South Australia attractions

With wind-sculpted coastal cliffs, remote bushland trails, historic lighthouses, and woodlands teeming with wildlife, Flinders Chase National Park is one of Australia’s most diverse wildernesses. Blanketing the western tip of Kangaroo Island, the park is ideal for hiking, animal-spotting, and outdoor activities.

The wildlife of Kangaroo Island isn’t limited to kangaroos and koalas—Clifford’s Honey Farm affords a completely different kind of animal experience. The family-run farm has been producing homemade honey since 1973, and their hives of rare pure-strain Ligurian bees create a tantalizingly sweet honey that has become a staple of Kangaroo Island.

Covering more than 124 acres (50 hectares) between the North Terrace and Botanic Park, the Adelaide Botanic Garden are among the city’s most stunning green spaces. With tree-lined walkways, water lily and lotus ponds, and flower gardens blooming with roses and dahlias, this is an idyllic place for a walking tour.

The National Wine Centre of Australia introduces visitors to Australian wine, with a focus on South Australia. The outer shell of the building resembles wine barrels. Inside, visitors can take a wine discovery journey or an educational class, or indulge in food, a wealth of tastings, and one of the southern hemisphere’s best cellars.

Adelaide Zoo is home to almost 2,500 animals, with around 250 different species from all around the world. Along with Aussie favorites like kangaroos, koalas, and Tasmanian devils, the zoo is famous for its pair of Giant Pandas, Wang Wang and Funi, the only animals of their kind in Australia.

Central Adelaide’s most important square, Victoria Square is known to the Kaurna people as “tarntanyangga” (red kangaroo dreaming). A special-events space and popular lunch spot for local workers, it’s home to statues, lawns, gum trees, and the 1960s Three Rivers Fountain. Nearby landmarks include St. Francis Xavier Cathedral.

Occasionally overshadowed by neighboring Adelaide Oval, the Gothic Revival spires of St. Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide are an architectural landmark. The leading place of worship for the city’s Anglican community, it was built between 1869 and 1911 from local sandstone. English craftsmen contributed much of the stained glass.

One of the oldest buildings in South Australia, Adelaide Gaol is remarkable for its architecture, its history, and—allegedly—its ghosts. During its years of operation, 1841–1988, the jail housed over 300,000 prisoners, 45 of whom were executed on-site. Today it offers an interactive exhibition, a range of food options, and a shop.

With a history dating back more than 150 years, Adelaide Central Market has long been at the center of Adelaide’s foodie scene. It remains one of Australia’s largest covered food markets, with about 80 stalls stacked with fresh, seasonal produce.

Accessible by a dirt road off of Hog’s Bay Road on Kangaroo Island’s southeast coast, remote Pennington Bay is blissfully free of development (there is one lone vacation rental). The crescent-shaped beach is popular among surfers due to consistent swells, while the bay is known for fishing and whale and dolphin spotting.

The 29-mile (46.5-kilometer River Torrens Linear Trail traces the River Torrens (Karrawirra Parri from the Adelaide Hills through Adelaide city and out to Henley Beach. Good for walkers, runners, and cyclists, many sections of the trail can be enjoyed as circuits. Head out along one side of the river then return on the opposite bank.

Powder-soft white sands, gleaming turquoise waters, and rippling waves make Vivonne Bay one of the photographed spots of Kangaroo Island. Throw in some epic sand dunes, magnificent sunsets, and wildlife-watching opportunities, and it’s easy to see how this was once voted Australia’s Best Beach.

Established in 1894, McLaren Vale’s Wirra Wirra Vineyards are a South Australia institution—but one with a sense of fun. Besides the cellar door, deli, and everything you’d expect from a working winery, there’s a giant bell, a medieval siege machine for hurling watermelons, and a Flintstones-style boundary fence known as “Woodhenge”.

Vast wind-sculpted sand dunes stretch out across the horizon just north of Vivonne Bay on the south coast of Kangaroo Island. Nicknamed “Little Sahara,” the dunes tower up to 250 feet (76 meters) high, affording magnificent views across the Great Australian Bight and serving as a natural playground for sandboarding and tobogganing.

Adelaide’s shopping epicenter—Rundle Mall—is home to over 700 retail stores and four department stores, plus food, sculptures, and, often, street performers. The original Rundle Street was an Adelaide shopping favorite as far back as the 1870s and Rundle Mall’s Victorian arcades preserve its historic charm.

Australia’s longest river and a sacred place to indigenous communities, the mighty Murray River winds its way 1,558 miles (2,508 kilometers) through three Australian states. There are multiple ways—both on and off the water—to experience the river that runs through several Victoria towns and past striking South Australia landscapes.

When it comes to Kangaroo Island beaches, many visitors head for the South Coast and never look back. One hour west of Kingscote, however, Stokes Bay is a North Coast outpost whose rugged beauty rivals any spots in the south. There's romance to this remote coastline, where a small campground and a handful of holiday homes are the only developments.

The Art Gallery of South Australia showcases around 45,000 works of art spanning 2,000 years. Expect to see works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and a diverse array of art from around the world, including Rodin bronzes and contemporary pieces. The museum occupies a landmark neoclassical building in the heart of Adelaide.

One of the principal attractions of Adelaide’s Cultural Precinct, the South Australian Museum is devoted to the region’s natural and cultural history. The museum is best known for its impressive collection of Australian Aboriginal cultural items: the largest collection of its kind in the world.

Set on North Terrace, the grand boulevard that forms Adelaide’s cultural heart, the State Library of South Australia (SLSA) occupies three spectacular buildings from different eras. Besides the architectural splendor of the Mortlock Wing, the library offers the full range of reference library resources, as well as exhibitions, free Wi-Fi, and a café.

Home to the Parliament of the state of South Australia, Parliament House is a landmark of downtown Adelaide. Behind grand columns it houses the state’s two legislative chambers: the House of Assembly (lower house) and the Legislative Council (upper house). Designed as early as 1872, it wasn’t completed until 1939.

Telling the stories of the migrants who came from all over the world to make South Australia their home, the Migration Museum provides fascinating insight into Adelaide’s rich history and cultural heritage. With respect for the indigenous people of this region, the museum also illustrates the impact of immigration on native Australians.

Despite its name, American River is a town on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island (not, actually, a river). Set in a sheltered harbor between the ocean and Pelican Lagoon, the location attracts yachties and fishing vessels with its calm waters. For travelers, it’s primarily a base for birdwatching in Pelican Lagoon and exploring further afield on Kangaroo Island.

With over 245 acres (100 hectares) of coastal trails, bushlands, and eucalyptus forests to explore, Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the best places on Kangaroo Island to spot native Australian wildlife. Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, and echidnas are among the possible sightings, all free-roaming within the reserve’s natural habitats.

Founded by the Seppelt family in 1851, this landmark Barossa Valley winery combines heritage vineyards, historic architecture, art, gardens, food, and pretty scenery—including the 2,000-plus Canary Island date palms that line the estate's entrance. Tours, seated tastings, restaurants, and picnicking are among the winery's top activities.

Penfolds is a celebrated name in the wine world, known for high-quality, award-winning wines and a long history in South Australia. Their Barossa Valley Cellar Door tasting room features two experiences: the Barossa Ultimate Tasting and Make Your Own Blend. The latter allows you to make your own creations using Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro grapes—the same ingredients in Penfolds’ own Bin 138.

Established in 1844, Penfolds is perhaps Australia’s defining wine brand, and these Adelaide Hills vineyards are where it all began. Besides cellars, wine-making operations, and tasting rooms, the site is home to the original Grange cottage where the founders lived, an award-winning fine-dining restaurant, and an informal eatery.

Taking its name from the striking granite boulders scattered across it, Granite Island is both a natural wonder and an important cultural site of the Ngarrindjeri and Ramindjeri peoples. Reachable on foot from Victor Harbor, the island is known for its coastal walks, horse-drawn tram rides, and marine life.

Jutting into the ocean south of Adelaide towards pristine Kangaroo Island, the Fleurieu Peninsula offers some of South Australia’s finest produce, including the McLaren Vale wine-growing region. In season, Encounter Bay is one of South Australia’s favorite whale-watching destinations.

A hugely popular hiking (bushwalking in Australian) destination for Adelaideans, Waterfall Gully lies within Cleland National Park just outside the city limits. It’s home to six of the park’s seven waterfalls, including the First Falls, which tumble around 100 feet (30 meters) down a craggy rock face, as well as koalas and the occasional kangaroo.