Top places to visit in each of Australia’s states

SA is perhaps a bigger state than you realise—most people only think of Adelaide when they picture SA. Indeed, almost 80% of South Australians reside in Adelaide. However, there is a vast variety of landscapes to be found in SA, so long as you are willing to venture outside of the city.

Great Wine Capital

This is one for all the wine-lovers. SA is home to multiple wine regions—and I encourage you to visit them all during the course of your WHV! The most famous regions are the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills, but there are a total of 18 to choose from. SA has earned the title of one of the Great Wine Capitals of the world, competing alongside well-known regions like Bordeaux in France or California’s Napa Valley.

A notable mention for Hahndorf, a small town within the Adelaide Hills. It’s essentially a German themed town in the middle of Australia, so European WHV-makers missing home can come here to reconnect with European architecture and food. It also gives non-drinkers something to do outside of wine tastings, as there are gardens, art galleries, cheese shops, chocolate shops, and a strawberry farm to enjoy.

Coober Pedy

Coober Pedy feels like you’ve left Earth for Mars or another desert planet. It’s distinctly different from anything you’ll experience in Adelaide, the wine regions, or the South Australian coast. This small mining town, dubbed the opal capital of the world, is a nine-hour drive from Adelaide. Coober Pedy is normally only visited by people making the long drive north to Uluru.

Staying in a dugout (houses built entirely underground to escape the heat) was one of the weirdest experiences I had in my entire WHV, but also one of the most memorable. You can tour the working mines and the dugouts, and the local guides have fascinating stories to tell about their life in the outback.

My other highlight of my Coober Pedy stay was meeting the volunteers at the Kangaroo Orphanage. For a donation of your choice, you are invited to meet the kangaroos currently being looked after by the orphanage, and can usually take part in the joey feeding. The orphanage is situated in the back of Josephine’s Gallery, where you can purchase incredible Aboriginal artwork.

Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is one of Australia’s largest islands and has become famous for its natural, rugged landscapes and abundance of wildlife. It got its name from the sheer number of kangaroos that the first settlers encountered.

It’s a bit of a mission to reach—you will need to fly, or drive south from Adelaide to Cape Jervis and take the ferry from there—but it’s worth the effort. Look out for the penguins at Penneshaw and sea lions at Seal Bay. The island is also home to the impressive Admiral’s Arch and Remarkable Rocks, found within Flinders Chase National Park, which covers more than 126 square miles of Kangaroo Island.