From the glowing relief of the Outback to the turquoise waters of Kangaroo Island, South Australia offers an incredible diversity of landscapes. This raw nature is a sanctuary for the rarest and most emblematic of Australasian species. Kangaroos, koalas, sea lions and dolphins roam freely on the doorstep of Adelaide, the astonishing cultural and gastronomic capital of the South.
Beautiful Adelaide
Adelaide is an elegant and vibrant city. Museums, galleries, restaurants, trendy bars, shopping and festivals enliven its wide boulevards of fine architecture. Set in rolling green hills on the edge of the ocean, the city offers an enchanting setting bathed in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Sunny terraces, bicycle paths, golden beaches, prestigious vineyards and excellent gourmet restaurants: everything here celebrates the art of living. Adelaide is an easy city to get to, and a graceful one at that! Public transport - streetcar and bus - is free in the city center, as is bike hire. Your first pedal will take you to the "Boulevard of Culture", North Terrace, where museums and galleries follow one another in a series of elegant colonial buildings. The same avenue is home to the State Parliament, the University of Adelaide, the Casino, the splendid State Library, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Museum of South Australia. A visit to the Gallery of Aboriginal Cultures is a must. On your way out, some will wander down to nearby Rundle Street for a trendy shopping spree. Others will prefer the idyllic setting of the botanical gardens, where subtropical and Mediterranean plants flourish in an immense park crowned here and there by splendid pavilions and the National Wine Center of Australia. Here you'll find all the information you need to organize a gourmet tour of the Adelaide Hills vineyards.
Activities galore
The richness of Adelaide also lies in the range of activities on offer. In less than 25 minutes by streetcar, you'll have swapped your shirt for a swimsuit and the translucent waters of Glenelg. Sandy beaches, a lively marina, water sports of all kinds, ice-cream sundaes on the terrace, boutiques and galleries... You can also take to the open sea on a sailing boat to swim with dolphins. Then head northwest to Port Adelaide, to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of its docks and warehouses, which are gradually being converted into boutiques and bars. Here you'll find the SA Maritim Museum, retracing the country's naval history with over 20,000 fascinating exhibits and a collection of 25 vessels that can be boarded.
Back to the land, or rather to the exceptional terroir of this region, which owes its renown to it. For a taste of Adelaide's culinary heritage, head to the Adelaide Central Market, one of the city's landmarks. The stalls sing the praises of local and organic produce: fish, seasonal fruit and vegetables, local cheeses, as well as amazing specialties expertly showcased by the Something Wild stand: kangaroo, crocodile, emu and other bush products. Adelaide is a gourmet's gourmet, attracting daring new chefs inspired by the quality of the produce that has made it the new "fooding" destination. This new cuisine is riding the wave of the times. And concepts are blossoming around the new trendy bars. This energy is all the more palpable during festivals such as the Fringe, which attracts 1,500,000 visitors and 4,000 artists throughout March.
Kangaroo Island and exceptional parks
It's impossible to visit South Australia without mentioning its natural jewel, Kangaroo Island. The country's third-largest island offers an unforgettable getaway thanks to its authentic biological wealth, which it has preserved by classifying more than a third of its land as protected areas. Here and there, Australia's most emblematic wildlife species roam freely. Koalas, kangaroos, emus, wallabies, cockatoos, sea eagles, sea lions, seals, penguins... All these little creatures make their home in the heart of a sumptuous landscape, sometimes sculpted by steep valleys and coastlines, sometimes fleeing towards the immensity of the bush or the ocean.
Kangaroo Island boasts a large number of natural parks, including Flinders Chase National Park, with its wild landscapes ranging from steep gorges to majestic eucalyptus forests. Numerous hiking trails have been designed to cover its vast expanses. Among the park's must-sees, the Remarkable Rocks granite formations are the most eye-catching, especially for camera lenses! Not far from there is Admirals Arch, an immense rocky cavity home to a colony of seals. It's hard to choose among the collection of natural parks. The flow of the waves sweeps away a few marine wonders, such as the illustrious Seal Bay sea lion colony, which represents 10% of the world's sea lions.
With your feet in the water, you can enjoy the island's beaches, some of the most beautiful in the country.
The north is hemmed in by magnificent shores where you can enjoy all kinds of water sports: surfing, sailing, fishing and, of course, scuba diving. It's a great opportunity to splash around with dolphins and perhaps even encounter the leafy seahorse, a species unique in the world. Other underwater sights include the 60 shipwrecks that have washed up on the ocean floor. The south is not to be outdone when it comes to heavenly beaches, as witness Vivonne Bay, long considered "Australia's best beach".
To each his own outback
Do you dream of immensity and endless tracks in a flamboyant outback? The Flinders Ranges region will make those dreams come true! Just 5 hours from Adelaide along the legendary Explorer Way, this antediluvian mountain range unfurls a surreal array of landscapes over more than 400 km, alternating between rugged peaks, rocky deserts, arid gorges and timid streams wandering through the red earth. To preserve the preciousness of this natural site, three parks have been defined, including the Flinders Ranges National Park, the starting point for numerous hikes. There's a choice of short, easy walks, more strenuous hikes and 4x4 trails.
While wilderness camping and nights under the stars appeal to some visitors, others will be charmed by the handful of luxurious ecolodges dotted around the region.
Last but not least, Coober Pedy is certainly the most surprising of the region's sights. Lost in the red desert, imagine a ghost town crushed by oppressive heat and constantly swept by the earth's ochre dust... But what is it that attracts visitors to this no-man's-land? Well, it's precisely that it's not a no-man's-land: life teems in the troglodyte dwellings. Coober Pedy is a mining town that has been producing 80% of the world's opals since the discovery of the first stone in 1915. If Coober Pedy has a western feel, the surrounding landscape is reminiscent of the Wild West. Many films have been shot here, including Mad Max, Red Planet, Ground Zero... Here, reality meets fiction, and Coober Pedy will forever remain surreal. A must-see!
Smart info
When is the best time to go? The best time to go is from October to April. High season peaks from December to February, and prices climb.
How to get there. You'll need at least one stopover to reach Australia, and a flight time of around 20 hours (excluding stopovers).
Useful information. To help you plan your trip.
AUSTRALIA A LA CARTE - More information on the website
The SOUTH AUSTRALIA website, also in French.
