South Australia

Overview
South Australia is one million square kilometres of ancient Dreamtime landscapes and wild coastal beauty. It is also a land of incredible contrast the endless desert of the north and the fertile vales of the south-east are a world apart.

Imagined as an ideal society in a verdant paradise, the colony of South Australia was formed on Edward Gibbon Wakefield's philosophy of freedom enlightenment and integrity.

In 1836 Colonel William Light chose the site for the capital on Kaurna land beside the River Torrens, and a month later South Australia was proclaimed a colony in a brief ceremony conducted under a gum tree.

The settlement's early days were far from ideal as Governor Hindmarsh and the first colonists huddled in squalid mud huts, perhaps regretting they had no convict labour to call on, but today the world's first planned city is a gracious capital of wide streets and generous public parks - a tribute to Light's visionary ideas.

In the 1840's German Lutherans fleeting persecution in Europe settle in the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley, bringing traditions of wine-growing and social liberty that have flourished here ever since. The 1950s saw large numbers of Italians arrive, introducing espresso, Mediterranean food and European style. In the early 1970s the election of flamboyant rebel Don Dunstan as premier launched a decade of social reform unmatched in any other state. South Australians are proud of their history of social innovation, and their state has well-earned reputation for tolerance and cultural diversity.

For travellers seeking their own level of adventure, South Australia is the perfect place to get off the beaten track. This is the nation's most urbanised state, so the outback begins just an hour or two up the road from Adelaide. First there are the crumbling farmhouses of settlers who tried to farm the desert north of Goyder's Line, tricked by a few seasons of fickle rainfall. Further north are the open plains where it is possible to stop and get out of the car and hear... nothing.

The Flinders Ranges are none of the oldest mountain ranges on earth and hold rich cultural significance for the Adnyamathanha people. At its centre, Wilpena Pound (Ikara) is a lost world of cypress pines and hidden creeks, its gorges created by Akurra the serpent as he travelled north with a grumbling belly full of salt water from lakes Frome and Callabonna.

The states southern ocean coastline includes the sheer cliffs of the Great Australian Bight and the sheltered wetlands of the Coorong, at the mouth of the Murray. This refuge for native and migratory birds would have to be one of the world's best places to sit quietly with a pair of binoculars.

South Australia is a state with many layers and famous mainly for its wine and opals. More than half of Australia's wine is produced here, the vineyards flourishing in its Mediterranean climate, and the State's three major opal fields, Coober Pedy, Mintabie and Andamooka, supply around 80 percent of the total world production of these sought-after gemstones. Visitors here are treated to a little of the good life spiced with as much adventure as they care to seek. No wonder they call it Australia's best kept secret.

South Australia Climate
South Australia experiences a variety of climate zones ranging from desert temperatures in the north to Mediterranean weather along the coast, with warm dry summers and cool wet winters. Adelaide, along the coast, can experience very hot weather between December and February, but spring and autumn are usually very pleasant. Winter is the coolest and wettest season (June to August). Away from the coast the temperatures can be extreme with summer maximums over 104°F (40°C) and little or no rainfall.