In recent years, South Australia have come out from a bizarre reputation as home to serial killers and churches. You can experience gourmet food and city tour in Adelaide, taste world class wines in the Clare Valley and Barossa Valley, Australian outback in Fliders Ranges, spectacular white sand beaches and astonishing marine life in Eyre Peninsula.

Stunning beauty, protected in nature reserves and Natural sanctuary in Kangaroo Island will melt you down. How about visiting the Fleurieu Peninsula for breathtaking and most beautiful coastline or checking out cool underground houses in Coober Pedy.

I have covered 11 things to do in South Australia that offers stunning coastline, stark desert, premium wineries, great Australian outback, impressive natural beauty and many more.

Adelaide

Adelaide is the fifth largest city of Australia and South Australia’s capital. This city is has plenty on offer to keep you entertained. The Adelaide region is known for producing some of Australia’s best vintages and gourmet foods, museums, scenic beauty, gardens and festivals.

River Torrens flows 85 kilometres from the Adelaide Hills and splitting the central city from Adelaide north. You can go for a morning run or simply sit and enjoy the beautiful view.

Adelaide is one of the cheap holiday destinations and has its own interesting character and an array of attractions such as Adelaide zoo for a family with kids, Botanicals garden, Rundle Mall and many places to visit that will blow you away.

Barossa Valley

Whoever visits the Barossa Valley goes for either romantic getaways or both premium wine and renowned culinary experiences.

Visitors love to visit the brewery to get a unique experience of locally produced craft beer using the fleshiest ingredients such as smoked malt, cherries and so on. Don’t worry if you are not a wine or beer lover, Barossa Valley has plenty to offer other than wine experience.

Visiting the very unique and strange attraction called the Whispering Wall is a must. Two people can stand at each end of the wall with a minimum distance of 100 meters and still you can hear clearly each other’s voices.

You can take a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Barossa Valley. You can see the whole valley from Menglers Hill Lookout and a short walk from there, you can visit the Barossa Sculpture Park.

The Barossa Valley Farmer’s Market is held every Saturday morning where locally produced fresh fruit, vegetables, honey, pastry, finest cheese and so on can be bought.

Flinders Ranges

Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range stretching over 430 km in South Australia. The beauty of the South Australian Outback, rocky gorges of the Flinders Ranges add an ancient silhouette to the landscape.

The Flinders Ranges are about 428 kilometres away from the CBD of Adelaide which is around five hour road trip. It’s a place rich in Aboriginal history, sacred caves and home of native animals, surrounded by ancient mountain ranges.

Plenty of activities you can do such as one of the best hiking trails, to remarkable Aboriginal rock art, ride Australia’s best known steam train, exceptionally beautiful gorges you can drive through and you can spot an abundance of native animals and lastly don’t miss out exceptionally beautiful sunrise.

Eyre Peninsula

The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula, bounded on the west by the Great Australian Bight, Spencer Gulf in the east and Gawler Ranges in the north.

Eyre Peninsula got its name from the Edward John Eyre, an explorer who explored parts of the peninsula from 1839 to 1841. The best place to enjoy seafood as a variety of seafood species are found at the Eyre Peninsula and that’s the reason it is considered the “seafood frontier”.

Eyre Peninsula has a natural beauty that offers you stunning white sand beaches and amazing marine life and it’s a paradise for adventure seekers.

Eyre Peninsula is also famous for its natural heritage attractions, national parks and conservation parks and most breathtaking coastal scenery in Australia.

Enjoy wildlife experiences such as shark cage dive tours, snorkel with Australian sea lions and whale watching.

Kangaroo Island

Planning a trip to Kangaroo Island? If yes, then there are plenty of reasons you should visit Kangaroo Island. Kangaroo Island is a natural sanctuary, protected in nature reserves and home of native wildlife.

Spot not only kangaroos but also koalas, echidnas, wallabies and diverse bird species and it will be a once in lifetime wildlife experience.

You will be amazed to see best beaches, enjoy swimming in crystal clear water and discover extraordinary natural monuments in dense native forest. Make sure you visit the Remarkable Rocks, this natural rock was formed over 500 million years ago.

Fleurieu Peninsula

The Fleurieu Peninsula offers some of the pristine beaches and renowned wine experience, natural landscape and seascape of the region. For wine lovers, there are plenty of options to choose from as this region is famous for its locally produced wine.

Apart from wineries, the Fleurieu Peninsula is known for its breathtaking and most beautiful coastline. For fishing, swimming and sailing you can visit the coastal towns of Port Elliot, Port Willunga, Victor Harbor, all these places are best for water activities.

You can spot not only whales but sea lions and seals also in this region and enjoy the Cockle train which is Australia’s oldest steam train.

Coober Pedy

The weird thing about Coober Pedy is that many Australians even don’t know where it is. Coober Pedy is a town which is also referred to as the “opal capital of the world” is on the Stuart Highway around 848 km from Adelaide.

You will be amazed to know that to save themselves from really hot summer, more than half of the town’s families built their houses underground and interestingly throughout the year, the temperature inside those underground houses are maintained 23 to 25 degrees C.

You won’t believe but it’s true that not only houses but also churches, art galleries and award winning hotel Desert Cave Hotel are also underground. Gorgeous sunset and sunrise, sculptures all over town, colourful landscape will blow your imagination.

You have plenty of places to visit in Coober Pedy. Some of the highlights are to learn about the history of Coober Pedy, Umoona Mine & Museum which offers you to see underground houses, last surviving drive in theatre, golf course which has no grass, guided tour or own (only permitted place )for noodling which means sifting for small pieces of precious opal.

Due to all these reasons, Coober Pedy is one of the unique outbacks you will ever see in Australia.

Murray River

Due to the diverse experiences it can offer, Murry River is perfect for everyone from young to old. Murray River has a wide range of activities and entertainment which you will never find it anywhere else.

You can enjoy camping, fishing, boating, gourmet food and premium wine in restaurants, family fun, learn history and the list goes on and on. You can get the best and lifetime Canoeing, Kayaking experience at the river.

Visit Monarto Zoo to keep your kids entertained or if you are looking for family fun then visit Monash Adventure Park. This adventure park is designed for both kids and adults have activities such as wave bridge, flying fox, huge maze and many more. The best part is free electric barbecues and picnic facilities at the park to enjoy a great time with family.

Mount Gambier, Limestone Coast

Mount Gambier is South Australia’s most popular destination located halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide. Mount Gambier is nestled on an inactive volcano also famous for sinkhole gardens and offers plenty of scenic spots to explore.

Blue lake is one of the most visited and attracts thousands of tourists to Mount Gambier. One of the unique traits about this lake is that its water colour changes from blue to steel grey in the various seasons.

In 1886, the roof of the limestone cave collapsed giving rise to a vast hole that James Umpherston converted to a beautiful garden and it is now known as the Umpherston sinkhole.

This unique garden is open every day and you can spot and take pictures of possums. You can take a tour of Engelbrecht Caves, enjoy the light show in Cave Gardens, pick up fresh and locally produced food from the farmers market.

You can also enjoy the great view from Centenary Tower or adventure seekers can enjoy Mountain Trail/the Valley Lake Loop.

Clare Valley

Clare Valley is one of the very famous and popular wine regions of South Australia. It is a heaven for wine lovers and it’s also home to over 30 cellar doors.

Have you ever heard or seen a picture of the pink lake? You must be thinking either it’s fake or photoshopped but Lake Bumbunga is located in Lochiel and it got its colour due to the presence of salt-loving algae and pink bacteria.

Thousands of visitors come to enjoy this magnificent and unique pink lake. Enjoy the beautiful sunset at The Spring Gully Conservation Park and look out for waterfalls in the Cascades Walking Trail.

Families with kids can enjoy and have fun at Mintaro Maze which is made from 800 conifers plants. Bicycle riders can enjoy a ride in Riesling Trail and some of the best food you can enjoy in Clare Valley.

Robe South Australia

Robe is found between Adelaide (around 340 Kilometres away) and Melbourne (around 530 Kilometres away) in South Australia. It lies less than 2 hours from Mount Gambier, this lime coast and lively coastal village have a significant history.

Robe’s unique mixture of the historical buildings, beautiful lakes, incredible beaches, dense bush, and big commercial vessels for fishing is widely appreciated.

a lot of visitors bring their furry friends to this tiny village as Robe South Australia has some cool dog friendly sites.

Summary of 11 Things to do in South Australia

• Adelaide :- The Adelaide region is known for producing some of Australia’s best vintages and gourmet foods, museums, scenic beauty, gardens and festivals.
• Barossa Valley :- Whoever visits the Barossa Valley goes for either or both premium wine and renowned culinary experiences.
• Flinders Ranges :- It’s a place rich in Aboriginal history, sacred caves and home of native animals, surrounded by ancient mountain ranges.
• Eyre Peninsula :- Eyre Peninsula has a natural beauty that offers you stunning white sand beaches and amazing marine life and it’s a paradise for adventure seekers.
• Kangaroo Island :- Kangaroo Island is a natural sanctuary, protected in nature reserves and home of native wildlife.
• Fleurieu Peninsula :- The Fleurieu Peninsula offers some of the pristine beaches and renowned wine experience, natural landscape and seascape of the region.
• Coober Pedy :- In Coober Pedy not only houses but also churches, art galleries and award winning hotel Desert Cave Hotel are also underground.
• Murray River :- You can enjoy camping, fishing, boating, gourmet food and premium wine in restaurants, family fun, learn history and the list goes on and on.
• Mount Gambier :- Mount Gambier is nestled on an inactive volcano also famous for sinkhole gardens and offers plenty of scenic spots to explore.
• Clare Valley : – Clare Valley is one of the very famous and popular wine regions of South Australia. It is a heaven for wine lovers and it’s also home to over 30 cellar doors.
• Robe South Australia :- Robe’s unique mixture of the historical buildings, beautiful lakes, incredible beaches, dense bush, and big commercial vessels for fishing is widely appreciated.