The Government of South Australia
Who we are, where we are...
South Australia is the southern, central state on the mainland of Australia.
Area: 984,377 square kilometres (12.8% of the total Australian land mass)
Population: 1,554,700 (June 2006)
Capital city: Adelaide, population 1,129,000 (June 2005)
Adelaide's sister cities:
- Christchurch, New Zealand
- Georgetown, Penang
- Austin, Texas
- Himeji, Japan
Language: English
Currency: Australian Dollar
Domestic flying times:Adelaide at night
- 1 hour 15 to Melbourne
- 1 hour 40 to Canberra
- 1 hour 50 to Sydney
- 2 hours 15 to Brisbane
- 3 hours to Perth
- 3 hours 35 to Darwin
International flying times:
- 5 hours to Auckland
- 7 hours to Singapore
- 16 hours to Los Angeles
- 22 hours to London
- 14 hours to India
- 13 hours to China
- 17 hours to South Africa
- 12 hours to Korea
Highest mountain: Mount Woodroffe, 1,435 metres
Lowest place: Lake Eyre, 12 metres below sea level
Did you know?
- South Australia shares a border with all the mainland States, as well as the Northern Territory.
- Adelaide is the fifth-largest city in Australia, with a population of over 1.1 million.
- Temperatures range from an average of 29ºC in January to 15ºC in July.Dining in Adelaide
- Prior to British settlement, the area now known as the Adelaide plains was home to the Kaurna Aboriginal people.
- Named in honour of Queen Adelaide, the consort of King William IV, the city was founded in 1836 as the planned capital for the only freely-settled British province in Australia.
- Early Adelaide was shaped by religious freedom, hence its moniker 'The City of Churches'. Today, Adelaide is known for its many festivals as well as for its wine, arts and sports.
- Adelaide is a planned city, designed by the first surveyor-general of South Australia, Colonel William Light. His plan, now known as Light's Vision, arranged Adelaide in a grid with five squares in the inner City in a grid with five squares all surrounded by and a ring of parks known as the Adelaide Parklands.
- While being primarily a British colony, Adelaide attracted early immigrants from many non-English speaking countries, including German Lutherans escaping religious persecution in Prussia. The first Lutherans arrived in 1838, bringing with them vine cuttings. These were used to establish found the acclaimed wineries of the Barossa Valley.
- After the Second World War, Italians, Greeks, the Dutch and Poles came to make a new start. An influx of Asian immigrants following the Vietnam War added to the mix. These new arrivals have significantly helped to shape Adelaide's vibrant restaurant culture.
- The global media conglomerate News Corporation was founded in Adelaide. Headquarters were moved to New York in 2004, but the city is still considered the company's 'spiritual' home by Rupert Murdoch.
- Adelaide International Airport located in Adelaide's west, is Australia's newest and most advanced airportterminal and is designed to serve in excess of 6.3 million passengers annually. It is located just 7km from the CBD giving superb ease of access.
