South Australia is known for its rich wine regions, vibrant festival culture and diverse natural wonders.
It has been the home of Australia’s Indigenous peoples for more than 49,000 years, and was established as a British province in 1836. With so much history, it’s unsurprising that visitors will discover ancient rock art, historic homesteads and old mines in every corner of the state.
Keep reading to learn about six of the most interesting historic attractions in South Australia.
Prison practices at Adelaide Gaol
Built in 1841, Adelaide Gaol is one of the oldest remaining colonial public buildings in Adelaide. Over its 147 years of operation, more than 300,000 prisoners passed through its hallowed halls and 45 people were executed. In fact, the first public hanging took place in 1840, when the site was still under construction.
The daily schedule in the prison was strict, and most prisoners spent around 14 hours alone each day, even eating their meals in their cells.
Today, you can explore the rich history of the prison on a self-guided tour. Along the way, you will discover the mugshot exhibition, where the untold stories behind nine of the gaol’s most notorious prisoners unfold, the archeological dig site where experts are learning more about the prisoners’ activities, and the interactive museum where you can touch artefacts once used in the gaol.
The Adelaide Gaol Preservation Society runs tours for brave souls, including a Paranormal Investigations tour where you’ll use proper investigative equipment to search the gaol for lost spirits after dark. For families, try the Twilight Tour, which mixes history and paranormal activity with less of the grisly content.
To immerse yourself in the minds of the prisoners, sign up for an Escape Cells experience. Together with your friends and family, you will have to work together to piece together clues and escape the locked room. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, make sure to stop by the Mugshot Canteen for fresh coffee, wraps, toasties and hot dogs.
Naracoorte Caves National Park are a prehistoric wonder
Naracoorte Caves National Park is South Australia’s only World Heritage site. For over 500,000 years, the caves have preserved the most complete fossil record of the time period, which includes several ice ages, the arrival of humans and the extinction of Australia’s megafauna around 60,000 years ago.
Palaeontologists have excavated many of the fossils found in the caves and used them to reconstruct the skeletons of megafauna. Species including the Thylacoleo carnifex, Zygomaturus and Sthenurine kangaroo have all been identified in the cave walls. So far, around 130 species have been recorded.
When visiting, you can choose from above and below ground experiences. The Stick-Tomato Cave is the easiest underground site to access, and just 20 steps will take you into the two well-lit chambers. If you’re a fossil fanatic, join a guided tour of the Victoria Fossil Cave, the most famous cave where tens of thousands of bones have been recovered. Along the way, your guide will discuss excavation techniques and point out skeletons of incredible megafauna.
For those who would rather stay above ground, the Roof Top Loop Walk is an accessible path with viewing platforms looking down into the cave interior. Then, head to the Wonambi Fossil Centre to learn how the caves acted as traps, dens and roosts and accumulated fossils. The centre recreates what it would have been like when megafauna roamed the earth, making it ideal for kids and adults alike.
Amazing art at The Cedars
Deep in the Adelaide Hills region, just 20 minutes from Adelaide, is the historic home of renowned Aussie artist Sir Hans Heysen and his daughter, Nora Heysen. Born in Hamburg, Germany, Heysen moved to Adelaide with his family in 1884, when he was seven years old.
He went on to become one of Australia’s most celebrated artists, famed for his stunning paintings of the Australian landscape. He was knighted in 1959 for his contribution to art. Following in her father’s footsteps, Nora was a talented artist known for still lifes and portraits. She was the first woman to win the Archibald Prize in 1938.
Today, visitors can wander the colonial style villa surrounded by 35 acres of gardens. Inside, you will find original furnishings and artworks, which offer a glimpse into the lives of the Henysen family. You’re also invited to step inside Hans’ purpose-built studio, which still houses unfinished works, and Nora’s heritage-listed studio.
On the grounds, you will find magnificent gums and plenty of native flora and fauna. The Artist’s Walk takes you to some of Hans’ favourite painting spots, or you can simply let nature guide you to hidden alcoves of beauty.
Or, if you’d prefer to join a guided tour, a knowledgeable volunteer will take you through the original home and studios while sharing little-known facts about the property and its famous owners.
When you’ve worked up an appetite, The Cedars Kitchen cafe is housed in the elegantly restored and renovated laundry and tack room. Choose from a cup of Heysen tea or locally roasted coffee, and indulge in a selection of sweet and savoury treats. Or, for something extra special, you can enjoy a three tier high tea experience, with homemade delights paired with tea, coffee and wine.
Strike gold at Coorong National Park
Coorong National Park is a vast wetland of international importance, supporting many endangered flora and fauna species. The serenity and diversity of landscapes, including beaches, saltwater lagoons and towering sand dunes, make it a popular spot for boating, fishing, camping, bushwalking and four-wheel driving.
However, the park is also an important site for European and Indigenous history. It is the home of the Ngarrindjeri people, who named it Kurrangk (meaning ‘long narrow neck’). Current management of the park includes oversight from Ngarrindjeri elders to preserve cultural heritage.
After European settlement, the park was a major stock, mail coach and migrant route. The self-guided history trail, which can be downloaded from the park website, takes visitors to some of the most important sites. Start at Point Malcolm Lighthouse, Australia’s only inland and smallest lighthouse, standing at seven metres tall. It was built by well-known British builder Richard Trenouth, and watched over the narrow passage between Lake Albert and Lake Alexandria, where fishing boats, sailing vessels and cargo steamers regularly passed.
Perhaps the most famous landmark is Chinaman’s Well, which dates back to the gold rush days. In the early 1850s, during the initial rush to find gold in Victoria, South Australia had the only port that didn’t charge Chinese immigrants to dock. This meant many ships diverted here to offload passengers, who then had to travel through the Coorong to reach the goldfields. Chinaman’s Well was a reliable source of water established by gold rush hopefuls and built using limestone and sandstone from nearby quarries. Nearby, you will also find the remains of an eating house and the stumps of telegraph poles.
Uncover a Cornish colony at Moonta Mines
In 1859, copper was found near Kadina and sparked a mining boom on the Yorke Peninsula. When traces were found near a wombat burrow in Moonta, one of Australia’s richest copper mines was established in town. Many skilled workers, mostly from Cornwall in the UK, flooded to the region, producing $67,000 worth of ore in the first year.
Today, the Moonta Mines National Heritage Area spans 320 hectares, including a museum, heritage railway and traditional sweets shop. The Moonta Mines Museum is housed inside the Moonta Mines School, built in 1878 to educate the children of Cornish miners. Each of the 14 rooms contains costumes, silverware, photographs and memorabilia telling the story of the work, pastimes, hardships and experiences of the miners. There’s also a classroom furnished in its original style, so you can step back in time and discover what it would’ve been like to study here in the 1800s.
The Tourist Railway, which departs opposite the museum, takes visitors on a guided tour of the Moonta Mines State Heritage Area with detailed commentary from your driver. On the ride, you’ll pass many landmarks of the mining operations, including the reservoir and ore sorting floors.
When you return to town, make sure to visit the Old Sweet Shop, which was built in 1946 and sells a variety of old fashioned sweets and English lollies. The Moonta Mines Cottage and Heritage Garden is another must-visit, and is an excellent example of the hundreds of cottages built by miners between their shifts to house their families. This particular cottage was constructed out of hand fired bricks and the interior is furnished to reflect the style of the 1870s.
Indigenous rock art abounds at Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park
Combining rugged mountain ranges, deep gorges, calm creeks and abundant wildlife, Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park spans 95,000 hectares and offers a range of activities including bushwalking, four-wheel driving, birdwatching and cycling.
But it is perhaps most known for its abundance of Aboriginal rock art sites. The ranges are the traditional home of the Adnyamathanha people, and the best example of their art can be found at Akurra Adnya (Arkaroo Rock). The painting site depicts parts of the Yura Muda (Creation stories) for the region. According to the Yura Muda, Creation serpents known as Akurra carved out the Flinders Ranges, and now two Akurra bodies form the walls of Ikara-Wilpena Pound.
Another important site is Yura Malka, a sacred canyon that cannot be accessed unless you join a tour with a Adnyamathanha guide. As you walk on Country, you will learn about the cultural significance of the canyon and its creation story, while also looking at ancient rock engravings. The stories of this area can only be shared by specific Adnyamathanha community members.
To discover the top food and wine experiences in South Australia, click here.
Rex flies to South Australia. For more information, head to the Rex website or check out the route map below.
