So, touring South Australia is on your radar. This state sits quietly between Western Australia and Victoria and unfortunately is not always visited on people’s travels around Australia. So I’ve written this post, with the help of other fellow Australia-loving travel bloggers, to highlight some of the must visit places in South Australia, particularly when you are going on a road trip around the state or including it in your big lap of Oz.
From the capital city Adelaide to the some of the best wine regions in Australia to the outback areas, this state is well worth a visit. Are you ready to discover South Australia now. Let’s kick a visit to SA off with time spent in the capital of South Australia, Adelaide.
Table of Contents
Adelaide
Must visit place in South Australia of Sharyn

view over Adelaide from Lights Vision
Adelaide, known as the city of churches is the capital city of South Australia. And definitely worth a visit on any South Australia holiday. Most who are visiting the state on a road trip will spend at least up to 7 days discovering Adelaide city and surrounds. Adelaide is an easy city to get around. Often referred to as the ’20 minute city’ for its ease to get around it. Some of the best places to visit on any trip to Adelaide include the Adelaide Oval. It dominates the skyline and is a social hub of Adelaide with plenty of events including sport being held there. Then there is Rundell Mall to see the Mall’s balls and to shop till you drop.
One thing I recommend you do as I really enjoyed it, was riding Adelaide’s free buses. They aren’t tourist buses persay, but if you hop on Route 98 it takes you through the city and into the gorgeous suburb of North Adelaide. This suburb is one of the oldest in Adelaide. You will see many beautiful old sandstone buildings of varying sizes. While riding this route, I would suggest you do a full loop first to get to know Adelaide. Then, one of the first places to hop off the bus is at Light’s Vision. Light’s Vision is a lookout on Montefiore Hill, North Adelaide. Colonel William Light was responsible for surveying the site of the City of Adelaide. He would stand on the hill looking out over the land to create what has become Adelaide. A visit here will show you views over parks, Adelaide Oval and Adelaide city.
After discovering Adelaide, you can use it as a base to visit places located outside of the city. Places to go include taking a tram to Glenelg and sit beside the seaside. Drive to Hahndorf and discover there is a German town in South Australia. Also drive to the top of Mount Lofty for great views over Adelaide.
Where to Stay in Adelaide – book accommodation for your stay in Adelaide.
Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden, Port Augusta
Favourite place of Emma @ Small Footprints, Big Adventures

inside Arid Lands Botanic Garden
The Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden opened in 1996 in Port Augusta, and it’s an educational and beautiful place to stop on a road trip in SA. The gardens feature three different conservation zones, including a coastal region as it’s located so close to the sea. There are also regional and special interest collections showing the diverse range of plants that thrive in arid conditions, as well as AridSmart display gardens, and an excellent children’s garden for little ones to play in. And you will see some wildlife while exploring the gardens! We’ve spotted kangaroos, a stumpy-tail lizard, and a huge range of birds on our visits.
The café at the Botanic Garden has a good range of meals and snacks, many of which incorporate traditional bush foods, such as lemon myrtle pancakes, wattle-seed ice-cream, and native herb damper with quandong chutney. They can cater for dietary requirements, and to drink there are regional wines on offer as well as beers and ciders, milkshakes, and a large range of teas and coffees. And the gift shop has native foods, interesting books, locally-made jewellery, clothing, and AridSmart plants for sale, which can be posted to most other states.
The Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden is free to visit and is wheelchair accessible. You can explore at your own pace or take a guided tour at 10am on weekdays, for a small fee.
Flinders Ranges
Favourite place of Maja @ Away with Maja

Flinders Ranges
One of the most spectacular places to visit in South Australia is the Flinders Ranges – the largest mountain range in the state. This area is a paradise for hikers, full of walks for every ability, and gives visitors a unique outback experience. Plan at least three or four days in the Flinders Ranges. But it’d be better if you had five to seven days – or even more than a week!
Avoid the hot summer season, as the heat will make hiking very difficult. April to October is the best time to visit the Flinders Ranges, when the weather is cooler. Dutchmans Stern (11km/3-4 hours) and Devil’s Peak (3km/1.5-2 hours) are two unmissable hikes near Quorn. Spot plane wreckage on the trail up to Mount Remarkable (15km/4-5 hours), and do the short walk through Alligator Gorge (4km/1-1.5 hours). Arkaroo Rock (3km/1-1.5 hours) is accessed on a short hike – the Aboriginal artwork on the rocks is a real highlight of the area. Rawnsley Bluff (11km/4-6 hours), Mount Ohlssen Bagge (6-7km/3-4 hours), and St. Mary Peak (15-22km/6-9 hours) are other challenging day hikes in the area.
There are a number of places to stay in the Flinders Ranges, but basing yourself near Quorn or Melrose for the southern hikes is most convenient. To immerse yourself in the outback, book a stay at Wilpena Pound Resort or Ranwsley Park Station – both have a range of accommodation to suit every budget.
Barossa Valley
Favourite wine region in SA of Sharyn @ LiveWorkPlayTravel

I can taste the wine already!
One of the things I love the most about visiting South Australia is the wine. And South Australia has some world-class wine areas including McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley. You will find the Barossa Valley north-east of Adelaide only an hour or so away. If you plan on sampling the wine on your visit I suggest you go on an organised day tour to avoid driving under the influence as it’s hard not to indulge.
The area is home to an array of high profile wineries. There are some 90 cellar doors to explore that offer tours and cellar door tastings. Shiraz grapes being the local speciality. As well as great wineries to visit there are small towns with stone cottages and Lutheran churches being a great testament to German settlers in the 19th century. And there are loads of great places to eat – mostly at the wineries and in the small towns. Try not to miss a visit to Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop.
Suggested tours to Barossa Valley from Adelaide
Barossa Valley – Full day visit with lunch.
Maggie Beer Farm Shop with wine tasting and cheese platter.
Kangaroo Island
Favourite place to visit in SA of Lanie @ Let’s Make More Adventures

Tourists exploring Remarkable Rocks at Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island
Drive on to the ferry to Kangaroo Island and continue your road trip through South Australia.
Kangaroo Island is an island off the coast of South Australia and is reachable by a 45-minute ferry ride from Cape Jervis. You can bring your car on the ferry, or come over as a passenger and rent a car once on the island.
White you can see much of Kangaroo Island in 3 days, you will be rushed, so I recommend spending 5 days on the island if possible to see all the best things to do.
Most of the lodging options are on the east side of the island, but make sure you get over to Flinders Chase National Park on the west side of Kangaroo Island. Check out Remarkable Rocks and Admiral Arch at the park, where you can see seals in their natural habitat.
Kelly Hill Caves, not far from Flinders Chase, has a tour that includes a light show inside the cave.
Beaches surround the island. You can spend a day or two driving to different beaches and exploring the shore on Kangaroo Island. If you want to swim, but not necessarily on the beach, jump into Kingscote Tidal Pool.
Kangaroo Island also has many businesses that offer tours including a eucalyptus oil farm, a wool experience, and honey bee factory tours
Of course, there are many kangaroos on Kangaroo Island, so drive carefully, especially around dawn and dusk. Other animals you may be able to see include koalas, seals, echidna, and penguins.
Don’t forget about Kangaroo Island on your South Australia road trip. While you can not drive the whole way there, it is easy to take your car along on the ferry so you can continue your road trip on the island.
Coorong National Park
Favourite spot to visit in South Australia of Sharyn

sand for miles and miles
What surprised me the most about visiting the Coorong National Park was the miles and miles of golden sand being lapped by a beautiful blue ocean. In fact the Coorong NP or The Coorong as it is commonly known stretches some 194km (121 miles). And is located on the outer side of the Younghusband Peninsula. It is separated from the Southern Ocean by sand dunes and windswept beaches.
If you are a fisherman you will be in paradise here. Some of the native species include Golden Perch, Mulloway and Yellow-eye mullet. Bird lovers will also be in paradise with plenty of Great Crested Terns, Singing Honeyeaters and Pelicans to see. In fact it is the place the movies Storm Boy (1976 and 2019) were filmed. If you don’t know the story, the movies are about a young boy who raises an orphaned pelican. While 4WD enthusiasts will love driving along the beach and camping.
Whatever your passion, a visit to the Coorong National Park of a few days is a wonderful addition to any road trip in South Australia.
Coober Pedy
Wonderful place to visit in SA of Lanie @ Let’s Make More Adventures

The Breakaways, located in Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park, are a must see when traveling to Coober Pedy
If you are looking for somewhere extremely unique on your South Australia road trip, visiting Coober Pedy is a must.
Slightly less than 9 hours from Adelaide, the drive to Coober Pedy takes you through the Australian Outback, past pink lakes, and to a town built mostly underground.
Coober Pedy is the “opal capital of the world”, and opal mining is what they do. You can get in on the adventure, or go to one of the many shops in town to purchase opal jewelry.
Temperatures in Coober Pedy are often in the 30s and 40s during the day. Due to the high temperatures, many homes, churches, hotels, and businesses are built into the ground called “dugouts.”
Dugouts keep cool, no matter the temperature outside. They do not need air conditioning.
When visiting Coober Pedy on a road trip, it is fun to stay in one of its unique hotels or campsites. Depending on what you want to see, 3 days is a good amount of time to spend in Coober Pedy.
Be sure to visit The Breakaways, which is 25 kilometers from town. The Breakaways are colorful hills that have broken away and now make up an extraordinary landscape that sometimes makes you feel like you are on Mars.
More fun things to do in Coober Pedy include touring an underground mine, visiting an underground church, and checking out the “big” items around town.
Coober Pedy is made for road trips and has everything you need to make it a fun and off-the-beaten-path adventure. While you may feel like you are on another planet, they have grocery stores, restaurants, shops, and touristy activities to keep you busy.
The Nullarbor
Favourite South Australian Road Trip of Ann @ The Road is Life

Always good to stop at the Nullabor Roadhouse
The vast expanse of the Nullarbor Plain stretches out over 1200km between the small towns of Ceduna, South Australia, and Norseman, Western Australia. Making the epic journey across the Nullarbor is one of the most famous drives in Australia. And that most people complete as part of a Perth to Adelaide road trip.
This flat, endless stretch of land features unique landmarks and scenery like no other Australian road trip. The latin name ‘Nullus Arbor’ laterally translates to ‘no trees’ so you can expect an arid, dry and treeless landscape as far as the eye can see. You will feel a sense of freedom and solitude while driving through this uninhabited terrain, completely disconnected from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Some of the highlights of the drive include stopping at the iconic Nullarbor Roadhouse, taking in the dramatic landscape of the Bunda Cliffs, driving the official longest, straightest road in Australia and camping under the stars along the way. Another bucket list activity on this drive is whale watching from the cliff tops at the ‘Head of the Bight’ lookout. Whale season runs from June – October.
The drive across the Nullarbor Plain typically takes around 2 to 3 days, depending on your pace and desired stops. Camping along the way is all part of the fun. Be sure to spend at least one night camping near the Bunda Cliffs for a memorable experience! Keep in mind that services are scarce along the way. So be sure to pack plenty of water/food and plan your fuel stops ahead of time.
Are You Ready to Discover South Australia Now?

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