South Australia Attractions

The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), located on the cultural boulevard of North Terrace in Adelaide, is the premier visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has, after the National Gallery of Victoria, the largest state art collection in Australia. With a large collection of more than 35,000 works of art and more than 510,000 visitors annually, the AGSA is renowned for its leading collections of Australian art (notably Indigenous Australian and colonial art), British art (including a large collection by Morris & Co.) and Japanese art. Located adjacent to State Library of South Australia, the South Australian Museum and the University of Adelaide, AGSA is part of Adelaide's North Terrace cultural precinct. The Gallery was established in 1881, and has existed at its current location since 1900. Subsequent renovations and a significant extension ...

The South Australian Museum is a museum in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultural precinct of the Adelaide Parklands. The museum contains the largest collection of Australian Aboriginal cultural artefacts in the world. Permanent galleries include: Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery South Australian Biodiversity Gallery World Mammals Gallery Mawson Gallery Megafauna Gallery Minerals and Meteorites Gallery Fossils Gallery Pacific Cultures Gallery Ancient Egyptian Room

On Lipson Street, within a historic warehouse, is the South Australian Maritime Museum. The Museum is housed in the former Elders Bond & Free Stores; a joined pair of Victorian warehouses. These bluestone buildings were built mostly between 1854–c1863. They were used as a warehouse until the 1970s when they began housing the Port Auction Mart. The site was purchased in 1980 by the State Government, during a program to redevelop the suburb. It was listed in July 1980 as a State Heritage Place. The buildings were restored, and converted to their current use, as part of the 1986 Jubilee 150 celebration. Within the museum is a reconstructed ketch and displays showing the accommodation for ship travelling migrants. The Museum houses the Port Adelaide Nautical Museum Collection. At the Port Adelaide Institute a diverse curio collection was formed into a museum from 1...

The South Australian Aviation Museum is the State's official aviation museum. It is run by an independent non-profit voluntary organisation that is accredited by the History Trust of South Australia. The Museum was formed in 1984 at Glenelg and relocated in 1986 to a former Port Adelaide Flourmill. It relocated again in 1996, to an aircraft hangar also in Port Adelaide, and in January 2006 opened on its present site in Lipson Street, adjacent to the railway museum. In 1991 the State Historical Aviation Collection became part of the Museum. This collection was formerly held by the National Motor Museum in Birdwood. A collection of rockets from Woomera was received for display in 1996. Amongst the exhibits are a Spitfire Mark VC that was recovered after crashing in Papua New Guinea in 1943, a de Havilland Sea Venom formerly from the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and a Douglas C-...

The National Motor Museum, Birdwood, Adelaide (in what used to be the Old Mill), is the endpoint of the annual Bay to Birdwood run, in which vintage motor vehicles are driven by their owners from Glenelg past the city and through the hills to finish at the museum where a festival is held. The museum was started by Jack Kaines and Len Vigar in 1964, and was purchased by the South Australian Government in 1976, holding a large and historically important collection of cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles.

Belair National Park is a national park of 835 ha, 11 km (7 mi) south of Adelaide City. Due to its history as a "Recreation Park" it has many good trails for bushwalking, as well as tennis courts and grassy areas available for hire, and a good adventure playground for children. Old Government House, the colony's first official Vice-regal summer residence, is located within the park. A vehicle entry fee applies to cars entering the park, or else its western parts can be accessed from the Belair line train, a 35 minute journey from Adelaide city. Gates open 8AM-sunset, except 25 Dec.

Cleland Conservation Park is a large National Park of 992 ha (2,450 a), located 20 min from Adelaide City. Although it lacks the picnic and sports facilities of Belair, Cleland offers greater opportunities for tourists to get up close and personal with Australian native fauna. Visitors can feed and wander at their leisure among kangaroos, wallabies, Emus and waterfowl. Displays of Dingoes, reptiles, Tasmanian Devils, Wombats, Echidnas and Koalas allow easy viewing access, or stroll through the aviaries. Visitors also have the rare opportunity to be photographed holding a Koala, under supervision from Parks and Wildlife Officers. There is also an Aboriginal cultural tour.

Morialta Conservation Park is located 10 km (6 mi) north-east of the CBD, where the suburbs meet the Adelaide hills. It covers 533 ha (1,317 a), and contains numerous walking trails of various levels of difficulty, including trails that pass by three major waterfalls, and provide panoramic views over Adelaide itself. There is also a popular rock climbing area within the park. Note that the waterfalls only flow in the winter months, and are usually completely dry by Christmas.

Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary is a privately run wildlife sanctuary, strongly fenced off from the outside, allowing it to remain completely free of feral plants and animals, especially cats. Warrawong offers unguided day, and guided day and night tours for tourists. As well as allowing visitors to get up close and personal with well known animals like the Kangaroo, Warrawong also offers a unique opportunity to see a number of very rare or less well known native Australian animals, such as the Platypus, Tree Kangaroo, Quoll, Bettong, Potoroo, Pademelon, Bandicoot, Bilby and Possums.