The Kiwi Guide to South Australia

Celebrate the Simple Pleasures

Welcome to South Australia

In South Australia, life moves at a different pace — slower, warmer, more generous. It’s a place where better beats bigger. Where locals value living well over living large. A place of deep time, long stories and ancient Country.

Life’s good here, but it’s no accident. We share a lifestyle lovingly crafted by every person who calls this place home, and we’re here to share it with you. This good life is closer than you think, too, with direct flights from Auckland to Adelaide and holiday deals that make it even sweeter.

Here, we celebrate the simple pleasures. Like sipping a bold red on the back of a winemaker’s ute in the Fleurieu Peninsula, spotting wildlife at golden hour on Kangaroo Island, or drifting down the Murray River on a houseboat. These are the stories that make it home, even if it’s your first time here.

With 12 regions, warm summers, mild winters and just a 2.5-hour time difference, it’s always a good time in South Australia to fill up your cup.

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Things to do in South Australia

South Australia is less about ticking off lists and more about leaning into what feels good. We’ve rounded up some highlights — like pink lake stops, off-grid escapes, and the best things to do in Adelaide — but simple pleasures have a habit of appearing when you least expect them.

Murray river, lakes and Coorong itinerary

Murray river, lakes and Coorong itinerary

Cruise at the pace of the river. Red cliffs glow at sunset, and mornings begin with birdsong and a cup of coffee on the deck.
Kangaroo Island Itinerary

Kangaroo Island Itinerary

Take the road less urgent. Our Kangaroo Island itinerary leads you to empty coves, fresh honey and wildlife around every bend.
Festivals & events calendar

Festivals & events calendar

South Australians love to host – and you’re all invited. From city streets to coastal towns, find festivals worth booking a trip around.
South Australia’s Pink Lake Bucket List

South Australia’s Pink Lake Bucket List

Drive, brake, reverse… was that pink? These are the lakes that make you pull over, climb out and wonder how this can possibly be real.
Best restaurants in Adelaide

Best restaurants in Adelaide

Adelaide’s best restaurants see patience and passion meet at the table. Ready to slow down and taste more?
Barossa 3 day foodie itinerary

Barossa 3 day foodie itinerary

Three days of long lunches and warm welcomes. Follow our Barossa itinerary and let your appetite lead the way.
Top 10 things to do in Adelaide

Top 10 things to do in Adelaide

Adelaide’s easy to explore and hard to leave. This is your go-to list for seeing the city the way locals do.
Flinders ranges and Outback natural wonders bucket list

Flinders ranges and Outback natural wonders bucket list

It’s not just what you see out here — it’s how you feel standing still in it. Explore the Flinders and the stories it holds.
Top nature stays in South Australia

Top nature stays in South Australia

Stay somewhere quiet, with a welcome note on the table and strawberries from a roadside stall, still warm from the sun.
Best off-grid accommodation in south Australia

Best off-grid accommodation in south Australia

Off-grid doesn’t mean going without — just more sky, more quiet and more space to do absolutely nothing.

South Australian Attractions & Tours

In South Australia, nature feels dialled up — sunsets are brighter, stars are closer, stillness is louder. It's here you can walk beside a lake the colour of fairy floss or descend into underground gardens where ivy spills from limestone walls. To make the most of your time in South Australia, here are some attractions to explore.

The Festival State

South Australians love to host, and you’re invited. Every week, all year round, you’ll find somewhere to come together, meet locals and celebrate what’s made here. Taste local flavours at Tasting Australia, soak up the energy of Adelaide Fringe Festival or cheer on world-class athletes at LIV Golf Adelaide, Santos Tour Down Under and South Australia cricket games. Our events calendar is always full.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA'S REGIONS

With direct flights from Auckland, South Australia is closer than you think. Touch down in Adelaide, then venture beyond the city: pick apples in the Hills, swirl shiraz in the Barossa, spot sea-lions dozing on Kangaroo Island or catch the Flinders Ranges blushing pink at sunset.

Adelaide

Adelaide

This is where South Australia’s creativity meets you. Makers, artists, chefs — each drawing from the regions around them, each offering a piece of it back.
Murray river, lakes and Coorong

Murray river, lakes and Coorong

Slow down on Australia’s longest river. Cruise a houseboat past red cliffs, paddle quiet backwaters or stay still and watch the water do the moving.
Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island

Wildlife runs the show here: sea-lions stretch across white sand, kangaroos graze where the bush meets the road and bees work the hives that make the island’s prized honey.
Barossa

Barossa

Barossa knows how to pour. One glass turns into a story, a second into lunch, and somewhere around the third, you forget what time you were meant to leave.
Clare Valley

Clare Valley

Riesling leads here. Cycle the trail past dry-stone walls and open paddocks, then cool off with a citrus-bright pour beneath the shade of a pepper tree.
Adelaide Hills

Adelaide Hills

20 minutes from the city, the Hills rise gently into storybook villages, where farmgate stalls line the roads and chefs forage just beyond the doorstep.
Flinders ranges & Outback

Flinders ranges & Outback

Ancient ranges burn orange at sunset while kangaroos nose through stony creek beds below. Follow red-dirt tracks and swap stories under a sky thick with stars.
Eyre Peninsula

Eyre Peninsula

The ocean is busy here. Sea lions twist through kelp beds, boats haul in the day’s catch , and oysters go from tide to table in a matter of hours.
Fleurieu Peninsula

Fleurieu Peninsula

Beach-hop from surf breaks to sheltered coves, then follow winding backroads to a McLaren Vale cellar door with sea breeze on the deck.
Limestone coast

Limestone coast

Start at the coast for paper-wrapped fish and chips in beach towns frozen in time. Then head inland to red-soil wine country and sinkholes turned swimming spots.
Riverland

Riverland

Orchards stretch to the water, heavy with citrus. Locals bottle it into gin, stir it into spritzes and hand it over with a warm smile.
Yorke Peninsula

Yorke Peninsula

You’ll only check your phone for the tide. Mornings start with a cast off the jetty, and nights end with fish crisping over the pan.