South Australia Travel Sights Australia
South Australia covers some of the most arid parts of the continent and with a total land area of 983,482 square kilometres (379,725 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories. It is bordered to the west by Western Australia, to the north by the Northern Territory and Queensland, to the east by Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. With 1.5 million people, the state comprises less than 10 per cent of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the states and territories. The majority of South Australians reside in the state capital, Adelaide, with most of the remainder settled in fertile areas along the south-eastern coast and River Murray.
The South Australian terrain consists largely of arid and semi-arid rangelands, with several low mountain ranges in which the most important mountains are the Mt Lofty-Flinders Ranges system which extends north about 800 kilometres (497 mi) from Cape Jervis to the northern end of Lake Torrens and salt lakes. The highest point in the state is not in those ranges, but Mount Woodroffe at 1,435 metres (4,708 ft) in the Musgrave Ranges in the extreme northwest of the state. The western portion of the state consists of the sparsely-inhabited Nullarbor Plain fronting the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight. The principal industries and exports of South Australia are wheat, wine and wool. More than half of Australia's wines are produced here. South Australia Regions of Most Interest to the Tourist |
South Australia
The state's origins were unique in Australia as
a freely-settled, planned British province rather than a
convict settlement. Official settlement began on 28
December 1836 when the state was proclaimed at The Old Gum
Tree by Governor Hindmarsh. The first city/town to be
established, was Kingscote, Kangaroo Island established in
1836.
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