked German bread and pretzels, sausages, wine, fruit, vegetables and fresh seafood complete your visit to Adelaide.

On this week in Adelaide

Adelaide is a city where there's always something going on, from sporting events at the famous Adelaide Oval to the colourful Adelaide Fringe Festival. South Australia's vibrant capital has wide boulevards, shady parks annd lush gardens, along with some wonderful heritage buildings and lively pubs and restaurants. A tranquil oasis in the heart of the city is Adelaide's beautiful Botanic Gardens. You can take a free guided tour to enjoy the rose gardens, fountains and delightful palm house. The Adelaide Zoo is another peaceful spot, with walk-through aviaries full of trees, a reptile house and a stunning rainforest walkway. Adelaide's North Terrace is the place to go to soak up some culture, with its librairies and the superb South Australia Museum. Shoppers will find some good options in the inner city, from the popular Adelaide Central Market - a great spot to browse for bargains - through to the spacious Rundle Mall. For a change of pace, you can enjoy the pleasant seaside atmosphere of Adelaide's Glenelg and Brighton suburbs, or visit some of the wineries in the Adelaide Hills. There are numerous swimming and surfing beaches, sailing at North Haven and Largs Bay, the underwater trails at Port Noarlunga, the Greenfields Wetlands and the Tjilbruke walking trail. Glenelg, traditionally Adelaide’s holiday playground and most visited beach, is at the terminus of the city’s only remaining tram line. The Adelaide Hills form the eastern boundary of the Adelaide plain, and feature the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens, with their extensive range of native and deciduous trees, Cleland Wildlife Park and several wineries. The River Torrens also flows through this area and through the spectacular Torrens Gorge.

The Adelaide Hills reflect the friendly hospitality of this state and offer beautiful views of Adelaide and its surrounds. Many small historical villages invite visitors to wander around the restored houses and gardens. The city of Hahndorf was founded 1839 by Silesian and Prussian settlers and you can find their traditional dishes on the menus of the local restaurants, including apple strudel, black forest cake, bratwurst and sauerkraut and many more.

The Barossa Valley is probably the most significant wine area in Australia with many internationally awarded wines. You will find numerous small boutique vineyards; medium sized like Peter Lehmann or Grant Burge, or large multi national wine corporations like Orlando, Yalumba or Penfolds. Most of them welcome visitors and invite them to taste and to purchase.

Activities: Hot Air Ballooning, Horse Carriage Rides, Horse Back Riding, Golf

Kangaroo Island is popular for its big seal colony, which you can watch from up close and the Remarkable Rocks, a truly unusual rock formation. The evening parade of the fairy penguins, who come on shore every day after sunset is an amusing and interesting night time activity.

When you are lucky, you might see Koalas, Kangaroos or an Echidna on one of your hikes.

Activities: Hiking, Swimming, Canoeing, Fishing, Scuba Diving

The Coorong National Park is a shallow lagoon and curves along 145 kilometres (90.5 miles) of the coast. The best way to explore this lagoon, which is home to more than 280 native wild birds, is by boat, canoe or by foot.

Activities: Fishing, Bird Watching

The lime stone caves of Naracoorte were included on the World Heritage List in 1994. The Victoria Caves exhibit unique fossils from the ice age, while the Blanche, Alexandra and Princess Margaret Caves offer amazing stalagmite and stalactite formations.

Weitere Aktivitäten: Besichtigungs- und Abenteuertouren, Weinproben, Golfen, Reitausflüge,

Kingston, Robe and Beachport are small coastal villages with a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. The diversity of the coast includes impressive cliffs, small idyllic coves and lakes with a wide variety of water activities.

Activities: Hiking, Golf, Fishing, Deep Sea Fishing, Surfing, Swimming, Snorkelling, Scuba Diving, Horse Back Riding, Wine Tasting.

The colours of the Flinders Ranges form a picturesque contrast to the sparse surrounding landscape. The most impressive peaks are found near Melrose-Wilmington, north east of Port Augusta and east of Leigh Creek. The villages Quorn and Hawker are well positioned for excursions to the Flinders Ranges, where you will find a natural amphitheatre Wilpena Pound. Another great place offering a range of hikes with spectacular views.

Coober Pedy is located about 850 kilometres (531 miles) north-east of Adelaide right in the centre of the South Australian Outback and is well known for its huge Opal deposit and unusual but practical way of accommodation. The houses in Coober Pedy are drilled into the hills, with the result of a comfortable stable inside temperature of 24° Celsius at outside temperatures reaching over 45° Celsius in the summer.

Activities: Outback-Tours, Opal Mine Tours, Opal Noodling* and Purchasing, Golf and Swimming.

The Lake Eyre is one of the largest salt lakes on earth, forming 16 metres below sea level it is the deepest point of Australia. In dry condition it looks like a huge snowfield in the centre of a desert. If you are fortunate enough to experience Lake Eyre filled with water, you will find an Oasis with a colourful flower carpet inviting you to a variety of water activities.

The two peninsulas Yorke and Eyre west of Adelaide are a far cry from the commercial hub of organised tours. These two peninsulas offer great surf and safe swimming beaches, good fishing opportunities, spectacular coastal scenery and lonely beaches with white sand and crystal clear water. The town of Crowell is one of the biggest sources in the world for green and black jade. While in Ceduna you can find the only seal colony on the mainland.

If you travel west from Ceduna towards Perth, you will have to cross the Nullarbor Desert. This landscape impresses you greatly with a vast area of emptiness interrupted only by salt bush. The rare petrol stations are the only settlements you will come across, in a journey of more than 1000 kilometres (624 miles) . This journey will be well rewarded by spectacular coastal views of the Great Australian Bight.

IGA WARTA is an Aboriginal community still living in their traditional culture. This community welcomes visitors to become part of the group and to learn about the oldest living culture on earth.

Climate Tables:

Please note, that the following charts show average temperatures.