SOUTH AUSTRALIA
TRAVEL IDEAS
- Adelaide/Barossa Valley, 3 days
- Sealion and Outback, 3 days
- The Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive
CITY MAPS
ADELAIDE EXTENSIONS
- Kangaroo Island, 1 day
- Life's a Beach
- A Night To Remember
- Cultural Experience
- Cooring Discovery Cruise
CLASSIC ITINERARIES
- Classic South Australia, 8 days
OTHER TRAVEL IDEAS
From Adelaide
- Flinders Ranges 4WD, 3 days
- Kangaroo Island, 2 days
- Kangaroo Island in Style, 2 days
- Kangaroo Island, Platinum Style, 3 days
- Murray River Cruise
- Outback Connector 2WD, 6 days
STAY OF DISTINCTION
RAIL JOURNEYS
- The Ghan to Alice Springs & Darwin
- Indian Pacific to Sydney or Perth
- Alice Springs - Coober Pedy and Adelaide
SELF DRIVES
- Gourmet Food & Wine, 6 days
- Adelaide to Darwin 4WD, 16 days
- Outback and Wine, 4 days
HOLIDAYS OF A LIFETIME
- Waltzing Matilda, 25 days
Sturt Desert Pea
South Australia
THE FESTIVAL STATE
South Australia's internationally acclaimed wines are reason enough to visit this southern state, but they're just the tip of the iceberg. Enjoy world-famous festivals, art galleries and museums; drift down the Murray River on a paddle-cruise; watch sea lions at play on Kangaroo Island; relax in the tranquility of Mt Lofty and Flinders Ranges; or head north from Adelaide into the heart of Australia's mysterious outback.
FAST FACTS:
For more fast facts on South Australia, click here!
ORIGIN OF NAME:
First used as part of the South Australian Land Company founded in 1831.
CAPITAL:
Adelaide
FLORAL EMBLEM:
Sturts Desert Pea
FAUNAL EMBLEM:
Hairy Nosed Wombat
GEMSTONE:
Opal
STATE FLAG:
Blue with the Union Jack and the badge of a rising sun containing Australian magpie perched on the branch of a gum tree.
STATE MOTTO:
"United for the common wealth (good)!"
LOCATION:
The State of South Australia is flanked on the West, North and East by common boundaries with all mainland States, and to the south by the Southern Ocean.
AREA:
With a total area of 984,377 km2, South Australia represents one eighth of the area of the Australian continent.
LANDFORM:
South Australia is a land of generally low relief, the inland area being largely covered by plains, sand and gibber deserts. Approximately 50% of the State is less than 150 metres above sea level and over 80% less than 300 metres. Even the dominant mountains, the Mt.Lofty/Flinder Ranges system, nowhere exceed 1200 metres.
POPULATION:
1,497,600 (2000 est)- with the majority of people living in urban Adelaide (65.5%). With the exception of urban Adelaide and Whyalla, no centre has a population of more than 20,000.
Approximately: Urban Adelaide 1,092,900 (2000 est).
CLIMATE:
Warm temperate, with relatively mild nights and cool but not severe winters. This is the driest of the Australian States and Territories with just over 80% of the State receiving an average of less than 250 millimetres of rain annually with most rainfall occurring during the months of May to August.
ADELAIDE:
Adelaide, the Festival City, is widely regarded as the best planned city in Australia. Since the construction in 1970 of a magnificent arts complex on the banks of the Torrens River, Adelaide has been the proud host of a biennial cultural festival that is known throughout the world.
SHOPPING:
With 80 percent of the world's opals mined in South Australia, Adelaide is an outstanding outlet for a wide variety of opal products, including solid gem stones and jewelry. In addition, South Australia is the largest producer of Australian wines, many of which have gained international prominence. The compact nature of the city makes shopping in Adelaide a treat. Most major shopping centres connect with Rundle Mall, a colourful shopping arcade with department stores, shops and specialty boutiques.
