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About Australia

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South Australia

South Australia features much of the country’s desert landscapes, which have been used for films such as Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome.

As well as being Australia’s driest state, it’s also home to the famed Barossa Valley wine region and its state capital, Adelaide, is home to the country’s largest open-access arts festival.


key facts

  • Location: The southern, middle portion of the continent, in between Western Australia and Victoria (with the Northern Territory above it)
  • Population: 1,699,000
  • Size: 983,482 km2

weather

SA’s weather is Mediterranean by the coast but hot and dry inland.

  • Summer average: 24–33°C
  • Winter average: 9–15°C
  • Average rainfall: 200–1,000 mm

local economy

Manufacturing is SA’s largest industry, making up more than 10% of the state’s workforce, 70% of its exports and more than 40% of research and development expenses.

Agriculture is also a significant sector for the SA economy and the wine industry in particular provides a major contribution to the state both in terms of economic growth and international reputation.

The prestigious Barossa Valley wine region produced about 48% of the nation’s wine and 61% of the nation’s wine exports in 2010.

SA is also known for its opal mining.

about south australia

SA is the driest state in Australia, which in turn is the driest continent in the world.

The climate becomes more wet and mild towards the coast, and seaside towns such as Glenelg enjoy Mediterranean temperatures across the year.

In the state’s central region, the dry heat is so severe in summer that in the town of Coober Pedy half the population lives in dugouts underground. The town also produces most of the world’s opals and has striking desert scenery.

about adelaide

Adelaide’s known as the ‘City of Churches’ due to the high number of historical and architecturally beautiful religious buildings throughout the city – though no-one tell them that Sydney actually has the largest number of churches in a state capital.

Home to a wide variety of festivals, the most notable is the Adelaide Fringe Festival, which is the largest open-access arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere and attracts performers from across the globe.

Adelaide also has a reputation for being an affordable city, and in 2011 eclipsed Hobart as the most affordable city in Australia.

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