10/07/2025
Here are 50 fascinating facts about South Australia, perfect for curious minds, travellers, or anyone who loves this amazing state! đŚđş
đ Geography & Nature
1. Lake Eyre (Kati Thanda) is the largest salt lake in the Southern Hemisphere.
2. Coober Pedy is famous for its opal mining, and underground homesâdugoutsâbecause of the extreme outback heat.
3. South Australia is home to the only known breeding colony of Australian sea lions on the mainland.
4. The Nullarbor Plain is the flattest stretch of limestone in the world.
5. The Flinders Ranges are older than the Himalayasâformed over 600 million years ago.
6. Kangaroo Island is the third-largest island in Australia and is often called âAustraliaâs GalĂĄpagos.â
7. The Murray River is Australiaâs longest river and plays a crucial role in South Australiaâs ecosystem.
8. South Australiaâs coastline including mainland coastline, Kangaroo Island, Eyre Peninsula, and Yorke Peninsulaâ extends to a total of over 7,000 kilometres itâs had one of the longest stretches of uninterrupted coastline in Australia - plenty of stunning, uncrowded beaches.
9. Wilpena Pound is a natural amphitheatre of mountains, about 80 km longâformed from eroded mountains.
10. Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary is a privately-owned outback reserve with world-class stargazing and rugged geology.
đď¸ History & Culture
11. South Australia was the only Australian state founded by free settlers (not convicts).
12. Adelaide was planned before it was built, with wide boulevards and surrounding parklands.
13. South Australia was the first place in the world to give women the right to stand for Parliament (1894).
14. The Kaurna people are the Traditional Custodians of the Adelaide Plains.
15. The Adelaide Festival of Arts, established in 1960, is one of the worldâs major arts festivals.
16. Moonta, Kadina, and Wallaroo form the Copper Triangle, also known as âLittle Cornwallâ due to the 1800s Cornish mining boom.
17. South Australia had Australiaâs first political partyâthe United Labor Party.
18. Sir Donald Bradman, one of cricketâs greatest players, lived in Adelaide.
19. The South Australian Museum has one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Aboriginal artefacts.
20. The first mosque in Australia was built in Marree in the 1860s by Afghan cameleers.
đˇ Food, Wine & Drink
21. Barossa Valley is one of the worldâs oldest and most prestigious wine regions.
22. South Australia produces over 50% of all Australian wine.
23. The oldest Shiraz vines in the world are in the Barossa Valley, planted in 1843.
24. Penfolds Grange, one of the worldâs most collectible wines, originates from Adelaide.
25. Haighâs Chocolates, established in Adelaide in 1915, is Australiaâs oldest family-owned chocolate maker.
26. The Fleurieu Peninsula and Adelaide Hills are also famous for cool-climate wines and artisan food.
27. South Australiaâs oysters from Coffin Bay are considered among the finest in the world.
28. Pie floaters (a meat pie in pea soup) are a quirky South Australian delicacy.
29. Farmers Union Iced Coffee outsells Coca-Cola in SAâitâs that iconic.
30. The Clare Valley Rieslings are regarded among the best in the world.
đ¨ Wildlife & Environment
31. South Australia is home to over 1,500 native plant species and 400+ vertebrate animals.
32. Monarto Safari Park is the largest open-range zoo in the Southern Hemisphere.
33. Eyre Peninsula is one of the few places in the world you can cage dive with great white sharks (if youâre into that!).
34. Kangaroo Island is a wildlife haven, with kangaroos, echidnas, koalas, and endangered birds.
35. The greater bilby and yellow-footed rock wallaby have protected habitats in SA.
36. Whale watching is popular along the Fleurieu and Eyre Peninsulas, especially around Victor Harbor and Fowlers Bay.
37. The leafy seadragon, South Australiaâs marine emblem, can be found off the coast of Rapid Bay.
đď¸ Quirky, Cool & Unique
38. The Big Lobster in Kingston SE is affectionately called âLarry the Lobster.â
39. Snow rarely falls in SA, but you can occasionally see frost in the Adelaide Hills and Flinders Ranges.
40. Adelaide has the highest number of restaurants per capita of any Australian city.
41. Whyalla is famous for the annual migration of giant Australian cuttlefishâa true underwater spectacle.
42. Port Lincoln is known as the seafood capital of Australia.
43. Mount Gambierâs Blue Lake mysteriously changes colour from grey to vivid blue each summer.
44. SA is known as the Festival State for good reasonâdozens of cultural, food, music, and fringe festivals take place annually.
45. The Streaky Bay region has some of the clearest skies in the worldâperfect for astrophotography.
46. Henley Beach Jetty once had tram lines running all the way from Adelaideâs CBD in the early 1900s.
47. SAâs state floral emblem is the Sturtâs desert pea, with its iconic blood-red petals.
48. Port Adelaide has one of the best-preserved 19th-century port precincts in Australia.
49. The Coorong inspired Colin Thieleâs famous childrenâs book, Storm Boy.
50. Adelaide is UNESCOâs first and only City of Music in Australia.
