Adelaide, the state's "Festival City," hugs the shoreline of the Southern Ocean, and is a perfect starting point to set out on an exploration of the wine regions, mountain ranges, the Outback, and the spectacular animal sanctuaries on its doorstep.

Immigrants from the wine-growing regions of Germany have added a romantic twist to the vineyards within easy reach of Adelaide. Pretty hamlets complete with Lutheran churches, fine restaurants and cellar-door tastings can be found in the Barossa Valley and the Adelaide Hills.

Wildlife abounds in South Australia, but Kangaroo Island off the coast of Adelaide is the most remarkable sanctuary of them all. Kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, birdlife, penguins, seals and sea lions, as well as other native creatures and impressive scenery make the island one of the top destinations in Australia.

Also just stone's throw from Adelaide lies the South Australian Outback. Here, desert, salt pans and sand hills roamed by camels and kangaroos are made all the more dramatic by the craggy hills of the Flinders Ranges, ghost towns, and the region's pioneering history.