Things to see & do in South Australia
South Australia moves at a slower pace than its east coast neighbours. It’s the driest state on the driest inhabited continent on earth, and 70 percent of its bulk is made up of harsh outback terrain, yet it's also surprisingly fertile, with a ribbon of green hills and valleys that produce some of the best wines in the country, and rich coastal waters offering up some of the tastiest seafood on the planet.
It’s not just your belly that will get a workout; your camera will take a bruising, too, thanks to all those otherworldly landscapes, the wild coastline, and wildlife stuffed habitats such as Kangaroo Island. And if you tire of all that outdoorsiness, refined Adelaide offers elegant churches, highbrow museums and top restaurants aplenty.
Our Australia Holidays
Australia holidays, tailor made
Explore 3 very different states of Australia
From
£15250
22 days
inc UK flights
Melbourne to Adelaide 3 day tour, Australia
Experience the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Adelaide
From
AU $1545
3 days
ex flights
Adelaide to Perth tour, Australia
Australia's ultimate road trip with incredible wildlife
From
AU $1795
10 days
ex flights
Perth to Adelaide tour, Australia
The ultimate swag camping adventure across the Nullarbor
From
AU $1645
9 days
ex flights
Eyre Peninsula tours in South Australia
Australia's Ultimate "Bucket List" of Wildlife Encounters!
From
AU $940
6 days
ex flights
3 day tour of Port Lincoln and Coffin Bay, Australia
Wildlife and landscapes with focus on seafood and wine.
From
AU $2125
3 days
ex flights
Adventure tour of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Discover amazing scenery and wildlife on the Eyre Peninsula
From
AU $2125
3 days
ex flights
Southern Australia & Tasmania tailor made holiday
See Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia, tailor made
From
£6450
15 days
ex flights
Southern Australia tour, Melbourne to Adelaide
Discover Beautiful Australia on this Southern Route
From
£1595
9 days
ex flights
Adelaide to Melbourne 3 day tour, Australia
Max 8 passengers, relaxed pace, great food and accommodation
From
AU $1545
3 days
ex flights
Things to do in South Australia
Exploring the wilderness
The main reason people come to South Australia is to get outdoors, with small group and tailor made trips offering you the chance to drink in big skies and plentiful wildlife. High up on the list are the Flinders Ranges. Some 450km north of state capital Adelaide and over 600 million years old, these reddish brown peaks and escarpments were once higher than the Himalayas and include the incredible natural amphitheatre of Wilpena Pound. The Flinders Ranges were once used by the Adnyamathanha peoples for their red ochre deposits, which they used in medicines and cultural practices, and today, sacred caves, rock paintings and carvings can be found throughout the region. It’s also home to a variety of wildlife; you’ll see emus and wallabies wandering the landscape and wedge-tailed eagles soaring through the skies.A rugged coastal area backed by the Flinders Ranges, the triangular Eyre Peninsula is rich in beauty but low in tourist numbers. While it stretches all the way into the outback, it’s best known for its bays and beach towns, where you’ll be able to sample the local seafood, which includes excellent oysters, tuna and whiting. It’s also one of the world’s best places to encounter marine life. You can choose to join an excursion to swim with sea lions and dolphins, or – if you’re of a more adventurous bent – opt to go cage diving with great white sharks.
13km off Cape Jervis, about a three-hour journey from Adelaide by road and ferry, Kangaroo Island has 450km of beautiful coastline and is the best place Down Under to see these bouncing marsupials in the wild. Around half of the island is either natural bushland or national park and it’s packed full of wildlife - kangaroos and koalas frolic in the interior while penguins, fur seals, sea lions and – at certain times of year – southern right whales, can all be seen along the coast.
Sleeping in the open
Many tours in this region up the ante on the wilderness front by making camping an integral part of your journey. After a busy day exploring the wilds, you’ll bed down in swags, in true Aussie bushman style, and evenings will be spent around the campfire, with stars puncturing the skies above and koalas keeping you company in the surrounding trees. On such trips you’ll either be bush camping with no facilities or staying in simple campsites with basic facilities.Road trips in South Australia
The vast open landscapes of South Australia make it a perfect place for a road trip, whether you’re on a small group tour travelling in an air conditioned minibus or taking the wheel yourself on a self drive holiday. You’ll travel for between anything from three to 15 days and in most cases, you’ll cross state lines, heading west to Perth across the barren Nullabor, for example, driving east along the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne, or heading north to the dramatic monolith of Uluru. You could even combine a self drive trip with a few days spent in Tasmania or divide your time between the roads and the iconic Ghan train.Our top Australia Holiday
Australia holidays, tailor made
Explore 3 very different states of Australia
From
£15250
22 days
inc UK flights
Tailor made:
Available all year. This suggested itinerary can be modified entirely to your personal wishes including departure date, duration, accommodation used and how long you spend in each destination
Available all year. This suggested itinerary can be modified entirely to your personal wishes including departure date, duration, accommodation used and how long you spend in each destination
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Australia or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
Food & drink
South Australia is home to 16 official wine regions, including the world-famous Barossa, which dates back to the 19th century and is known for its Shiraz, the Adelaide Hills, which is known for its Sauvignon Blanc, and the Coonawarra, which produces stellar reds and is dubbed the ‘Bordeaux of Australia’.
The Eyre Peninsula, meanwhile, caters to seafood lovers with aplomb and is the kind of place where you can eat seafood with your fingers on the beach, or with linens and fine china in a fancy restaurant. If you’re up for it, you can even harvest your own oysters in the charming seaside town of Coffin Bay.
City living
A trip to South Australia isn’t all about the wild. Most trips will start in Adelaide, giving you time to explore this elegant and cultured city. Dubbed the ‘City of Churches’ since the 1800s, due to the diversity of faiths within its ranks, these days Adelaide is more famous for its diverse restaurants as well as its lively art and music scene. For an entirely different city experience, Coober Pedy, a popular stop on the way up to the Red Centre, is the largest opal-mining town in the world. It’s a place where the landscapes and temperatures are so harsh that many homes have been built underground.More about Australia
Follow our straightforward temperature and rainfall chart to help you discover the best time to visit Australia; and see our pick of the cultural calendar.
Put down your camera, throw out your Neighbours box set and let our Australia travel guide lead you on an adventure that will become as much a part of who you are as where you go next.
Our Australia map and itineraries page takes you from Kakadu National Park to Tasmania with the Kimberley, Uluru and Kangaroo Island in between.
There are just so many things to do in Australia that this page deserves to be an entire travel guide in its own right.
Self drive tours of Tasmania; skimming over the Great Barrier Reef; whatever independent travel in Australia you’re looking to achieve, we can help.
At just over 300km both ways, Tasmania is like a pop-up book when you delve into it.
The country’s most populous state is where many people begin their Aussie odyssey, touching down in vibrant Sydney.
Australia’s Northern Territory is all about the great outdoors: the landscape here is big, bold and beautiful.
Queensland is Australia’s tropical treasure trove, where glorious coral reefs lie offshore and ancient rainforests throng with life.
Find out how to get around Australia, what to pack and where and what to eat as you read advice and tips from our friends.
There are two major responsible tourism issues in Australia which need to be highlighted.
Find all of our Australia guides in one place, including guides for different areas such as the Great Barrier Reef, Tasmania or the Great Ocean Road.
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: Heather] [Top box (Adelaide Hills): Dan O'Cker]
[Kangaroo Island: Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble]
[Food & drink (wine, Barossa): Chris Fithall]
Back to the top
- Recently viewed
