If you’re traveling east from WA, the Nullarbor Plain is the icon of Aussie Road trips, taking you to South Australia. The name Nullarbor comes from a Latin word meaning ‘no trees’ so many travellers are surprised at the landscape. The journey, in fact, takes you to the amazing coastline of the Great Australian Bight and through an array of different vegetation. Take the opportunity to snorkel with sea lions and dolphins on the Eyre Peninsula and stand on the edge of the longest cliff in the world. Australia’s largest grouping of Southern Right Whales can be found here in May, when they mate and have babies before making the journey back to Antarctica in October. The Nullarbor is also famous for its caves, many with lakes at the bottom of them. The Eyre Highway travels through only a small section of the 250 000sq km limestone plain and a huge variety of vegetation is seen in a crossing.
South Australia offers great surf, the stunning Grampian Ranges and is a starting point for the spectacular Great Ocean Road.
Adelaide is the capital of SA, with a charming ‘old English’ flavour to its architecture, many churches and cultural events. The trained ear may even detect a slightly British sounding accent from locals. Like Perth and Darwin, Adelaide is a small city when compared to Sydney or Melbourne – giving it a slower pace. Although not the actual centre of the city, Rundle Mall is the shopping centre of Adelaide. Rundle Street’s eastern end has some of the city’s best dining and boutique shopping, while North Terrace, running parallel to Rundle Street, is the city’s cultural centre with a grand boulevard lined with a gallery, museum, state library and the university. The River Torrens separates the city centre from north Adelaide, and a green belt of parkland surrounds both areas.
The airport is about 6km west of the city centre and the interstate train terminal is just south west of the city centre in the suburb of Keswick. Interstate buses arrive at Central in the middle of town. Most hostels are in the south east corner of the city. Rundle Street, Hindley Street and North Terrace are the best places for eating.
 |
 |
 |