South Australia

See below for all journeys to South Australia

South Australia, the state of dramatic coastlines has world-class wineries, historic towns, natural wonders and loveable native wildlife, with a sophisticated dining and art scene that rivals any in the country. Also home to 18 world-renowned wine regions from McLaren Vale, Clare Valley and the Barossa Valley, stunning wine regions within lush green vineyards.

Adelaide & Adelaide Hills

Impressive art galleries and museums, award-winning restaurants and thriving markets, boutique bars and exceptional beaches Adelaide is one of the country’s most exciting cities.

And only a short drive away is the magical Adelaide Hills, with its lush valleys and rolling hills, brimming with so many wonderful discoveries – cool climate wines, restaurants serving South Australia’s best produce and charming towns – like Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement with still a strong German flavour.

Wine Regions

South Australia is indisputably Australia’s wine state, with 18 world-renowned wine regions and 44% of the nation’s vineyards located here. From the Barossa – one of the world’s great wine growing regions with more than 150 wineries, McLaren Vale – the birthplace of of South Australia’s wine industry, Clare Valley – known as the home of Australian riesling, the Clare Valley Riesling Trails runs for 35 kms and Coonawarra – home to smaller, family-owned wineries famed for its first-class cabernet sauvignon, to name just a few. A trip to South Australia is not complete without a visit to one or a few of these magnificent regions.

The Peninsulas - Eyre, Yorke and Fleurieu

Australia’s major seafood hub, The Eyre Peninsula is about the size of Switzerland and covers five regions, from the edge of the Nullabor Plains to the city of Port Lincoln, where you can dive with great white sharks. Or for the less adventurous (or non-crazy!) visit the calmer waters of Baird Bay (far away from those sharks), swim with wild bottlenose dolphins and inquisitive sea lions in their natural environment.

Yorke Peninsula is just over an hour’s drive away from Adelaide and home to a stunning 700 kms of pristine coastline. From boating and surfing to camping and bushwalking this is South Australia’s most accessible seaside escape and home to the Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park.

The coastal paradise of the Fleurieu Peninsula is only a short 40 minute drive south of Adelaide. With amazing wineries and cellar doors located in McLaren Vale to mouth-watering restaurants, beaches and national parks – all of which are waiting to be explored.

Flinders Ranges and Outback

You will discover towering cliffs and deep craters, spectacular gorges and ancient mountain ranges along the Flinders Ranges and the Outback. Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, a landscape that is more than 600 million years old. A place rich in Aboriginal history and home to many native wildlife species, you will also discover here Wilpena Pound, a natural amphitheatre covering eight times the area of Uluru, a scenic flight over this ancient landscape is a must. Located further in the Outback is the unique opal mining outpost of Coober Pedy, where half of the population lives underground to escape the summer heat and where most of the world’s opals are produced. After your visit to Coober Pedy a must is to board a light aircraft for a scenic flight over Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, a natural wonder stretching an amazing 144 kilometres, an expanse of shimmering salt crystals that seems to go on forever. And when this lake is flooded by desert rain once every few years (the last time it was full was in 1974), it turns into a stunning place of natural beauty with an abundance of many bird species.

Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is one of the world’s great nature-based destinations and the third largest island off the coast of mainland Australia. The island was seriously impacted by the 2019/20 summer bushfires with 211,000 hectares of the 440,500 hectare island affected. However you can’t keep nature down, not only is nature rebuilding but so also is the community. While the bushfire affected areas will take some time to recover, some amazing regeneration is already happening. What makes Kangaroo Island such an amazing destination is still there to be explored from stunning beaches and coastlines, great walks and hikes, unique wildlife, amazing food and local wineries, craft breweries and even a gin distillery, using Boobialla – a Kangaroo Island native juniper.

Limestone Coast

Covering the South-East corner of South Australia the Limestone Coast is home to incredible coastlines, shimmering lakes, stunning beaches and award-winning food and wine. With spectacular natural wonders, this is home to Mount Gambier known for its volcanic landscape and crater lakes, one of which is the Blue Lake. Each November it mysteriously changes colour to an intense deep turquoise blue almost overnight and stays that way until late February.

Another must-see attraction is the Umpherston Sinkhole, one of the most spectacular gardens located in Mount Gambier. Once a cave formed through the dissolution of the limestone, the sinkhole was created when the caves chamber collapsed. Also known as The Sunken Garden, it was made into a stunning garden in 1886 and is now home to hundreds of possums who come out at night into the garden to feed.

Murray River, Lakes and Coorong

Natural beauty and breathtaking scenery abounds in this region. The Murray River, flowing more than 2500 kilometres from the Snowy Mountains in NSW onto the Lakes and Coorong in South Australia is bursting with Aboriginal history, culture and heritage and an abundance of local wildlife. The River is around 130 million years old and is Australia’s largest river system and the world’s fourth longest river. There’s no better way to experience it than on a cruise, with one to seven night cruises operating, it is a perfect way to explore the area and its historic towns located along this outback river highway.

Coorong National Park, stretching more than 140 kilometres is one of the most breathtaking national parks in Australia. It has enormous significance to the local Ngarrindjeri people, with archaeological evidence of Aboriginal campsites from over thousands of years ago.

You wouldn’t expect to see African wildlife near the Murray River but located a short distance west of the River is Monarto Safari Park, the largest open-range zoo in the world and home to more than 500 native and exotic animals.

And of course this region also has its fair share of cellar doors, in fact Langhorne Creek is one of the oldest wine regions in South Australia.