Visiting SA: A state as accessible as it is diverse

THE diversity and accessibility of South Australia’s tourist regions are not only the state’s strengths; they’re also among its most important drawcards.

A beautiful sunset over a vineyard in South Australia.

SA is split into 12 tourist regions stretching from the Barossa Valley to the Coorong, Flinders Ranges to the Limestone Coast — and, of course, Adelaide itself. Each region, with its experiences and scenery, is different to the next.

But, as chief executive of the South Australian Tourism Commission Rodney Harrex points out, while there are the clearly defined regions, they are all connected through walking trails, bike tracks and self-drive tours.

The Heysen Trail winds some 1200km from Cape Jervis to Parachilna Gorge traversing coastal areas, bushland and historic towns. The Lavender Federation Trail is another walking trail that makes its way along 325km of bushland from Murray Bridge to the Clare Valley.

Then there are the innovative self-drive tours launched about 18 months ago by the SATC that link the regions together. The Epicurean Way connects the food and wine regions of the Clare Valley, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula. The Mighty Murray Way follows the river from the Riverland to the Murray’s mouth in the seaside town of Goolwa.

Rodney Harrex is the chief executive of the South Australian Tourism Commission.

“SA is welcoming more visitors than ever before, taking the state’s visitor economy to a record-breaking $6.6 billion,“ Harrex says. “The growth in domestic expenditure to

$5.5 billion complements international expenditure, now at an all-time high of $1.1 billion.

“It’s the quality of what you get here in SA that really sets us apart. And it’s all so accessible ... less than an hour away from our city, you can indulge in one of the world’s greatest wine experiences. But it’s our diversity, too. You want to swim with a shark in a cage? You can do that and it’s the only place in Australia where you can.”

It’s why travel bibles including Lonely Planet, New York Times and Conde Nast Traveller consistently rank South Australia in their must-see destinations.

Log on to southaustralia.com for more information on the self-drive tours.