South Australia Attractions

Arkaroola
617 km north of Adelaide, lies this small, remote settlement of Arkoola, in the Flinders Ranges. The place, founded in 1968 is a privately-owned settlement which provides a wild and beautiful setting. It is situated on the border of the Gammon Ranges National Park towards the south of Mt. Painter and the Paralana Hot Springs.

Barossa Valley
The Barossa Valley renowned for Australian wine-making is situated to the north of Adelaide. It is only an hour's drive from Adelaide. A large part of the culture of Barossa can be noticed due to its Prussian-German-Brandenburger founders. On the Wine Coast, the British were the grape growers and wine makers.

Ceduna
The last town on the Eyre Highway, Ceduna is at a distance of 786km from Adelaide and is situated near the junction of the Flinders and Eyre highways. This place got its name from an Aboriginal word 'chedoona' which means to sit down and rest. The original settlement was established at Denial Bay at a distance of 13 kilometers. It seems to provide an entrance to the interior landmass. The city is currently, a bustling fishing community. The situations are conducive to deep sea fishing and grain growing in the pastoral areas.

Coober Pedy
This place is situated on the Stuart Highway at a distance of 863km in the north-west direction of Adelaide. The city, with a lunar landscape, is the largest opal-producing centre in Australia. It gets its name from an Aboriginal word meaning 'white man's hole in the ground'. The meaning refers to the dugout houses used to avoid the savage heat of the interior position. The place enjoys a fixed temperature of 24oC throughout the year. With the success of the development, the churches and shops are also using the same techniques. The activities have almost become subterranean. The largest opal ever mined, known as the Olympic Australia Opal, was discovered in this place in 1956.

Coonalpyn
Coonalpyn is situated on the northern end of the Dukes Highway. The place is close to the end of the Coonalpyn Downs. The area is located at a distance of 163klm towards the south-east of Adelaide and 48klm towards the east of Meningie. The city has got its name from a word which describes mouse droppings. This place witnessed several severe plagues of mice but modern techniques kept the condition under control.

Gawler
Gawler is most heard-of as the western gateway to the Barossa Valley. Established in 1870, this major settlement is at a distance of 44klm to the north of Adelaide. Close by is the Clare Valley and the area is mostly agricultural. Previously, it was referred to as a stop between the mining area and the port of Adelaide. Known as the colonial Athens in the ancient times, the town houses many fine Victorian buildings.

Hawker
Situated in one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, Hawker is at a distance of 429 km to the north of Adelaide. Towards the north of the plains, near Port Praire, are the Flinders Ranges. This place is at a distance of 35km to the south of the Flinders Ranges National Park. It was, earlier, a thriving agricultural area supporting around 70 families. The area then witnessed constant droughts in the early part of this century that caused the area to fail agriculturally. Even then, it still maintains its hospitality industry. The reason is the scenic drives and abundant wildlife in the area.

Kingston (S.E.)
The town of Kingston S.E. is at a distance of 297 km to the south-east of Adelaide on the coast. The town has been named after George Strickland Kingston. He was a speaker in the House of Assembly. The name was changed from Maria Creek after a ship named Maria sank here. The crew of the ship were slaughtered by Aboriginals in 1840. The town was proclaimed as a port in 1866.

Kanga
Kanga or the Kangaroo Island is precisely, the third largest island in Australia. This place is at a distance of 19 kms off the coast and is situated at the entrance to Gulf St. Vincent. The island is ideal for tourists who have no time to see the Outback.

Moonta
The bustling cozy town is famous for its mining activities. The mining bonanza in 1861 resulted in the formation of this town. During that time, copper was found at the entrance of a wombat burrow. The predominant architectures which haven't faded as yet are the telegraph office, two of the hotels called The Cornwall and The Royal and some cottages.

Mount Gambier
Locally famous as The Mount, this city, the second largest one in the state, is situated between Melbourne and Adelaide on the slopes of an extinct volcano. The volcano with four craters within its basin has one of the craters holding the waters of The Blue Lake. The lake is approximately 197m deep. The city has been named after a strange color phenomenon supposed to be caused by calcite particles in the water. These particles, during warm weather, turn the water to an intense cobalt blue. The district plays abode to rich resources from meat production to arable crops and pine forests.

Murray Bridge
The largest Murray town on the river, this place, built in 1879, grew from a cattle crossing point and opened up the district from its previous isolation. The river being the sole life blood of Murray Bridge, its fertile banks have been drained and now sustain the orchards, dairying and sheep. The cheese factory, once the largest in Australia, produces 4000 tones a year.

Naracoorte
100 kms to the north of Mt Gambier and 337 kms to the south east of Adelaide, the town is placed on the only rise above the plains. Originally, a private town, it was termed as Kingcraig by the locals. The Post Office, Courthouse and Railway Station were constructed in 1865 by the government and the municipality was declared in 1924. The fertile countryside is renowned for its primary production of beef cattle, sheep and wheat.

Nuriootpa
This place is more famous as the commercial centre of the Barossa Valley and is situated at a distance of 74 kms from Adelaide in the Northern end of the valley. The name is derived from a word meaning 'meeting place' in the Aboriginal language. A hotel was built between Adelaide and Burra for the bullock drivers. This place is now very much renowned for tobacco plantations and wine industry.

Port Augusta
This place falls at a distance of 322 kms to the north of Adelaide on the Spencer Gulf. This industrial place lies close to the Flinders Ranges. The place prides in being an important supply centre for outback areas and is known as the Crossroads of the North. The port witnessed the first wool shipment that left, bound for Adelaide in 1854. A relevant Port was soon established, which became an important centre for shipping in 1860.

Port Lincoln
The area was one of the earliest settlements in the infant colony of Boston Bay. There was a lack of fresh water and prevalence of arid interior that resulted in the development remaining staggered. The place was well considered earlier for the capital of South Australia. The area is placed on the southern end of Eyre Peninsular Port Lincoln and is 672 kms by road from Adelaide. Modern irrigation methods have been installed currently. The port hosts a large cannery where the tuna which is caught in these waters is processed.

Port Pirie
Port Pirie is 229 kms to the north of Adelaide and is situated on the Spencer Gulf. It is a provincial town and an industrial centre for the processing of precious metals obtained from Broken Hill. The port has a roaring capacity of turning out 230,000 tones of silver, lead and large quantities of sulphuric acid and zinc, along with gold and antimony.

Renmark
Renmark is a very large town which possesses a commercial and business centre. The town is at a distance of 256 kms to the east of Adelaide. The place lies on the Stuart Highway and close to the banks of the Murray River. It is very famous for the nation's oldest irrigation settlement. It possesses wide shady avenues and smart buildings. The Renmark irrigation scheme was brought into the town by the Canadian Chaffey brothers in 1887. The successful scheme was later adopted by the local government. The place now boasts of bountiful irrigated produce of wine, table grapes, citrus and stone fruits and vegetables.

Strathalbyn
Strathalbyn is a place, located at a distance of 57 kms from Adelaide towards the South-east side on the Angus River. The place possesses strong Scottish associations. A Scottish word meaning wide valley, resulted in naming the place thus. With a picturesque presentation, the town has many of the buildings listed with the National Trust. The centre of the town is a conservation area, beautiful parkland around which is the river Angus. The park hence gets an appearance of an island.

Tantanoola
Tantanoola, a small town 16 km to the north-west of Mount Gambia is within the easy reach of the Canunda National Park. The town gets its name from the word meaning 'meeting place'. The town has become a part of Australian folklore because of the Tantanoola Tiger. The tiger was most definitely not a mythical beast but the stories of monster dingo, wolf, lion or tiger continued, it killed so many sheep it was suggested that it may have supernatural powers. A hunt was organized and on August 21 1895 it was shot dead by Tom Donovan, the beast turned out to be a Assyrian wolfhound that probably jumped ship at one of the coastal ports and made it's way to Tantanoola.

Tanunda
70km to the north-east of Adelaide, Tanunda is one of the oldest towns in the Barossa Valley. It portrays the German culture in South Australia. The culture mostly belongs to the Lutherans suffering religious persecution from the Prussian authorities. Hence, there are a number of Lutheran churches in Tanunda. The town was named after a word meaning 'many birds on a creek'. This place was earlier termed as Langmeil by the locals. Vines were first planted in this area in the year 1847, whereas the Tabor Lutheran church was built in 1849. Then came the Post office which commenced in 1866. There was a winery named Chateau Tanunda which was founded as a company in 1889.

Tumby Bay
On the East coast of Eyre Peninsula, is the Tumby Bay, which has an attractive crescent-shaped beach covered with white sand. The grassed foreshores are ideal picnic spots. 618km to the west of Adelaide and 53km to the north of Port Lincoln, the place is popular with tourists. Named by explorer Mattew Flinders after a town in Lincolnshire, the town and its foreshore are lined with Norfolk pines.

Victor Harbour
Situated on the shores of Encounter Bay, the Victor Harbor is located at a distance of 83 km to the south of Adelaide. Named after HMS Victor commanded by Captain Crozier, the Harbor was whaling and sealing depot in 1830. The vessel anchored off Granite Island in 1837, where a whaling station was established offshore. The Fountain Inn was established in 1847 and the railway from Adelaide opened in 1864. A causeway which began in 1864, extended to the Granite Island in 1875. The St. Augustine's Church of England was built in 1869.