71 Best Sights in South Australia, Australia

This island is linked to the mainland by a 650-yard causeway, along which Clydesdales pull a double-decker tram (you can also walk across). Once you arrive on Granite Island Recreation Park, the gentle 2-km (1-mile) Kaiki Walk follows a sculpture-lined path that offers lovely ocean views.

This is one of the most successful of the Barossa's younger wine labels. Wines include impressive Chardonnays, sought-after sparkling, and powerful reds. Don't miss the Holy Trinity—a highly acclaimed Rhône blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvèdre. The cellar door overlooks the vines at Krondorf, 5 km (3 miles) south of Tanunda and offers regional grazing platters in addition to tastings.

This beach is off the beaten path. A narrow unsealed road off South Coast Road, 46 km (29 miles) west of Seal Bay Road, ends at this perfect little sandy cove where a tannin-stained creek meets the ocean. Rocky headlands on either side protect the gently sloping beach so swimming is safe. To the east are several even more secluded beaches; these are more exposed, though, and riptides make swimming dangerous. Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

This sandy beach with a comically short jetty is enclosed by Freemans Knob and Commodore Point. The two prominent headlands ensure the bay is well protected and keep the waves relatively low, making this a great swimming destination for families. However, it’s worth noting that waves can be heavy during a high swell and surge up the steep beach. The safest swimming is at the western end near the Surf Life Saving Club and Flying Fish café. Fishing is popular around the jetty and boundary rocks. Amenities: parking; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

The multifaceted Centre of Immersive Light and Art houses a restaurant, café, and live music venue, but the second-floor Light Room Studio is the beating heart of this high-tech complex. Accessed via a gallery that showcases works sitting at the intersection of art and technology, this one-of-a-kind venue is enclosed by 1,500 square feet of high-definition LED screens that serve as canvases for digital artists who create stunningly intricate digital gardens, rain forest, and aquaria. Exhibitions change regularly.

Known locally as Millionaires' Row for its fabulous real estate, Island Beach is the quintessential Aussie beach holiday location. Framed by dense bushland, the sandy beach is secluded, stretches almost as far as the eye can see, and provides very safe swimming. Walking along the coast toward American River yields plenty of bird-watching opportunities. Amenities: parking (no fee). Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

This striking series of buttes and jagged hills centered on the Moon Plain is of great cultural and spiritual significance to the Antakir­in­ja Matun­t­jara Yankun­yt­jat­jara traditional owners but to the untrained eye is reminiscent of the most spectacular parts of the American West. There are fossils and patches of petrified forest in this strange landscape, which has appealed to makers of apocalyptic films; Mad Max 3—Beyond Thunderdome was filmed here, as was Ground Zero. The scenery is especially evocative early in the morning or at sunset when the colors come alive, and can get very windy, so be sure to bring appropriate clothing. Kanku-Breakaways Conservation Park is 30 km (19 miles) northeast of Coober Pedy.

Dual names that recognize Adelaide’s Kaurna heritage are increasingly common throughout the city, and this 10½-km (6½-mile) trail explores 24 sites of significance to the Kaurna people as it meanders along the banks of the River Torrens/Karrawirra Parri before finishing up at Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga. Along the way, artworks, interpretive signs, and historical records illuminate the everyday lives and customs of the Kaurna people before, during, and after colonization, as well as showing how much the landscape has changed in just two centuries.

One of the most recognizable and popular wineries in the Clare Valley, Knappstein is located in the original 19th-century Enterprise Brewery, a Heritage-listed building and a well-known landmark of a township that's oozing with history. The four Rieslings are consistently excellent, as are the lovingly handcrafted Cabernet and Shiraz.

A family-friendly tribute to the purple flower that adorns the hills, Lyndoch Lavender Farm grows more than 80 varieties on 6 lush acres high above Lyndoch. Gourmet products infused with lavender are available for purchase, alongside essential oils, creams, and other products, including wine from the surrounding vineyards. The most spectacular time to visit is during flowering season from August to September.

Just outside the slate-mining hamlet of Mintaro, 10 km (6 miles) southeast of Sevenhill, wealthy bachelor Edmund Bowman built this gracious 32 room manor house in 1879—as legend has it, to lure his fiancée from England to the colonies. He failed, but continued to spend lavishly. In 1891 a near-bankrupt Bowman sold the grand house to the Mortlock family, who in 1965 willed it—and its contents—to the University of Adelaide. Now privately leased, Martindale Hall is a museum of late-19th- and early-20th-century rural life, filled with the Mortlocks' books, beds, furniture, crockery, glassware, and billiard table, The house, which is open for self-guided tours, was featured in director Peter Weir's first film, Picnic at Hanging Rock.

One of South Australia's most popular beaches for beginner and intermediate surfers, Middleton is known for waves that roll in gently rather than breaking violently. As a result it’s perfect for those still honing their technique, and several companies offer surf lessons here year-round. The entire beach is composed of fine sand that slopes down very gently and creates predictable, even sets that also suit bodyboarding. Thanks to the very wide surf zone, it is moderately safe to swim in the inner surf zone on the bar, but swimmers are advised not to venture beyond the first line of breakers as strong currents occupy the trough between the sand bars. Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: surfing; walking.

Exhibits in the converted 19th-century Destitute Asylum, which also served as a school where Aboriginal children were forced to train as servants to the British, explore the origins, hopes, and fates of some of the millions of immigrants who settled in Australia over the past two centuries. The museum is starkly realistic, and the bleak welcome that awaited many migrants is graphically illustrated, while temporary exhibitions point to a more hopeful future.

Any winemaker will tell you that it takes a lot of good beer to make great wine, and you won’t find a finer brewer in the region than Brett Reiman. Cleansing ales of all kinds are on offer at this temple to beer, where you can choose from sixteen brews, but it’s the range of exceptional sours that really stand out. These barrel-fermented beers age in oak for up to three years as they develop an incredible complexity to rival the region’s more famous wines—don’t be surprised if you find yourself making space in your suitcase after a tasting. If you’re hungry, make-your-own produce platters are available, as are slabs of thin, pizza-like flammekueche.

This futuristic “museum of discovery” is aimed at young adults, but the rotating exhibitions that tackle surprisingly ambitious themes are designed to appeal to all ages. Interactivity is at the heart of the displays, which incorporate technology in a range of innovative ways and encourage guests to explore often complex themes and question what their impact on (and in) the future will be. In addition to Australia’s first Science on a Sphere, a giant globe that projects a range of data onto a 6-foot diameter globe, the Museum includes a café.

A panoply of rhododendrons, magnolias, ferns, and native and exotic trees ensure these gardens are glorious throughout fall and spring; free guided walks leave the lower parking lot on Thursday at 10:30 am year-round except on extreme fire danger days when the forecast is above 35°C (95°F).

Steam-train buffs will love this collection of locomotives and rolling stock in the former Port Adelaide railway yard. The largest of its kind in Australia, the collection includes enormous "mountain"-class engines and the "Tea and Sugar" train, once the lifeline for camps scattered across the deserts of South and Western Australia. For an additional cost take a ride on the historic Semaphore to Fort Glanville Tourist Railway; it runs every Sunday and public holiday from October to end of April and more frequently during school holidays. There are covered outdoor eating areas with tables and chairs at the museum, where visitors may bring their own food and drink.

This timber, steel, and glass building resembles a huge wine barrel from the outside and the soaring open-plan interior provides a suitably spectacular setting for the incredible showcase of Australian wines. The  Wine Discovery Guided Tour, offered daily at 11 am, takes you from Neolithic pottery jars to modern stainless-steel tanks, and you can even make your own virtual wine on a touch-screen computer. Guided tastings start at A$50 per person, while the on-site Wined Bar features state-of-the-art enomatic servers pouring 120 wines drawn from all over Australia. Iconic drops, including Penfold's Grange and Henschke's Hill of Grace, make regular appearances, and there’s also a good all-day menu that includes a great selection of local cheeses and smoked meats.

Officially opened in 2023, Australia’s youngest national park protects an incredible 540-million-year-old fossil collection of such significance that the site lends its name to the Ediacaran era. The alien-like dickensonia, spriggina, and attenborites that once proliferated in a shallow sea represent the dawn of complex life on earth, and are perfectly preserved in vast stone beds. As a result, the park can only be access on ranger-led tours; a two-hour tour (A$82.50) that operates on Mon­day, Wednes­day, and Sat­ur­day morning allows you to see them up close as well as touch a 9-meter long fossil bed with hundreds of finely detailed fossils.

This is a genuine opal mine turned into a museum. Two fully-furnished underground houses give some idea of what an opal miner’s life must have been like, while mining memorabilia is exhibited in an extensive network of hand-dug tunnels and shafts. Self-guided tours include the chance to noodle (search for opals) in nearby pits and see a selection of valuable opals under natural and UV light.

Goolwa is the home port of paddle-steamer Oscar W. Built in 1908, it's one of the few remaining wood-fired boiler ships and after plying the river as a trading boat was converted into a tourist attraction in the 1960s. When not participating in commemorative cruises and paddleboat races, the boat is open for inspection and, in warmer weather, one-hour cruises and longer trips that include a lunch stop—check the website for upcoming dates.

Ten Corinthian columns are the most striking features of this neoclassical parliament building. It was completed in two stages 50 years apart: the west wing in 1889 and the east wing in 1939. Alongside it is Old Parliament House, which dates from 1843. Free guided tours of both houses are offered on weekdays at 10 and 2 when parliament is not sitting, and the viewing gallery is open to the public when parliament is sitting.

A very big brother to the 19th-century Magill Estate in Adelaide, this massive wine-making outfit in the center of Nuriootpa lets you sip Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling blends at the cellar door. The Barossa Ultimate Tasting offers a rotating selection of the winery’s heaviest hitters, and you can add a taste of the celebrated Grange for A$50. There are also 90-minute blending workshops for A$95 per person.

There are now only around 15 breeding pairs of the delightful little (formerly called fairy) penguins in the colony here at Penneshaw. From the indoor interpretive center, where you can read about bird activity—including mating, nesting, and feeding—a boardwalk leads to a viewing platform above rocks and sand riddled with burrows. Because the penguins spend most of the day fishing at sea or inside their burrows, the best viewing is after sunset. The informative hour-long guided tours leave from the center after sunset daily except Wednesday and Thursday. You might see penguins waddling ashore, chicks emerging from their burrows to feed, or scruffy adults molting—although sometimes you may not see any at all. Bookings essential.

This winery was founded by a larger-than-life Barossa character who had an influence on just about every winemaker in the valley. Art-hung stonework and a wood-burning fireplace make the 1880s tasting room one of the most pleasant in the valley and it is the only place to find the Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz. There are occasional concerts on the expansive lawns, and wooden tables encourage picnicking on the Weighbridge platter, a selection of local smoked meats, cheeses, and condiments that's big enough for two.

A few kilometers to the east of the valley floor, this family-owned winery overlooks the famed Polish Hill River, which produces some of the most sought-after fruit in the Clare Valley. Lean, mineral-led Riesling is a standout, but it’s well worth taking the time to taste some of the interesting Mediterranean varietals including Albariño, Sangiovese, and a drink-now Novello. There’s also an excellent on-site restaurant and brewery.

The area's first winery, Sevenhill Cellars was founded by the Jesuits, and they still run the show, with all profits going to education, mission work, and helping the needy within Australia. In the 1940s the winery branched out from altar wine to commercial production, and today makes a variety of styles including Riesling, Viognier, Touriga, and fortified wines. Enjoy a tasting, then head on a self-guided tour of the grounds that takes in the cellars, the cemetery, and the church crypt where Jesuits have been interred since 1865.

Housed in one half of Adelaide's grand neoclassical railway station, SkyCity is the place to go for every type of gaming, from chiming poker machines to high-stakes Texas Hold'em. The complex is also home to four bars, including the elegant Chandelier Bar, and seven restaurants, and is one of the few places in Adelaide that keeps pumping until dawn.

Inside a restored stone warehouse, this museum in Port Adelaide, a 20-minute drive from central Adelaide, brings maritime history vividly to life with ships' figureheads, shipwreck relics, and intricate scale models including a ketch you can walk through. In the basement you can see a bunk bed aboard an 1840s immigrant ship and hear passengers telling of life and death on their journeys to South Australia. In addition to the warehouse displays, tours of the historic quarantine station are sometimes available (if that's not too real). The surrounding suburb of Port Adelaide has plenty of antiques shops to visit, and nearby Semaphore has a street lined with cafés leading to a lovely beach.