Things to Do in South Australia

McLaren Vale is an area just outside Adelaide towards the coast which is renowned for the wine it produces. With 76 cellar doors to visit, it's worth spending at least a day exploring, if not a weekend. And it's not just wine, the local foodies are passionate about what their kitchens produce.

When you've eaten and sipped your fill, there are many other things to do including bushwalking, heading to the surf beach, following the Art Trail, going fishing, horse-riding, cycling or just sitting on a cliff watching the sunset.

The highest point in the aptly named Mt Lofty Ranges, Mt Lofty is a luxurious place to get sweeping views of Adelaide and out onto the Indian Ocean.

The views aren’t all there is to Mt Lofty. A comprehensive visitors centre, shop, and fully licensed café are situated on the mountain’s summit, giving visitors information on the area, a place to shop for souvenirs and a beautiful place to eat lunch.

Mt Lofty isn’t just about views – even if you can see all the way out to Kangaroo Island on a clear day. Though only a short drive from the CBD, the area around Mt Lofty is covered by bushland. Mt Lofty is surrounded by the Cleland Conservation Park on one side, and hosts its own botanic garden in which visitors can see a host of native Australian plants and the wide variety of birdlife that is drawn to them.

Getting off the summit, hiking and mountain biking are popular ways to take advantage of the mountain’s relative wilderness. The 8km Waterfall Gully loop is one of the most popular walks – though with a fair amount of ups and downs it’s not for the faint-hearted. A loop of the 1,200km Heysen Track takes hikers from the base of the mountain to the summit over a much more manageable 8km. Downhill biking is a much less strenuous way to enjoy the mountain and cycle all the way back into the city centre.

The commercial hub of Kangaroo Island, Kingscote is the oldest European settlement in South Australia. It serves as the tourism gateway for the island, providing accommodation, multiple attractions and a comprehensive tourist centre.

The island was first settled in 1836, serving as the capital of South Australia for four years until the trails of the island necessitated the capital’s move to Adelaide. Kingscote is now home to 1800 residents, and the town is rich in history.

To the north of the main town lies Reeves Point. The initial location for Kingscote, historical features include a 177 year old mulberry tree planted by the original settlers, the settlers’ cemetery and the Hope Museum – housed in one of the first built cottages on the island. The mermaid statue of the Aurora Ozone Seafront Hotel has been a feature of the foreshore since 1907.

Sitting on the shore of the Nepean Bay, Kingscote is surrounded by sandstone cliffs populated by a colony of Little Penguins. Tours run after dusk are a popular way to see the penguins return from their day’s fishing. The extensive wharf and jetty provides excellent fishing, most commonly yielding garfish, Australian herring, King George whiting and snook.

Australia is known for its excellent wine and South Australia has always been at the heart of this thriving industry. But how do all those grapes you see growing as you drive by end up in your glass and tasting so delicious? The National Wine Center of Australia aims to explain that. In an impressive architecturally-designed building overlooking the Botanic Gardens, you can take the Wine Discovery Experience and have an interactive lesson in wine-making. Don't know your Shiraz from your Merlot? There are courses in wine appreciation: impress your friends with your knowledge of grape varieties and wine styles.

If just enjoying the stuff with good food is more your style, head for the Concourse Cafe and taste and purchase the wines you try with your meal. After, stroll through the center's own vineyard and appreciate just what a high tech business wine-making has become.

For a taste of new-world Adelaide, travelers make a stop at Rundle Mall. But for a look at the city’s historic past and contemporary culture there is no place better than North Terrace. The mile-long avenue passes by the art center, parliament house, national library, university and Botanical Gardens, as well as an iconic church from 1838 and a restored 1920s railway station. Large grassy fields and tall shade trees provide the perfect resting place for an afternoon picnic, while a number of pubs mean travelers are always within reach of a cold, refreshing drink.

Since 1844, Penfolds Barossa Valley Winery has been offering travelers access to a wide variety of wines, luscious tastings and idyllic vineyard views. And while strong pours of favorite vintages are a treat for visitors, it’s the Make Your Own Blend Tour that lends this age-old vineyard the air of something new. After touring the grounds and exploring the Cellar Door, travelers enter the winemakers’ laboratory and use popular grapes, like Grenache and Shiraz, to blend their own wines to bottle and take home.

The mighty Murray River as it is known, is the longest river in Australia, rising in the alps of the Great Dividing Range, and forming the border between Victoria and New South Wales before entering South Australia and finally emptying into the Indian or Southern Ocean. It is 1,476 miles (2,375km) long and passes through several lakes, some of them now quite salty due to drought and the intensive farming all along the river's length. It is significant within the mythologies of the Indigenous people of Australia.

Once a major route for trading, it is now a favourite place for recreational boating and fishing, but the river is in danger from salinity and drought. In recent years it has carried less than 40% of its natural flow. Near the river's mouth in South Australia is a beautiful lagoon area called The Coorong, a national park and sanctuary for birds, animals and fish. Nearby is Lake Alexandrina, a fresh water lake where Hindmarsh Island has salt water from the sea on one side and fresh from the lake on the other. 

500 million year old granite has been shaped by the elements to create the intriguing formations that are the Remarkable Rocks.

Perched on a large granite dome that drops abruptly to the crashing surf, the Remarkable Rocks are changing even today. Information boards display pictures of the rocks from the 1800s alongside current photographs, as well as detailed information on the weathering process.

The Remarkable Rocks have been weathered into strange and unique shapes – many visitors enjoy picking out familiar objects in the formations, such as giant chairs and hooks. Enhancing their beauty are the colours in the granite uncovered as the rocks are worn down – blues, blacks and pinks play across the surface of the rocks.

As well as the Remarkable Rocks themselves, the viewing area offers visitors an unobstructed outlook upon the wild Southern Ocean. Migrating whales can be spotted between May and October, and Cape du Couedic and its Heritage Listed Lightstation can be seen from the Western platform.

The star attraction of Kelly Hill Conservation Park is the extensive network of caves that lie beneath it. With guided tours of the caves, short walks or longer hikes above ground, and views of woodlands and the Southern Ocean, the park is well worth the visit.

Impressive formations of stalactites, stalagmites and more await visitors underground. Discovered when a horse named Kelly fell into one of the caves, the complex is one of the few dry limestone cave networks in Australia. The Kelly Hill Visitor Centre runs frequent guided tours of the caves, or, for the more adventurous, adventure caving. In addition, souvenirs, drinks and snacks are also available from the visitors centre.

As well as the underground attractions, Kelly Hill Conservation Park is home to several short walks around the Visitors Centre. Visitors after a longer trek can undertake the Hanson Bay hike – an 18km return track past lagoons, woodlands and sand dunes.