6 incredible wonders in South Australia to explore

Australia is full of wonders, from icons to the lesser known. Here, we’ve curated 6 wonders from our 100 list that South Australia gets to call its very own.

This article is part of our 100 Australian Wonders series. Throughout the series, we explore our nation’s wonders across culture, nature, food, islands and many more. We hope it inspires your own exploration of Australia’s many wonders.

1. Adelaide Oval, SA

Travelling with: Alexis Buxton-Collins

Whether you’re standing in the shade of the giant Moreton Bay figs looming over The Hill or sitting 50 metres above the turf on the roof of the new Riverbank Stand, being at Adelaide Oval on game day is always a thrill.

the Adelaide Oval in SA — Visit Adelaide Oval to see AFL, cricket, and more. (Image: Oval Hotel)

The rest of the time, visitors can step inside the hand-operated 1911 scoreboard or test their skills against the world’s greatest batsman at The Bradman Collection.

Want to stay the night? Australia’s first stadium stay, Oval Hotel , is just a few steps away behind soundproofed walls thick enough to withstand a Guns N’ Roses concert.

the elegant interior of Oval Hotel — The Oval Hotel is just a few steps away from Adelaide Oval. (Image: Oval Hotel)

2. Balumbul/Umpherston Sinkhole, Mt Gambier, SA

Travelling with: Kassia Byrnes

As the ocean slowly retreated, the exposed volcanic landscape of the aptly named Limestone Coast rose to the surface. Today, sinkholes, caves, ponds and lakes make this region of South Australia a paradise for serious divers, recreational swimmers and curious travellers alike.

But none leave an impression quite like the almost magical garden of Balumbul/Umpherston Sinkhole in Mt Gambier. Walk along impossibly green terraced gardens of ferns and hydrangeas and wind through hanging vines while towering palm trees make a bid for freedom as they reach towards the sky.

Stay until dusk, when the garden begins to come alive with possums coming out to feed.

the Umpherston Sinkhole in Mt Gambier, SA — Towering palm trees reach toward the sky at Umpherston Sinkhole. (Image: South Australia Tourism Commission)

3. Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA

Travelling with: Imogen Eveson

One of Australia’s most extraordinary wildlife encounters lies in wait on the wild southern coast of the country’s third largest island. A Kangaroo Island trip is incomplete without padding your way down through the sand dunes to Seal Bay, home to Australia’s third-largest colony of Australian sea lions.

Pups play in the sand and surf, bulls fight for supremacy and mothers rest with their young. Seal Bay has been a protected area since 1954 and the population of this endangered species numbers 1000 here.

the rugged shoreline of Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island — The rugged shoreline of Seal Bay has been a protected area since 1954. (Image: Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance)

Head to the visitor centre to follow a guide to the heart of the colony on the beach (from a safe and respectful distance) while learning about the unique breeding cycle of these magnificent wild creatures and the site’s ongoing research programs. You can also observe the action from the self-guided and wheelchair-accessible boardwalk that winds through the dunes.

A visit to Seal Bay with a guide from Southern Ocean Lodge is also a highlight of a stay at the newly relaunched luxury accommodation that puts guests in the wild heart of this wild island.

a sea lion at Seal Bay — See a resident sea lion at Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

4. Kangaroo Island’s Ligurian honey bees, SA

Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

It’s an ironic peculiarity that the purest strain of Ligurian bees resides on the opposite side of the world to their homeland. Twelve hives of Ligurian bees were brought from Italy to Kangaroo Island in 1881, chosen for their docile temperament and productivity.

The bees thrived – thanks to KI’s pristine landscape and climate that mirrors that of their ancestral home in northern Italy. This happenstance made Kangaroo Island the oldest bee sanctuary in the world, and as a result, a legacy of beekeeping has been instilled here.

a beekeeper holds eaten honeycombs in Kangaroo Island — Kangaroo Island is the oldest bee sanctuary in the world. (Image: Tourism Australia)

This is evidenced by the passionate apiarists across KI who combine Italian bees with local botanicals to create a truly idiosyncratic honey – such as the organic Boobialla honey, with nectar harvested from native juniper and coastal beard heath.

Visit the Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co. in Kingscote to learn all about this legacy.

See resident roos on Kangaroo Island. (Image: Tourism Australia)

5. Flinders Ranges, SA

Travelling with: Alexis Buxton-Collins

Studded with more than 200 fossils, the nine-metre Alice’s Restaurant Bed records the very dawn of complex life on Earth. But the most astonishing thing about this 600 million-year-old slab of rock in the newly opened Nilpena Ediacara National Park is that visitors are allowed – even encouraged – to touch silverfish-like Spriggina, raisin-shaped Attenborites and Parvancorina that look like buttons stamped with an anchor.

Visit nearby Wilpena Pound in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park, which looks like the aftermath of some cataclysmic eruption, and gaze up at the unblemished night skies over Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, and it’s easy to see why this region has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status.

a woman standing in the middle of the desert plains in Flinders Ranges — Explore the ancient rocky landscapes of Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park. (Image: Emilie Ristevski)

6. Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, SA

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

This glistening salt pan, which stretches for hundreds of kilometres across South Australia’s barren desert, is expected to transform into a pink and orange oasis of floodplains, channels and streams that attract a plethora of birdlife after heavy downfalls in the north earlier this year.

This natural phenomenon only happens once every few years, so 2024 is the time to witness it from above and from the ground with Outback Spirit’s exclusive and specialised Lake Eyre & Wilpena Pound Adventure or a scenic flight with Wrightsair .

a helicopter above Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, SA — See Lake Eyre as it transforms into a pink and orange oasis from above. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Keep reading our 100 Australian Wonders series; from road trips, outback and cultural wonders to foodie wonders and many more.

Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

Exploring K’gari

ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island — Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island — Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

Unwind at sunset

two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort — Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

Indulge and disconnect

woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa — Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

Getting there

kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island — The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.