A State of great diversity, South Australia has everything from a fabulous coastline with steep cliffs and fine sandy beaches to verdant green valleys, rugged mountains and undulating plains where cereal crops are grown.

The interior of South Australia is very different with climate becoming much drier and hotter. The landscape in the north of South Australia includes Coober Pedy where Opal are mined and the Flinders Ranges which stretch from the north of St. Vincent’s Gulf right into the outback.

The state capital is Adelaide and this is where most of the population is located, with most of the rest living in the towns of the Barossa and Clare valleys.

In the far north of South Australia the outback is a huge region of unforgiving but breathtaking scenery. Most of the area is wild desert, intersected occasionally with ancient mountain ranges, gorges, massive salt lakes and the odd hot spring.

The heavy winter rains allow many places here to burst into life, this being the best time to see wildflowers, animals and birds.

There is extensive aboriginal lands here and care should be taken as many of these can only be accessed by permit.

To the south of Adelaide the coastline is rugged and diverse with beautiful scenery and a wealth of birdlife. Good surfing beaches can be found on the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula which faces the powerful Southern Ocean. On this south side of the Fleurieu Peninsula there are rugged cliffs, long sands beaches and some sheltered bays and coves but the western side is much more sheltered. Fishing, walking, swimming and surfing are all popular on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

The diversity of wildlife is not unusual right across Australia, and this is mainly due to evolution taking place in isolation from anywhere else, for millions of years. South Australia is plentiful with wildlife and kangaroos and emus are common and on the western coastline of South Australia the hairy-nosed wombat can be found in large numbers. Wedge-tailed eagles can be seen flying effortlessly over the Gawler Ranges and over the coastlines ospreys, albatrosses, petrels and sea eagles soar above the cliffs.

Sea lions, dolphins and of course the feared great white sharks make the most of feeding on the abundant food supplies in the ocean.

For something utterly spectacular, it has to be however the southern right whales, who’s breeding ground is a the head of the Great Australian Bight, From June to October. One of the best vantage points to observe them is from the cliffs at the Head of Bight to the east of the Nullarbor National Park.

Economy

Europeans first settled in South Australia in 1836 but suffered financial problems very early on in its development largely due to mismanagement. However, in 1842 copper was discovered at Kapunda, which is to the north of Adelaide, and then in 1845 deposits were discovered at Burra, near Clare.

In 1859 more discoveries were made in a region known as Little Cornwall at the town of Wallaroo and two year later at Moonta both of which lie at the northern end of the Yorke Peninsula. During the 1870’s South Australia was indeed the largest copper producing region in the British Empire.

Today copper, uranium and silver is still mined in the area and has a great influence in boosting the economy of South Australia.

Around 10 per cent of Australia’s wheat and barley is produced on the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas.

Fishing is also an important part of the economy, with Port Lincoln being the numbered one tuna fishing port in Australia.

The salt lakes of the Yorke Peninsula supported the salt harvesting industry, which formed an important part of the regions economy, from the 1890’s up to the 1930’s when production dwindled.

Geography & Geology

South Australia has its southern coastal boundary with the Southern Ocean and to the west, Western Australia, to the North, Northern Territories, and to the East, Victoria and New South Wales and Queensland. With a total area amounting to one eighth the whole Australian continent. Half of this is rural land and six and a half percent is government chosen national parks and wildlife reserves. Most of the human population live on the southern coastal plains. There are around 100 islands off the South Australia coastline, the largest of which is Kangaroo Island which is around 480 km in circumference.

The Murray River drains around one seventh of the water from the Australian continent is South Australia’s only major river, and runs a course of 216 km.

South Australian rocks are ancient and have a complicated geological past, which dates back to a least one billion years. Up to 300 years ago extensive erosion removed a lot of the crust type features which exposed the folded and metamorphosed rocks of the basement layers, such as the outcrops in the Flinders Ranges. At that time, Australia was part of a super continent which we now call Gondwanda, and the signs of glacial deposits suggest that it was comparatively near to the South Pole.

After further erosion came flooding, which was when the Great Artesian Basin was shaped (the massive reservoir providing a large area of the Australian continent with groundwater). Rifting of the southern edge and break up of Gondwanda caused huge eruptions who’s rocks can now be seen in the Flinders Ranges.

Thinning and subsidence happened forty-five million years ago, so forming troughs which filled with seawater sediments precipitating as limestone’s. Most of these limestone’s contain stromatalites. When sea levels fell this resulted in coastal erosion, which shaped the spectacular limestone cliffs of South Australia.

About five to ten million years ago the sea receded because of tectonic processes. South Australia still experiences moderate levels of tectonic activity due to continual earth crust alteration.

Climate of South Australia

The South Australian climate is quite variable, from hot and dry in the interior, to the milder, wetter climate of the southern Mount Lofty Ranges and the southeast coast of South Australia.

Average yearly rainfall is in the range of about 100 mm in the region east of Lake Eyre, to more than 1000 mm on the higher areas of the Mount Lofty Ranges.

The climate in the state capital of Adelaide could be compared to the Mediterranean with lovely mild winters and marvellous warm to hot summers. December to February are the hottest months with Spring and Autumn bringing pleasing, mild days and nights.

Temperatures usually reach a maximum, in the summer months of 28º Celsius, whilst in the winter it falls to around 15º Celsius. However summer temperatures in the outback of South Australia regularly reach 40º Celsius.