 Attractions
Art Gallery of SA: The Classical Tuscan portico of the art gallery adds a suitably formal note to the buildings of learning and enlightenment that line Adelaide's splendid North Terrace. The portico was added in 1936, although the main building was completed in1889. The gallery is renowned for its extensive collection of prints and drawings. It is located on North Terrace.
Botanic Gardens: A garden of 19th Century order and calm was designed in 1855. The avenue of grand old Moreton Bay figs leading north from the Main Lake was planted in 1866. The Museum of Economic Botany (1879), a formal Classical Revival building almost enveloped by the surrounding greenery, is also of interest. The superb iron gates facing North Terrace were cast in 1880 in the United Kingdom. Located on North Terrace.
Charles Sturt Memorial Museum: Modest house of hand-made red bricks, known as The Grange, built in 1841 for explorer and administrator Charles Sturt, who lived there until he returned to England with his family in 1853. Sturt discovered the Murray River, and his official offices included those of Surveyor-General, Registrar-General and Colonial Treasurer. Many of the elegant furnishings in the house were donated by Sturt's relatives.
Fort Glanville: South Australia's first military fortification, built in 1878 in response to widespread fear of Russian invasion. The restored fort is considered to be an excellent example of a 19th Century coastal battery in Australia. Reenactments are sometimes held. Located at Semaphore.
Innes National Park: Dense bushland with dunes, salt lakes, claypans and breathtaking views across Investigator Strait. Sanctuary for the rare western whipbird, rediscovered on Yorke Peninsula in 1965. Park visitors enjoy fishing, diving and spectacular surf.
Zoological Gardens: Adelaide Zoo is one of Australia's oldest and most interesting. Landscaped with grassy moated enclosures, walk through aviaries full of tropical birds and for the more adventurous a reptile house. The zoo is located on Frome Road, Adelaide.
Ayers House: Visit the home of Sir Henry Ayers, seven times premier of South Australia. Once used for cabinet dinners, grand balls and parliamentary dinners, it is now open to the public and is part museum, part restaurant. Located at 288 North Terrace, Adelaide.
South Australian Museum:
This museum is famous for its Australian Aboriginal Collection and it also features an Egyptian Room, natural history and ethnographic exhibits. Located on the North Terrace in Adelaide City.
Adelaide Casino: Formerly a grand railway station, now a palatial style casino with full gaming facilities for a little excitement and alot of fun. Located on the North Terrace in the city.
Tandanya: The first major Aboriginal Cultural facility in Australia. Facilities include a performing arts centre, a museum gallery and an art and craft workshop. Located at 253 Grenfell Street, Adelaide.
Glenelg: A picturesque seaside suburb of Adelaide with long stretches of beaches and a multitude of restaurants and cafes. An ideal family destination for a relaxing and fun filled day.
The Blue Lake: This is Mount Gambier's star attraction. It occupies one of the extinct craters after which the city was named. Every November the waters change from a dull grey to deep blue and remain so for several months. The lake is the city's source of water and admiration.
Mount Gambier Cooperative Dairy Products: A modern and well-equipped cheese factory where you can see cheese being made from a viewing gallery, watch an audio-visual production or take part in a cheese tasting.
Victorians Museum: The two collections on view are a Victorians exhibition and a display on militaria, including guns, grenades, helmets and swords. There is also a major collection of items used in World War 2 by the Third Reich's Luftwaffe.
Big Lobster: Seventeen-metre high Larry the Lobster contains displays of the district's products -timber, dairy products, wine and rock lobster. This is a fun and educational destination.
Cafe Jaffa Lighthouse: This lighthouse began life on Margaret Brock Reef in the 1860's and stayed there for a century. In the 1970's and automatic light rendered it redundant and it was dismantled and reerected at Kingston. The National Trust manages the lighthouse as a fascinating and historical landmark.
Keith Congregational Church: Standing proud in Heritage Street is the former Congregational Church. Built of local stone in 1910 it is now owned by the Keith branch of the National Trust. Four lead light windows, made by local artists depict the work of the district's pioneers.
Petticoat Lane: The National Trust of South Australia has restored a number of heritage buildings in this, the oldest section of Penola. Petticoat Lane had been reconstructed with red gum guttering and landscaping to complement the old cottages.
The Tiny Train Park: This park is for children. The miniature electric train pulls five carriages on which children sit. The park also contains an extensive and safe playground for children and an eighteen-hole mini golf course.
Woods/MacKillop Schoolhouse: In Penola in 1866 Mother Mary MacKillop established the first school in Australia that catered for all children irrespective of their income or social class. The Schoolhouse now contains memorabilia from both Mother Mary and Father Woods.
The Big Orange: Three kilometres from the town and set in an orange grove, the Big Orange sells Riverland produce such as dried fruit and nuts, fresh citrus fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice, Riverland wines and local arts and crafts. The lookout of the Big Orange provided great views of the Riverland.
Bredl's Wonder World of Wildlife: This wildlife park is one of Australia's largest private zoos and has the biggest collection of reptiles in the country. On show are snakes, alligators and crocodiles as well as other animals and birds. Make a time to watch the snake feeding and handle a boa constrictor.
Harding's Folklore Gallery: The central feature of this gallery is its massive 74 square metre ceiling mural. It depicts colonial Australian bush rangers and took more than 3000 hours to finish. Also on display are collections of colonial art and weapons.
Historical Museum and Heritage Society: In the town's old railway buildings, this museum displays artifacts and photographs from the river's paddle steamer past and rail history. A model of the paddle steamer "Lazy Jane", old rail trucks, rail line, signals and the old wharf can be seen.
The Lookout Tower: The views from this 15.8 metre lookout tower are stunning -Berri, the river and the orchards around it are seen in panoramic detail.
Loxton Historical Village: These buildings and machinery have been preserved to recreate the region's early settlers' way of life. There are twenty five fully furnished buildings including farm buildings, a 1920s garage, a blacksmith's shop, a school, general store and chapel.
PS Industry: This working paddle steamer was built in 1911 as a work boat for the South Australian Engineering and Water Supply Department. Its job was to keep the river open for traffic by removing snags. Restored to its original condition, it is still powered by steam and is moored at Renmark.
Pumping Station & Water Filtration Plant: Guided tours are available at this impressive piece of engineering, built to pump water to South Australia's Iron Triangle towns at the top of Spener Gul and beyond.
Terrigal Fauna Park: this fauna park is set in an orchard and features swans, Cape Barren geese, native ducks, kangaroos, wallabies and nocturnal marsupials. It has sixty aviaries with Australian parrots; there is also a miniature children's zoo. Friendly pheasants also roam the grounds for your entertainment.
Wilabalangaloo Flora and Fauna Reserve: Four kilometres from Berri, this 100 hectare property has walking trails from which to spot native animals, birds and admire the magnificent river scenery. The large homestead dates from 1942 and is now a museum of early river history, with photographs of the town.
Malleebaa Wool Shed: Eighteen breeds of sheep are on display at Malleebaa, a few kilometres north of Goolwa. The display covers every facet of the wool industry, from sheep shearing demonstrations to woollen arts and crafts, hand spun wool and woollen products.
Mount Compass Broad walk: This broad walk has been built above a small swamp which contains many rare, venerable and endangered plants. Rare and delicate orchids, ferns and insect-eating sundew plants have been found scattered throughout this fascinating swamp.
Museum of Historical Art: The museum features a variety of historical paraphernalia including firearms, coins, paper money, badges, bottles and Aboriginal artifacts. Also on display are shells, rocks, minerals, moths and butterflies.
National Trust Museum: This historic museum, in the town's old blacksmith's shop (c1872), exhibits a collection of artifacts relating to the history of Goolwa. On exhibit are items salvaged from ships wrecked in the area, and a dining room and bedroom filled with memorabilia.
Stone & Haywood Stationary Engine Museum: In Belvidere, you can view a large collection of stationary engines. More than 500 working models, the earliest dating from 1898, have been collected from all over Australia. Also on display are vintage cars and buses. Damper and billy tea are provided.
Tooperang Trout Farm: South-east of Mount Compass, Tooperang Trout Farm is the state's largest. The fish are reared naturally in the farm's spring-fed ponds. You can see trout in all stages of development and even cast a line if you feel like it.
Granite Island: One of Victor Harbours main visitor attractions, the island is linked to the mainland by a causeway. A horse tramway carries visitors to the island behind a placid Clydesdale. On the island, fairy penguins hide beneath rocks during the day, coming out at night to feed and frolic.
Big Rocking Horse:At 18.3 m high, this is the biggest rocking horse in the world. It has three observatoin decks, a bush coffee house and picnic area and 100 Australian and international destination boards showing directions and distances to your home town or nearby. The toy Factory offers Australia's largest range of wooden toys, games, and puzzles in its huge shop. The rocking horse is located in Adelaide Hills.
Fairyland Village:is a copy of a traditional German theme park, with 14 chalets each depicting a fairytale. Most of the charcters are animated, and favourite scenes include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Hansel and Gretel. The village also has a kiosk and a playground.
Old Parliament House: For a trip back in time visit Old Parliament House, built in 1855 as South Australia's original Legislative Council chamber. This museum of political histiory gives you the perfect introduction to South Australia with displays and audio visual programs. The courtyard restaurant is the perfect retreat from the city bustle.
Things To Do Outside Of Adelaide:
Kangaroo Island: Kangaroo Island is the third largest island in Australia and is very sparsely populated and like other islands on the south coast of Australia has a very rugged appearance. On the north side of the island are beautiful protected beaches. The island is abundant in wildlife and is an excellent fishing area. Tours are operated on the island to watch seal colonies, historic buildings, and the lighthouse. Along the coastline are some shipwrecks which are very popular with scuba divers. On the south coast of the island is a colony of fairy penguins at Hanson Bay and at Seal Bay there are many resident seals. At Little Sahara are a group of magnificent sand dunes.
The Barossa Valley: The Barossa Valley is Australia's premier wine growing reason. The Barossa Valley has over 50 wineries and many are open to the where there is a guided tour and often a free wine tasting. The scenery of the Barossa Valley is one of beauty with soft rolling hills, grazing sheep and the vines that grow some of the world's best wines.
Yorketown: Yorktown situated on the Yorke Peninsula has nearly three hundred salt lakes in its vicinity that turn pink when there is going to be a change of weather. It is a fantastic place for a quiet peaceful holiday.
Hahndorf: Hahndorf is situated 28 kilometres south east of Adelaide in the Adelaide hills. It is a German town that was a refuge for German Lutheran settlers who were trying to escape religious persecution in 1839. Today the houses and shops have been restored and have traditional characteristics such as fachwerk timber framing with wattle and daub infill. The town also features interests such as an antique clock museum, and the Beerenberg Strawberry Farm.
Mount Gambier: Mount Gambier is situated 439 kilometres south east of Adelaide. Mount Gambier is on an extinct volcano, and the city is situated in the middle of the largest pine plantation in Australia. There are four crater lakes in the area, the most popular lake being Blue Lake. Each year at the beginning of November the Blue Lake turns from grey to a very intense turquoise and then changes back to grey at the end of summer.
|