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SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Although it shares boundaries with each of the mainland states, South Australia has a character distinctly its own with gently rolling countryside, century-old stone mansions, and award-winning wines. Magnificent beaches along with the Mighty Murray River, the colorful Flinders Ranges, and the vast Outback typify Australia's driest state.
ADELAIDE
Adelaide, the state capital, is one of Australia's best-planned cities.
Laid out in a straightforward grid pattern,  Adelaide
is flat and compact and easy to get around in. Beautifully manicured parks
and squares are interspersed throughout the city, catering to the many
pedestrians who explore Adelaide on foot. The relaxed pace of this gracious
city, however, comes alive several times a year for special events. The
International Horse Trials, held each October or November, are a prestigious
three-day event, and the highly acclaimed Adelaide Arts Festival (and
accompanying Fringe Festival), hosted at the Festival Center every other
year, epitomize the city's cultural spirit.
The Adelaide Hills, with their stately homes and giant gum trees, flank
the city and are just a 20-minute drive away. The country atmosphere and
natural beauty of the hills attracts visitors to the many tiny towns tucked
into the valleys or perched on hillsides with splendid views of the city.
THE VALLEYS
Just an hour's drive northeast of Adelaide is the most famous of  Australia's
wine districts. The Barossa Valley is responsible for producing 25% of
Australia's wine. Settled in 1842 by immigrants of Prussia and Silesia,
the area's rich Germanic heritage is particularly evident in its vineyards,
churches, restaurants and bakeries. Wander the streets of Tanunda, the
heart of the Barossa, and discover some of the region's traditional architecture.
Or go hot-air ballooning or bicycling to view the rolling green vineyards,
small towns and country churches that dot the valley.
Just north of the Barossa Valley is the Clare Valley, one of the most
picturesque areas in the state and home to a number of award-winning boutique
wineries. South of the town of Clare is the Jesuit's Sevenhills Cellars,
the oldest winery in South Australia. Nearby Burra is a historical treasure,
steeped in the history of the early copper mines and surrounded by sheep-grazing
country.
THE SOUTHEAST REGION
The Southeast region of the state is one of South Australia's most productive
pastoral areas. The town of Mt. Gambier, built on the side of a volcano,
is known for its unusual crater lakes -- most notably Blue Lake, which
changes colors according to season. The towns of Robe and Coonawarra,
in the southeast are both good halfway points on the road from Adelaide
to Melbourne. Coonawarra (aboriginal for Honeysuckle) is a well-known
wine producing region and the lush fruit district produces some of the
best red wines in Australia. Robe, which is reminiscent of a Mediterranean
fishing village, is a charming old seaport town and one of South Australia's
earliest settlements.
The Fleurieu Peninsula, an hour's drive south of Adelaide, is considered
South Australia's holiday playground. Sun lovers, in particular, appreciate
the string of magnificent surf and swimming beaches with many popular
water sports available. Victor Harbor, once a whaling port, is a popular
coastal resort, and around the headland, Port Elliot offers powerful surf
and fine views along the coast. Close to the sea is McLaren Vale, the
historical heart of the area's wine region. With more than fifty small
wineries, many of them family owned, scattered throughout the hills and
vales, this area is fast becoming a popular boutique wine region.
KANGAROO ISLAND
One of Australia's best-kept secrets is Kangaroo Island. Located about
70 miles southwest of Adelaide, the island
is a wonderful wildlife habitat and home to one of Australia's largest
sea lion colonies. Long established as a farming community, Kangaroo Island
is best visited in spring, summer or autumn when the koalas, kangaroos
and wallabies can be seen in Flinders Chase National Park.
The Mighty Murray River, Australia's greatest river, was once the watery
corridor of transport for an expanding pioneer colony. Today it is the
lifeblood of a thriving wine and fruit industry that flourishes under
year-round sunshine. But the Mighty Murray is also an aquatic playground,
offering a plethora of water sports.
During the summer months, the state's nearly 25 hundred miles of coastline
attracts water enthusiasts from around the country. From the Yorke Peninsula,
where golden plains of barley crops give way to secluded coves and rocky
headlands, to the surf beaches and striking coastal scenery of the Eyre
Peninsula, both regions are popular resort areas with magnificent beaches
that offer excellent swimming, surfing, fishing and sailing.
One of Australia's most remarkable mountain ranges is  the
rugged Flinders Range, with its colorful cliffs, granite peaks, sharp
ridges and deep ochre gorges. Beyond the Flinders Range, is South Australia's
arid, and sometimes desolate, Outback. A large part of the world's opal
is found in this region, particularly at Coober Pedy, a frontier-like
town famous for its fine opals and unique underground houses and churches.
Perhaps the legendary Birdsville Track best epitomizes the state's Outback.
The 310-mile track runs between Marree and Birdsville and is characterized
as the driest, most desolate road in all of Australia. But it's exactly
the freedom that comes from traveling the open road that captures the
imagination. It's seeing nothing but the natural world on the horizon
and following the footsteps of explorers and cattlemen from bygone years
that opens the heart towards South Australia's many surprises.
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