Things to Do in South Australia

Present-day Australia is a country based on immigration. This fascinating and unmissable museum tells the stories of the migrants who came from all over the world to make South Australia their home - where did they come from, why, and how did they get here? There's information on over 100 nationalities in their database, along with poignant personal stories displayed to full effect including some hands-on displays.

Paying respect to the indigenous people of the country, there are also displays of Pre-European Australia and the impact that immigration has had on Indigenous people. Through its education service, the museum actively works to teach about cultural diversity and tolerance.

Glen Forest Tourist Park is a 400-acre outdoor playground with activities for the entire family. The main attractions are of the four-legged variety; kangaroos, wombats, dingos and koalas are just a few of the many species at home in the extensive animal park, along with abundant bird life that resides in the area’s many natural spring-fed waterways. In the animal nursery, it’s hands-on fun as kids learn to feed and cuddle the newborn wildlife.

Other family activities include an 18-hole mini golf course, off-road Segway rides and widespread picnic areas. There are also 80 acres of vineyards, which produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay varieties for the Lincoln Estate label.

The city of Adelaide is close to the beach, but isn’t exactly on it. To reach the white sand beaches of Glenelg—a teeming suburb of streetside cafés and fiery evening sunsets—all that’s required is a short ride on the historic Glenelg Tram. Dating back to 1873, the Glenelg Tram line is an Adelaide icon that’s beloved by city residents. It’s the only remaining tram line in the city and a physical link to yesteryear, and it’s also a convenient and affordable way for moving about the town.

Historic H-class cars were used on the tram up until 2006, and while they’ve since been replaced by a more modern fleet, the original cars will sometimes be inserted on Sundays and public holidays. From the large glass windows of the slowly moving tram, watch as the scenery gradually changes from city, to suburb, to beach. The tram is actually free to ride within the downtown city center, although passengers traveling all the way to Glenelg can buy their tickets on board.

Victoria Square is actually a rectangle—a cheeky point of geometric contention amongst the locals who sprawl on its grass. Every day, particularly around lunchtime, you can find office workers enjoying an outdoor lunch on a shaded table or bench, or families playing with young children around the famous three-spouted fountain.

More than just a public square, however, Victoria Square is where the Adelaide community gathers for outdoor events. Enjoy outdoor yoga classes and community vegetable gardens or evening concerts in the park, and since the square is within walking distance of notable sights such as the teeming Central Market, it’s always a flurry of pedestrian activity and is unbeatable for its energy and people watching. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the ground where the modern day square is built was a traditional Aboriginal gathering place, and cultural groups still assemble today to partake in ceremony and song.

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.

Some 400,000 customers flock to this shopping Mecca every week—including 85% of Adelaide’s international travelers. With 700 retailers it’s no surprise. Make a stop at the Adelaide Visitors Information Center, where friendly staff and a library of brochures offer up advice on what to do, where to go and what not to miss in the area. Next walk through Adelaide and Gays Arcade, where beautiful skylights line the ceiling. Retailers here were the first in the country to have electric lights, and locals believe six ghosts live in the arcade, including a caretaker who fell to his death repairing the generator that powered the lights.

Stroll, jog or find yourself a grassy patch to read a book in the splendid, city-fringe Adelaide Botanic Garden, established in the 1850s. Highlights here include a unique prefabricated palm house (1877), the Museum of Economic Botany (check out its stencilled ceiling), and the 1988 Bicentennial Conservatory, which recreates a tropical rainforest environment.

Comprising the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide are two other sites: the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden and Wittunga Botanic Garden. Mount Lofty is less than half an hour from the city centre and has plants which thrive in cooler climates than those of the plains below. Wittunga in the Adelaide Hills was once the private Garden of Edwin Ashby and has been open to the public since 1975. It is a popular place for picnics.

This museum, with its huge whale skeleton in the front window, is one of Adelaide's landmarks. The enthralling exhibits showcase Australia's natural history and include a gallery devoted to Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson (with expedition footage). The absorbing Aboriginal Cultures Gallery displays artifacts of the region's Ngarrindjeri people.

Six floors of exhibits range from the focus on Australian and Pacific collections all the way through to the popular Ancient Egyptian room. There is a major fossil collection including perhaps the oldest piece found at 550 million years old. You can bring your own finds in for identification at the Discovery Center and visit the Information Center to find out more about Australia's Indigenous cultural heritage.

When most people think of chocolate they think European. Belgium, Switzerland—these are nations known for creating smooth and creamy pure cocoa treats. But Aussies know some of the most decadent chocolate pleasures are made at their very own Haigh’s Chocolates. Since 1915 this fourth generation, family owned company has been churning out candies that are worth the trip. From classic dark chocolates to new salted caramels, travelers can find a taste of Australia at one of the company’s 14 retail stores across the country—including six in Adelaide.

Australia is known for its excellent wine and South Australia has always been at the heart of this thriving industry. But how do all those grapes you see growing as you drive by end up in your glass and tasting so delicious? The National Wine Center of Australia aims to explain that. In an impressive architecturally-designed building overlooking the Botanic Gardens, you can take the Wine Discovery Experience and have an interactive lesson in wine-making. Don't know your Shiraz from your Merlot? There are courses in wine appreciation: impress your friends with your knowledge of grape varieties and wine styles.

If just enjoying the stuff with good food is more your style, head for the Concourse Cafe and taste and purchase the wines you try with your meal. After, stroll through the center's own vineyard and appreciate just what a high tech business wine-making has become.

This now defunct prison in the heart of Thebarton was the first home of criminals in South Australia. While it serves as a museum today, Adelaide Gaol held lawbreakers and convicts between 1841 and 1988. Life was hard here and executions and torture were a part of daily life.

Travelers who journey to this top attraction will find plenty to do and see on a tour of this historical icon, and visitors say the guided day and evening tours are an ideal way to not only learn about the history of Adelaide Gaol, but those who once called its walls home, too. Travelers who opt for a self-guided tour will still find impressive displays with well-marked information and plenty of historical context.