5 freakishly beautiful sights in SA

By Clair Morton
Published: Friday, April 20, 2018
Updated: January 24, 2022 at 10:17 am

We often travel far and wide to discover breathtaking places across the world, but how often do we look in our own backyard? South Australia is full of stunning sights of its own and we’ve made it our mission to uncover them. Here’s a few to get you started:

1. Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens in autumn

The colour of the season is red, and if you head to the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens over the next few weeks, that’s exactly what you’ll get. Prepare to be blown away by the rich scarlets and yellows of autumn as you walk through the vast garden, with fallen leaves crunching underfoot.

The garden is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am–4pm, weekends and public holidays 10am-5pm. Entry is free, and use of the carpark is $1 an hour, or $2 for the whole day.

Free guided tours of the Garden are also available every Thursday, departing at 10.30am from the Lower Car Park.

Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens in Autumn.

2. Wilpena Pound from above

When people think of the Flinders Ranges, the image it conjures is usually one of Wilpena Pound, a mountainous amphitheatre which rises from an otherwise flat and fairly sparse land. As well as being iconic, it’s home to some pretty unique accommodation and full of amazing hiking trails. But it’s only from the sky that you can truly appreciate the true shape of the pound. That’s when it becomes freakishly beautiful.

Did you know? RAA members save 5% on selected flights over Wilpena Pound.

3. Below ground level in the Umpherston Sinkhole

As you descend into the lush green of the Umpherston Sinkhole in Mt Gambier, you could be forgiven for thinking you were entering an alternate reality.

Set in a collapsed cave, and originally cultivated by its namesake James Umpherston in 1884, this sunken garden is bizarre, historic and breathtakingly beautiful all at once.

It’s open every day until late in the evening. If you do plan to stay ’til dusk, watch out for the sinkhole’s nocturnal inhabitants – several dozen possums – who come out to play as the sun goes down.

Umpherston Sinkhole, Mt Gambier

4. Remarkable Rocks, Kangaroo Island

These rocks are instantly recognisable to most South Australians, and for good reason.

Perched on the edge of rugged Kangaroo Island in Flinders Chase National Park, the red-tinged granite rock formations are testament to the power of nature as they have been sculpted by exposure to the harsh elements over millennia. They’re easy to access via a wheelchair-friendly boardwalk, and there’s a viewing platform for those who don’t need to get too close. A trip to Kangaroo Island really wouldn’t be complete without visiting this geological wonder.

Need help getting there? Members save 10% on Sealink passenger fares from Cape Jervis to KI.

Remarkable Rocks, Kangaroo Island

5. Underwater at Port Noarlunga

Port Noarlunga is a regular inclusion among the best beaches South Australia has to offer, but it’s at the end of the jetty where the real magic happens. Take your snorkel and dive right in to be immersed in a watery world where schools of zebra fish and silver sweep dart over the natural coral reef. Not freakishly beautiful enough? The bright nudibranchs that dot the reef might do the trick, and if not the luminescent colours of resident cuttlefish certainly will.

If you venture out to the outer reef, you may also catch a glimpse of a wobbegong shark, a playful dolphin, or, at the right time of year, even a southern right whale.

Snorkel at Port Noarlunga

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