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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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TourTourMurray River Lakes and Coorong

The Festival State
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Holiday Package Deals
Thinking of flying to South Australia or booking a unique stay? These handpicked holiday deals and packages make it easy to enjoy the simple pleasures. Before you know it, you’ll be mapping winery stops in McLaren Vale, weighing up a beach shack on Kangaroo Island or planning a city stay in Adelaide.
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South Australia’s best places to eat
Food and drink come with a story here — lovingly shared by our growers, winemakers, bakers and chefs. Adelaide city restaurants plate up with precision, while regional kitchens craft menus that grow just outside the door. At Adelaide markets, produce comes fresh from the garden, and at cellar doors, long lunches stretch between vines. Come hungry and leave full at South Australia’s best places to eat.
Accommodation in South Australia
Here, your stay feels less like checking in and more like being part of the place. Watch dawn tint mountaintops from an outback cabin or drift on a Murray River houseboat. Sink into slow mornings and wide-open skies at unique spots like Kingsford Barossa – the farmhouse that inspired the McLeod’s Daughters TV show. Wherever you rest, you’ll feel right at home.
Road Trips in South Australia
There’s no better way to explore South Australia than by road. A self-drive journey lets you go at your own pace — pulling over when the view calls or stopping for a meat pie from a small-town bakery. These are the roads where you take the long way — a detour that leads to a country pub or vino on the back of a winemaker’s ute. Here are some of our favourite road trips to get you started.
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Highlights: Sinkholes, white sandy beaches, Kangaroo Island and wine regions
5 to 9 days | 18 attractions | 940 kilometres
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Highlights: Rugged coastline, whale watching, oysters and pristine beach sanctuary
8 to 10 days | 15 attractions | 955 kilometres
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Highlights: World-famous wine regions, off-grid stays and award-winning produce
4 to 5 days | 21 attractions | 233 kilometres
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Highlights: White sandy beaches, world-famous surf breaks, shipwrecks and native wildlife
5 to 6 days | 17 attractions | 460 kilometres
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Highlights: Exploring the winding river, water sports for days, fresh fruit stalls and wine
5 to 7 days | 22 attractions | 382 kilometres
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Highlights: Outback mountain ranges, aboriginal landmarks and unrivalled golden hours
8 to 10 days | 20 attractions | 1,142 kilometres

Southern Ocean Drive

Coastal Way

Seafood Frontier

Explorers Way

Epicurean Way

Mighty Murray Way