Attractions Nearby Adelaide, Day Trips and Excursions

(Adelaide, South Australia - SA, Australia)

There is no denying that South Australia comes with some wonderful attractions and those holidaying in Adelaide may well be tempted by the possibility of a day trip or two. Popular choices include the vineyards, gardens and wildlife park within the Adelaide Hills, the wineries and beaches around the Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island.

You may also like to consider an excursion to see the attractions around the Limestone Coast, where both the Coorong National Park and the windsurfing at Meningie are real highlights. Other choices include the Eyre Peninsula, the Flinders Ranges, the Yorke Peninsula and the rugged Outback region, where the Woomera Board Heritage Centre, the tiny town of William Creek and the opal-mining town of Andamooka await, as well as Innamincka and its rich Aboriginal heritage.

Adelaide Hills

The picturesque Adelaide Hills are central to the Mount Lofty Ranges and just a short drive from the city, with attractions here including:

• Wineries - with many outstanding vineyards, producing award-winning wines
• Parks and Gardens - including the magnificent Mount Lofty Botanical Gardens and the Belair National Park
• Cleland Wildlife Park - an excellent Australian wildlife park, featuring many native animals, such as wombats, kangaroos and Tasmanian devils
• Warrawong Earth Sanctuary - featuring wildlife tours and unusual night walks
• Hahndorf - a small German settlement with a population of less than 2,000
• Beerenberg Strawberry Farm - known for its tasty jams, chutneys and sauces

Fleurieu Peninsula

The Fleurieu Peninsula is located to the south of the city and has become a popular excursion from Adelaide. With a wonderful coastline, numerous beaches and whale watching, highlights include:

• McLaren Vale - one of the most famous wine regions in South Australia, particularly known for its rich red wines
• Willunga - a charming and historic town, with many original colonial buildings
• Gult St. Vincent Beaches - featuring fantastic coastal stretches, with calm water suitable for swimming, including the beaches of Christies, Seaford and Moana
• Victor Harbour - a popular holiday destination and the largest town on the Fleurieu Peninsula, overlooking Encounter Bay
• Port Elliot - situated on the spectacular Horseshoe Bay, where you can sunbathe, surf, walk and watch dolphins
• Goolwa - home to one of the best beaches on the southern coast of Australia

Kangaroo Island

Located around 13 km / 8 miles from South Australia's coastline and within comfortable reach of Adelaide, much of Kangaroo Island is either conservation or national parks. Some of the island's most popular attractions include:

• Diving Tours - with many different diving trips, where you can swim with fur seals and observe leafy sea dragons in their natural environment
• Kingscote - a small town with a population of around 1,700, home to attractions such as the Hope Cottage Museum, a visitors' centre and the Kangaroo Island Marine Centre
• American River - a small settlement situated between Kingscote and Penneshaw, with a sheltered inner bay known as the Pelican Lagoon
• Penneshaw - with a population of just 500, Penneshaw is known for its friendly penguins, which nest along the shoreline, close to the town centre
• North Coast - containing a number of superb beaches, such as Snelling Beach, the Western River Cove, Emu Bay and Stokes Bay
• Flinders Chase National Park - situated on the western side of the island, with koalas, possums and platypuses
• South Coast - home to bush trails, Hanson Bay, Vivonne Bay, the Kelly Hill Conservation Park and the Seal Bay Conservation Park, which has a large colony of Australian sea lions

Barossa Valley

The picturesque area of the Barossa Valley is one of Australia's most famous wine-producing regions, with many exceptional vineyards. Highlights include:

• Lyndoch - a small town, home to the scenic Barossa Reservoir, which features a large concrete dam with amazing acoustics, known as the 'Whispering Wall'
• Tanunda - with a population of around 4,000 and a number of notable draw cards, such as the Barossa Valley Historical Museum and the Keg Factory
• Nuriootpa - situated at the northern end of the Barossa Valley, containing many picnic spots with breathtaking views
• Angaston - home to a population of less than 2,000 and close to the National Trust's historic Collingrove Homestead

Mid-North

The Mid-North area of South Australia can be found between Adelaide and Port Augusta. Featuring a number of large farms, famous vineyards and small towns, some of the most popular attractions in the Mid-North region include:

• Kapunda - a small town with a population of around 2,500 and an interesting copper-mining heritage
• Auburn - a tiny village with many well-preserved historic buildings dating back to the mid-19th century
• Clare Valley - a famous wine region stretching from Auburn in the south to Jamestown in the north
• Burra - a charming town full of historic buildings and sites, with a long and impressive heritage trail and a number of museums, such as Morphett's Enginehouse Museum and the open-air Burra Mine Museum
• Peterborough - a predominantly agricultural town with a visitors' centre and well-stocked gift shop
• Orroroo - home to Aboriginal rock carvings, the Yesteryear Costume Gallery, the Early Settlers Cottage and a giant eucalyptus tree
• Port Pirie - with a population of around 13,000 and a number of tourist attractions, such as an art galley and a visitors' centre, with information about the region's historic smelting industry
• Port Germein - a tiny coastal town featuring the longest wooden jetty in the whole of Australia
• Mount Remarkable National Park - a vast parkland covering around 16,000 hectares / 39,500 acres
• Melrose - situated approximately 260 km / 162 miles from Adelaide, at the foot of Mount Remarkable, which is almost 1,000 metres / 3,280 feet high

Southeast / Limestone Coast

The Southeast district, also known as Limestone Coast, forms the region between Adelaide and Melbourne. Full of interesting things to see and do, visitors should look out for:

• Coorong National Park - a narrow lagoon curving along the coastline and stretching around 145 km / 90 miles from Lake Alexandrina to Kingston
• Meningie - known for its exceptional windsurfing conditions and coastal areas
• Robe - a small town, home to a visitors' centre, Long Beach and a popular fishing port
• Beachport - a tiny village area containing the impressive Canunda National Park, where you will find interesting Aboriginal remains
• Mount Gambier - a large town with a population of around 23,000 and a number of tourist attractions, such as a discovery centre, volcanic craters, caves, scuba diving and the picturesque Blue Lake
• Coonawarra - containing a large wine region, with many famous vineyards and wineries, most of which are clearly signposted from the Riddoch Highway
• Naracoorte - dating back to the 1840s, Naracoorte is one of the oldest settlements in South Australia and the Bool Lagoon Game Reserve ranks amongst its principal attractions
• Dukes Highway - the final town on the South Australian side of the bordering area, next to Victoria and Melbourne

Yorke Peninsula

Yorke Peninsula is a heavily agricultural region of South Australia and is also a popular quiet holiday resort within reach of Adelaide. With a number of scenic beaches, national parks and large amounts of native wildlife, specific attractions include:

• West Coast - with beaches suitable for swimming, scenic views and historic towns, such as Kadina, Wallaroo and Moonta
• East Coast - home to many small townships, including Port Vincent, Edithburgh and Yorketown
• Innes National Park - to the south of Yorke Peninsula, containing coastal areas, with good conditions for scuba diving, surfing and fishing

Eyre Peninsula

The Eyre Peninsula is located between the Great Australian Bight and the Spencer Gulf. With regular flights from Adelaide Airport, sightseeing opportunities around the peninsula include:

• Port Augusta - with a population of around 13,000 and a number of enticing tourist attractions, such as the Wadlata Outback Centre, the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden, the Fountain Art Gallery, the Curdnatta Art and Craft Centre, and the Homestead Park Pioneer Museum
• Whyalla - a sizeable town with a population of more than 20,000, a large visitors' centre, a Maritime Museum and a protected cuttlefish breeding area
• Cowell - an attractive small town close to the only jade deposit in the whole of Australia
• Port Lincoln - situated around 660 km / 412 miles from Adelaide, Port Lincoln is the tuna-fishing capital of Australia and the community was founded in 1839
• Streaky Bay - a small town with a population of roughly 1,000 people, a visitors' centre, the National Trust's Streaky Bay Museum, the secluded Smoky Bay and the stunning Back Beach, being popular with surfers in the area
• Ceduna - established in the late 19th century, attractions at Ceduna include the Old Schoolhouse Museum and the Laura Bay Conservation Park

Flinders Ranges

South Australia's spectacular Flinders Ranges are a truly majestic sight, comprising deep red folds, mountainous regions and regular coaches, with the journey from Adelaide taking around two and a half days. The region is a dry area and the community was founded in 1802. Those coming here should look for:

• Quorn - a small town with a population of around 1,000 and several popular tourist attractions, such as the Pichi Richi Railway, the Waukerie Creek Trail and the Heysen Trail
• Hawker - a tiny village, home to the Kanyaka Ruins, Death Rock and the Yourambulla Caves, with many outstanding Aboriginal rock paintings
• Wilpena Pound - featuring the vast and impressive Flinders Ranges National Park, rich in native flora and fauna
• Blinman - once a copper-mining centre in the late 19th century, boasting a historic copper mine and self-guided walking trails
• Arkaroola - containing the vast Arkaroola-Mount Painter Wildlife Sanctuary, which covers over 60,000 hectares / 148,250 acres

Outback

South Australia's Outback region can be found to the north of the Eyre Peninsula and the Flinders Ranges. Containing many interesting visitor centres and enormous national parks, noteworthy Outback attractions include:

• Woomera - a small town, featuring the Woomera Board Heritage Centre, which celebrates local military heritage
• Roxby Downs - home to the Olympic Dam Mine, producing copper, silver, gold and even uranium
• Andamooka - a tiny opal-mining town containing Duke's Bottlehouse, a unusual house built entirely out of glass bottles,
• Coober Pedy - one of the main opal-mining areas in Australia, with many related attractions, such as the Umoona Opal Mine and Museum
• Marree - containing a spectacular sculpture park, a natural warm-water spa and several large lakes
• William Creek - famous for being the smallest town in Australia, with a population of less than 20
• Innamincka - well-known for its large Regional Reserve and important Aboriginal heritage