Portal:South Australia

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South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of 984,321 square kilometres (380,048 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which includes some of the most arid parts of the continent, and with 1.8 million people it is the fifth-largest of the states and territories by population. This population is the second-most highly centralised in the nation after Western Australia, with more than 77% of South Australians living in the capital Adelaide or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier, the second-largest centre, has a population of 26,878.

South Australia shares borders with all the other mainland states. It is bordered to the west by Western Australia, to the north by the Northern Territory, to the north-east by Queensland, to the east by New South Wales, to the south-east by Victoria, and to the south by the Great Australian Bight. The state comprises less than 8% of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the six states and two territories. The majority of its people reside in greater Metropolitan Adelaide. Most of the remainder are settled in fertile areas along the south-eastern coast and River Murray. The state's colonial origins are unique in Australia as a freely settled, planned British province, rather than as a convict settlement. Colonial government commenced on 28 December 1836, when the members of the council were sworn in near the Old Gum Tree.

As with the rest of the continent, the region has a long history of human occupation by numerous tribes and languages. The South Australian Company established a temporary settlement at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, on 26 July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded. The guiding principle behind settlement was that of systematic colonisation, a theory espoused by Edward Gibbon Wakefield that was later employed by the New Zealand Company. The goal was to establish the province as a centre of civilisation for free immigrants, promising civil liberties and religious tolerance. Although its history has been marked by periods of economic hardship, South Australia has remained politically innovative and culturally vibrant. Today, it is known for its fine wine and numerous cultural festivals. The state's economy is dominated by the agricultural, manufacturing and mining industries. (Full article...)

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Aerial view of the Barossa Valley

The Barossa Valley wine region is one of Australia's oldest and most premier wine regions. Located in South Australia, the Barossa Valley is about 56 km (35 miles) northeast of the city of Adelaide. Unlike most of Australia whose wine industry was heavily influenced by the British, the wine industry of the Barossa Valley was founded by German settlers fleeing persecution from the Prussian province of Silesia (in what is now Poland). The warm continental climate of the region promoted the production of very ripe grapes that was the linchpin of the early Australian fortified wine industry. As the modern Australian wine industry shifted towards red table wines (particularly those made by the prestigious Cabernet Sauvignon) in the mid-20th century, the Barossa Valley fell out of favor due to its reputation for being largely a Syrah from producers whose grapes were destined for blending. During this period the name "Barossa Valley" rarely appeared on wine labels. In the 1980s, the emergence of several boutique families specializing in old vine Shiraz wines began to capture international attention for the distinctive style of Barossa Shiraz, a full bodied red wine with rich chocolate and spice notes. This led to a renaissance in the Barossa Valley which catapulted the region to the forefront of the Australian wine industry.

Many of Australia's largest and most notable wineries are either headquartered or own extensive holdings in the Barossa Valley. These include such wineries as Penfolds, Peter Lehmann, Orlando Wines, Seppeltsfield, Wolf Blass and Yalumba. Many Shiraz vines in the Barossa Valley are several decades old, with some vineyards planted with old vines that are 100–150 years old including Turkey Flat in Tanunda that is home to the oldest commercially producing grape vines, originally planted in 1847. Other grape varieties grown in the Barossa Valley include Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay and Semillon. (Full article...)

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The Art Gallery of South Australia from North Terrace

Credit: K. Lindstrom

The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) is located on the cultural boulevard of North Terrace in Adelaide. With a large collection of more than 30,000 works of art and more than 500,000 visitors annually, the AGSA is renowned for its leading collections of Indigenous Australian and colonial art, as well as for its innovative exhibitions. Located adjacent to State Library of South Australia, the South Australian Museum and the University of Adelaide, AGSA is part of Adelaide's cultural precinct. The gallery was established in 1881, and has existed at its current location since 1897.

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General images

The following are images from various South Australia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Rapid Bay, South Australia in 1950 with its limestone quarry and jetty for loading limestone onto ships (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 2Encounter Bay, 1847 (from History of South Australia)
Image 3Road transport in South Australia (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 4Old Parliament House in 1872 (from History of South Australia)
Image 5Colonel William Light. (from History of South Australia)
Image 6"Night attack of the natives on Lake Hope" (1866 wood engraving) (from History of South Australia)
Image 7The clipper 'Yatala', 1127 tons, at Port Adelaide circa 1870. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 8The barque Admiral Karpfanger at Port Germein jetty in South Australia. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 9A camel train in the desert, with each of the camels loaded with two bales of wool from Arrabura Station, 1931. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 10The Proclamation of South Australia 1836, Charles Hill. (from History of South Australia)
Image 11Charles Sturt (from History of South Australia)
Image 12Camel train, with wool from Nappamerry being unloaded at the Railway Station, 1928. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 13Köppen climate types in South Australia (from Geography of South Australia)
Image 14Ships docked at Port Adelaide in 1910. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 15The 1925 Murray Bridge rail bridge over the Murray River, linking Adelaide to Melbourne. (from History of South Australia)
Image 16Saint Mary Mackillop (1842–1909) co-founded an order of nuns in rural South Australia in 1866 and became the first Australian saint of the Catholic Church in 2010. (from History of South Australia)
Image 17Goolwa to Port Elliot tramway circa 1860. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 18Satellite image of eastern South Australia. Note the dry lakes (white patches) in the north (from Geography of South Australia)
Image 19An aerial view of Murray Bridge in 1953 showing rail and road bridges, and also paddle steamers. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 20The punitive expedition to the Coorong after 25 survivors of the shipwreck Maria were massacred by Aboriginal people in 1840. (from History of South Australia)
Image 21500 class engine No.502 hauling a freight train in at Eden Hills, August 1953. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 22Aboriginal Family Travelling by W.A. Cawthorne. (from History of South Australia)
Image 23South Australian suffragette Catherine Helen Spence (1825–1910). In 1895 women in South Australia were among the first in the world to attain the vote and were the first to be able to stand for parliament. (from History of South Australia)
Image 24The Paddle Steamer P. S. Sapphire on the Murray River with a barge. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 25An 1835 advertisement for the sale of land in South Australia (from History of South Australia)
Image 26Loading grain from horse drawn wagons to the ketch 'Free Selector' on Kangaroo Island (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 27Wallaroo jetty in 1909, showing shipping, launches, and grain waiting for loading. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 28George French Angas, Port Adelaide in 1846, 10 years after settlement. (from Transport in South Australia)

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Did You Know... - show different entries

...that Richard Layton Butler (pictured) and his father were 31st and 23rd Premiers of South Australia, respectively?

...that the Beaumont children disappeared without a trace from a beach near Adelaide, Australia in 1966?

...that the town of Booleroo Centre, located in the southern Flinders Ranges region of South Australia, is home to one of Australia's largest collections of tractors and steam engines?