Things to do in South Australia
60 places worth stopping for and 24 places to stay on a road trip through South Australia.
See and do
- Swimming hole
Swimming hole · Eight Mile CreekHidden gem
Ewens Ponds
Crystal clear spring-fed ponds you can snorkel through.
- Swimming hole
Swimming hole · Port MacDonnellHidden gem
Piccaninnie Ponds
A freshwater chasm with some of the clearest water in Australia.
- Walk
Walk · Wilpena Pound
Wilpena Pound
A vast natural amphitheatre of ridges, with walks to lookouts across the Pound.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Flinders Chase
Remarkable Rocks
Giant granite boulders sculpted by wind on a coastal dome.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · Seal Bay
Seal Bay Conservation Park
Walk among sleeping Australian sea lions on a guided beach tour.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Brachina GorgeHidden gem
Brachina Gorge Geological Trail
A gravel gorge drive past 130 million years of rock layers and rock wallabies.
Activity · Arkaroola
Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary
A rugged wilderness sanctuary with a scenic ridgetop 4WD tour and dark skies.
Town · Coober Pedy
Coober Pedy
The opal mining town where most people live underground.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · Nullarbor
Head of Bight whale watching
Southern right whales come close to the cliffs from June to October.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · WudinnaHidden gem
Gawler Ranges National Park
Volcanic rock formations like the Organ Pipes in remote station country.
- Walk
Walk · Deep CreekHidden gem
Deep Creek Waterfall Hike
A rugged southern Fleurieu walk to a waterfall and a clifftop coast.
- Walk
Walk · Melrose
Mount Remarkable National Park
Gorges, a summit climb and tall eucalypts on the southern Flinders.
- Hot pool
Hot pool · WitjiraHidden gem
Dalhousie Springs
Warm spring-fed pools in the Simpson Desert where you can swim year round.
- Walk
Walk · Port Lincoln
Lincoln National Park
Coastal park with white beaches, cliffs and bushcamping near Port Lincoln.
- Beach
Beach · Coffin Bay
Coffin Bay National Park
Dunes, bays and remote beaches with 4WD tracks and bush camps.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · Point LowlyHidden gem
Whyalla cuttlefish coast
Thousands of giant cuttlefish gather to breed here each winter.
- Walk
Walk · Stenhouse Bay
Innes National Park
The toe of the Yorke with surf beaches, cliffs and a ghost town.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Flinders Chase
Admirals Arch
A rock arch hung with stalactites, home to a New Zealand fur seal colony.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Port LincolnHidden gem
Whalers Way
A rugged private-reserve drive past cliffs, blowholes and sea lion colonies.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · Baird Bay
Baird Bay sea lions and dolphins
A small boat tour where you can swim alongside sea lions and dolphins.
- Activity
Activity · Vivonne Bay
Little Sahara
Huge white sand dunes you can sandboard down.
- Beach
Beach · Stokes BayHidden gem
Stokes Bay tunnel and rockpool
Squeeze through a rock tunnel to reach a hidden rockpool beach.
Cave · Naracoorte
Naracoorte Caves
A World Heritage cave system with a bat cave and fossil site.
Viewpoint · Coober Pedy
Breakaways Conservation Park
Layered desert hills that glow at sunset, 30 km north of Coober Pedy.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · OodnadattaHidden gem
Painted Desert (Arckaringa)
Striped hills of red, white and yellow in remote station country.
- Beach
Beach · Vivonne Bay
Vivonne Bay
A long white beach and jetty often rated among Australia's best.
- Lake
Lake · Mount Gambier
Blue Lake, Mount Gambier
A crater lake that turns vivid blue in summer and grey in winter.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Border Village
Bunda Cliffs lookouts
Sheer limestone cliffs dropping into the Southern Ocean, with signed pull-offs just off the highway.
- Walk
Walk · Mount ChambersHidden gem
Mount Chambers Gorge
A remote gorge with Aboriginal rock carvings, waterholes and bush camping.
- Beach
Beach · SouthendHidden gem
Canunda National Park
Huge white dunes and wild coast with camping near Southend.
- Wildlife
Wildlife · WaikerieHidden gem
Gluepot Reserve
Mallee bird reserve with bush camping and several threatened species.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · Streaky BayHidden gem
Murphys Haystacks
Pink granite boulders in a wheat paddock, shaped over millions of years.
- Beach
Beach · PenongHidden gem
Cactus Beach
A remote surf break at the end of a dirt road, with bush camping.
History · Flinders ChaseHidden gem
Cape Borda Lighthouse
A squat lighthouse and cannon on a remote cliff above the Southern Ocean.
- History
History · NildottieHidden gem
Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Park
An Aboriginal heritage site with some of the oldest known occupation in Australia.
- Lake
Lake · Salt Creek
Coorong National Park
A long coastal lagoon with pelicans, dunes and bush camps.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Woodforde
Morialta Falls
Three tiers of falls and a rocky gorge reached from a short, easy track.
- Winery
Winery · McLaren Vale
McLaren Vale wineries
Shiraz country with dozens of cellar doors within a short drive of the town.
- History
History · Burra
Burra Heritage Passport
A 19th century copper town where you can walk through miners' dugouts and old streets.
- Town
Town · Coffin Bay
Coffin Bay
Small oyster town with a calm bay and the park gate next door.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · EllistonHidden gem
Elliston Coastal Trail Sculptures
A clifftop trail dotted with sculptures and sweeping ocean views.
History · BeachportHidden gem
Beachport Jetty and Pool of Siloam
A long jetty and a nearby salt lake you can float on.
- Winery
Winery · Coonawarra
Coonawarra
Terra rossa soil and some of Australia's best Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Waterfall Gully
Waterfall Gully First Falls
A 30 metre cascade ten minutes from a car park, best after winter rain.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · Crafers
Mount Lofty Summit
The best view over Adelaide, the gulf and the plains from the top of the hills.
- Beach
Beach · Port Willunga
Port Willunga Beach
Sandstone cliffs, an old jetty footing and a wreck to snorkel at low tide.
- Beach
Beach · Second Valley
Second Valley
A sheltered cove with limestone cliffs, a jetty and clear water for a swim.
- Town
Town · Victor Harbor
Victor Harbor and Granite Island
Seaside town with a causeway to a small granite island, penguins and a horse-drawn tram.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Seppeltsfield
Seppeltsfield Road palms
A road lined with date palms that leads to one of the valley's oldest wineries.
- Walk
Walk · Clare
Riesling Trail
A 35 km sealed rail trail linking the Clare Valley's cellar doors and bakeries.
- History
History · Mintaro
Martindale Hall
A Georgian mansion in sheep country, open for tours and used as a film set.
- History
History · OodnadattaHidden gem
Algebuckina Bridge
A giant rail bridge across the Neales River with a free bush camp nearby.
- Town
Town · Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln
Seafood capital of Australia with marinas, tuna and coastal walks.
Beach · Fowlers Bay
Fowlers Bay
Sand dunes that roll into a clear bay, with sandboarding and a long jetty.
- Lake
Lake · Gawler RangesHidden gem
Lake Gairdner
A vast white salt lake with wide horizons and bush camping at its edge.
- Garden
Garden · Mount Gambier
Umpherston Sinkhole
A collapsed cave turned into a sunken garden, lit at night.
- Town
Town · Robe
Robe
A calm fishing town with a harbour, a historic obelisk and a small-town food scene.
- Activity
Activity · Quorn
Pichi Richi Railway
Heritage steam train through the Pichi Richi Pass between Quorn and Port Augusta.
- History
History · BeltanaHidden gem
Beltana ghost town
Preserved railway and stock-route town in the northern Flinders Ranges, with self-guided heritage walk.
- History
History · FarinaHidden gem
Farina ruins
Abandoned railway town restored by volunteers, with a bakery cellar and a cemetery.
Food stops
- Bakery
Bakery · SevenhillHidden gem
The Little Red Grape Bakery
A small bakery with award-winning pies and sausage rolls near the Riesling Trail.
- Pub
Pub · Parachilna
Prairie Hotel, Parachilna
The outback pub famous for its feral mixed grill of kangaroo, emu and camel.
- Pub
Pub · Overland CornerHidden gem
Overland Corner Hotel
A stone pub on a river bend, built in 1860 and now run by the National Trust.
- Roadhouse
Roadhouse · Nullarbor
Nullarbor Roadhouse
Eyre Highway roadhouse with 24-hour fuel, meals, rooms and camping.
Bakery · Port Elliot
Port Elliot Bakery
Seaside bakery famous for steak pies and jam buns.
Pub · TantanoolaHidden gem
Tantanoola Tiger Hotel
A pub with a stuffed tiger that locals say once stalked the district.
- Farm shop
Farm shop · Nuriootpa
Maggie Beer's Farm Shop
Farm shop and cafe with local produce, verjuice and pates by a well-known cook.
- Pub
Pub · Marree
Marree Hotel and Tom Kruse Museum
Gateway to the Oodnadatta and Birdsville tracks with a pub and desert history.
- Market
Market · Angaston
Barossa Farmers Market, Angaston
A Saturday morning market with local produce, baking and coffee.
Bakery · TanundaHidden gem
Apex Bakery, Tanunda
A Barossa German-style bakery known for its breads and pastries.
Places to stay
- Campground
Campground · Flinders Ranges
Wilpena Pound Resort campground
Camp on the edge of a giant natural amphitheatre in the Flinders Ranges.
Campground · Northern Flinders Ranges
Arkaroola camping
Camp inside a wilderness sanctuary known for star-gazing and rugged scenery.
- Campground
Campground · Brachina GorgeHidden gem
Brachina Gorge bush camping
Basic national park camps along the Brachina Gorge road, with toilets and no services.
Campground · Oodnadatta TrackHidden gem
Coward Springs Campground
Date palms, a mound spring and a hot bath in the desert.
- Campground
Campground · Stenhouse Bay
Pondalowie Bay campground
The park's biggest campground by a surf beach, with showers.
- Campground
Campground · William Creek
William Creek Hotel campground
Outback pub camp at a tiny town on the Oodnadatta Track, with scenic flights over Lake Eyre.
- Campground
Campground · Innes National Park
Pondalowie Bay campground, Innes
Surf-beach camp on the tip of Yorke Peninsula, with a rusty shipwreck nearby.
- Campground
Campground · Kangaroo Island
Rocky River campground, Flinders Chase
Kangaroo Island park camp with koalas, kangaroos and echidnas at the gate.
- Motel
Motel · Coober Pedy
Radeka Downunder Underground Motel
Underground rooms dug into the hill at Coober Pedy, with free stargazing on clear nights for two-night stays.
- Campground
Campground · Flinders Ranges National ParkHidden gem
Aroona campground
A quiet bush camp at the northern end of the park, start of several loop walks.
- Campground
Campground · Cape Jervis
Deep Creek Conservation Park campgrounds
Bush camping among kangaroos on the southern tip of the Fleurieu.
- Campground
Campground · Flinders Chase
Rocky River campground
The main park campground with wallabies and koalas around the sites.
Campground · Arkaroola
Arkaroola Village campground
Camping at the sanctuary base, with the observatory and Ridgetop Tour on your doorstep.
Motel · Coober Pedy
Desert Cave Hotel, Coober Pedy
Underground hotel rooms in the opal town, cool whatever the weather outside.
Campground · William CreekHidden gem
William Creek camping
Dusty outback camp next to the pub, with flights over Lake Eyre on offer.
- Holiday park
Holiday park · Wilpena
Rawnsley Park Station
A working sheep station with powered sites, cabins and sunset ridge walks.
- Campground
Campground · InnaminckaHidden gem
Innamincka Regional Reserve bush camps
Camp by Cooper Creek waterholes in far north-east SA, the area where Burke and Wills perished.
Campground · Oodnadatta
Pink Roadhouse camping, Oodnadatta
Camp at the pink roadhouse that anchors the Oodnadatta Track.
- Freedom camping
Freedom camping · Walker FlatHidden gem
Swamp Hen Reserve
Free riverside camping with a flushing toilet near the Walker Flat ferry.
- Glamping
Glamping · Wilpena Pound
Ikara Safari Camp
Permanent safari tents at Wilpena Pound with views of the pound's walls.
- Freedom camping
Freedom camping · FarinaHidden gem
Farina bush camping
Bush camping area looked after by the Farina station owners, beside the ruins of a 1800s railway town.
- Motel
Motel · Birdsville TrackHidden gem
Mungerannie Hotel
The only fuel and supplies stop on the Birdsville Track, beside a bore-fed wetland full of birds.
- Freedom camping
Freedom camping · Rapid BayHidden gem
Rapid Bay Jetty and Beach Camp
A long jetty, calm water and a small beach camp run by a local manager.
- Campground
Campground · MannumHidden gem
Bolto Reserve (Mannum)
A cheap river reserve camp opposite Mannum, reached by free ferry.
Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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