The Top Things to Do in South Australia 2020

One of the major attractions of Kangaroo Island, Seal Bay Conservation Park is the home of the rare Australian Sea Lion. The Conservation Park contains numerous attractions, such as the Bales Bay Picnic Area, which provides the perfect lunch spot with picnic and barbeque areas. A short walk from the Picnic Area is a lookout offering views of Cape Gantheaume where migrating whales can be seen swimming offshore from May through October. A short drive from the Picnic Area is the Bales Bay beach. The true attractions of the park however, are the sea lions. A tour is the best way to learn about the sea lions, and to see them up close. Guides take visitors to the colony, relating information about the sea lions, their behaviour, and their conservation. The Seal Bay Experience tour is run several times a day, allowing visitors to walk among the sea lions and marvel at these amazing animals up close. Be sure to bring a camera to capture every moment!

Covering the Western end of Kangaroo Island, Flinders Chase National Park is one of Australia’s most diverse wildernesses. Boasting an intricate network of trails and boardwalks, the park showcases both natural and historic sights. Popular experiences include visiting the wind sculpted Remarkable Rocks, or the Admirals Arch which stretches over the powerful ocean that shaped it. Also located along the coastline is the Cape Borda Lightstation. Explore by yourself or take a guided tour of the lighthouse and cemetery – the midday tour includes the firing of a restored signal cannon. The Flinders Chase Visitors Centre provides extensive information about the park, including the best places for wildlife viewing. A colony of New-Zealand fur seals lives on the rocks surrounding Admirals Arch. The Breakneck River Hike offers prime bird watching opportunities, whilst the shorter Platypus Waterholes Walk crosses the habitats of platypus, wallabies, geese, echidnas and goannas.

A scenic boardwalk leads to the viewing platform for Admiral’s Arch – the naturally formed rock bridge that towers above colonies of New Zealand fur seals. Originally an ancient cave, Admirals Arch has been shaped by the intense winds and surf that pound the coast of Kangaroo Island. Stalactites still hang from the rocky ceiling whilst the floor has been eroded to a smooth finish. The Arch has been designated a geological monument, and is one of 27 geological monuments on the island. The boardwalk runs along the cliff face, providing uninterrupted views of the ocean. Dolphins can often be spotted, and whales migrate along the coast from May to October. Year round entertainment however, is provided by the colony of fur seals that live and play on the rock platforms beneath the cliff. Pups are born in December, and remain with their mothers for a year, playing in the rock pools under the Arch.

Once farmland, the Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is now a protected area with abundant wildlife. Famous for its conservation of native plants and animals, the sanctuary is the best place on Kangaroo Island to see koalas in the wild. Iconic Australian wildlife is showcased by the sanctuary, and the visitor centre can give you the best advice on spotting koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and more. Located at the start of the Koala Walk, the Visitors Centre also provides visitors to the park with refreshments, and local art and souvenirs. As well as providing information, the Visitors Centre offers self-guided tours of the sanctuary, including nocturnal tours. Fully guided, 90 minute walks, the nocturnal tours are led by experienced tour guides. A nocturnal tour provides a wealth of information on the animals and their habitats, observing animals more active at night such as koalas, echidnas, possums, bats and more.

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.

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.

Lighthouses hold a romantic allure that regular buildings can’t muster, and the blinking light on the cliffs of Cape du Couedic is about as romantic as lighthouses come. Squired away on the southwestern cape of rugged Kangaroo Island, this light was commissioned after two passing ships met their ultimate doom on the rocks. When visiting the windswept Cape du Couedic, you’re likely to be sharing the wave-battered rocks with colonies of wriggling fur seals. The Cape is part of the Flinders Chase National Park that occupies the western tip of the island, where shipwrecks, seals, and the sound of silence form the coastlines history and future. It’s only a short drive to Admiral Arch and the rock formations along the coast, and oceanfront boardwalks invite a relaxing stroll along the cliffs of the salt-battered coast.

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.

As Australia’s oldest German settlement, Hahndorf is a unique tourist destination. Hahndorf is nestled in the Adelaide Hills just 20 minutes’ drive from the Adelaide City CBD. German influences are the key to Hahndorf’s charm – architecture, stores, bakeries, restaurants and wineries all owe their style to the German heritage of the town. The first residents of Hahndorf arrived in Adelaide in 1838 – the name of the town coming from the captain of the ship on which they arrived. When war broke out in 1914, the South Australian Government at the time decided to change the very German name of the town. Hahndorf became Ambleside until the late 1930s, when the name was reverted to its original German. For visitors, Hahndorf offers the experience of Europe just outside an Australian metropolis. Day-trippers can indulge in tours of the local wineries which produce some of the world’s finest cold weather wines and eat at gourmet restaurants.

One of the most popular scenic overlooks in the Barossa Valley, visitors to Menglers Hill Lookout can take in bird's-eye views of the region’s expansive vineyards and rolling hills. The nearby sculpture park, which sits at the foot of Menglers Hill, offers travelers a whimsical, playful look at the works of nine artists who visited the area in 1988. Visitors say this picturesque peak is the perfect place for snapping scenic photos or escaping into the quiet and quaint rural countryside on a trip to Barossa.

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.

This small island, just a short walk from Victor Harbor, gets its name from the huge granite boulders that dot its landscape. Its exceptionally strong foundation may be of significance to geologists, but the island is perhaps most important to the indigenous Ramindjeri people, who believe it was formed by spears thrown into the water. Today, visitors come to Granite Island to ride the horse-drawn tram and wander the hills in search of the tiny penguins that call this place home. An informative Penguin Center is open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with twice-daily public feedings. The well-marked Kaiki Walk lets visitors loop around the island’s edge in an easy 40 minutes, and a handful of ocean lookouts prove also ideal for whale watching.

Kangaroo Island is known for its wildlife, but honeybees usually aren’t part of it. At the fascinating Clifford’s Honey Farm, however, hives of pure blood Ligurian bees create a strain of honey that is so tantalizingly sweet it has becomes a staple of Kangaroo Island. Sample honey that has been carefully collected from the world’s only purebred Ligurians, and savor the famous honey ice cream that draws visitors from the mainland and beyond. More than just pleasing to the taste buds, however, a visit to the farm provides an intriguing insight to the complex social structure of bees. Learn the way they interact in the hive and the intricacies of the honeybee hierarchy, and watch as honey is collected from hives and bottled for visitor’s enjoyment. And while it might not have the same level of “wilderness” as the rest of Kangaroo Island, the swarms at Clifford’s Honey Farm might become your favorite animals of the trip.

Sure, Kangaroo Island might be a “zoo without fences” thanks to the abundant amount of wildlife, but to guarantee sightings of these curious critters, the Parndana Wildlife Park is your best bet for viewing these animals in action. Set smack in the middle of Kangaroo Island, visitors are able to cuddle with koalas or get up close and personal with wombats, or marvel at rollie-pollie, spiny echidnas as they curl into little brown balls. There are over 1,500 animals on this 10 acre compound—many of which have been orphaned—and visitors to the park have the chance to witness these animals being nursed back to health. Grab a coffee from the park’s café after playing with a baby koala, or photograph the bright, brilliant blue feathers of a flightless cassowary. Families with children have the opportunity to hand feed kangaroos, and the park is a playground of wildlife adventure on one of Australia’s wildest islands.

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.

The first Aboriginals to walk Australia’s forests discovered the power of eucalyptus oils. In addition to its trademark, earthy aroma, the oils contained in the eucalyptus leaves can naturally bolster health. Once the Australian continent was settled, eucalyptus oil became the nation’s first export and the global source of the product. Today, however, diluted sources from other nations dominate the global market, and the original eucalyptus oil industry has seen a steady decline into obscurity. Here on Kangaroo Island, however, South Australia’s only eucalyptus distillers still operate out in the bush. With rusting relics scattered about the property and an eccentric taste of the outback, the family-run Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery still churns out the sweet-smelling elixir. Learn the ways that the oil is extracted from the narrow mallee leaves, and the healing benefits the oils can have for aiding wounds or illnesses.

The Fleurieu Peninsula is a region of South Australia that lies just to the south of Adelaide and prides itself as a place of both adventure and culture. Encompassing the towns of Victor Harbour, Mount Compass, Rapid Bay, Willunga and others, the peninsula has a lot to offer; a host of the historic river and coastal towns celebrate their history with markets, heritage steam trains and some of the finest antique stores. Adventure on the Fleurieu Peninsula comes from the bike paths, the self-drive adventures, the coastal hiking and the conservation parks within the region. Visitors come here to see little penguins come ashore and to watch whales migrating off the coast. Sailing on Lake Alexandria is a popular activity, as is getting under the waves and seeing some of Australia’s best diving, including the HMAS Hobart. The peninsula is also home to one of South Australia’s best wine regions; McLaren Vale and its world-famous Shiraz are among the wines that hail from here.

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.

The Cleland Wildlife Park is best known for its koala experience, which gives visitors the unique opportunity to snuggle up with one of the country’s cutest faces. Standard entry includes petting and a photo, but an additional fee lets travelers hold these little guys, too. Travelers can check out daily feedings of lorikeets, Tasmanian devils, dingoes and other animals native to Australia. Newly scheduled public night walks happen the last Friday of every month and give visitors the chance to see potoroos, bandicoots, bettongs and wild possums forage for food.

People come to America to watch baseball and they go to Australia to watch cricket. The Adelaide Oval, located in the parklands between city center and North Adelaide, has been home to two teams, as well as the South Australian Cricket Association. Built in 1871, lights were not added to this 54,500-seat stadium until 1997. The Adelaide Oval is an ideal spot for catching both international and domestic cricket, as well as Australian rules football games, rugby and soccer. The stadium has also proved a successful music venue, with acts like Paul McCartney, Madonna and Michael Jackson taking the stage.