Although bordering Western Australia to the east, it took me more than two years to make it to South Australia.  I’m glad I finally did.

I explored a good portion of S.A. – probably more than most – but still came nowhere near seeing the entire state.  I started in the state capital, Adelaide, and was pleasantly surprised by its similarities to Perth.  I was told by many Aussies that Adelaide is what Perth was 20 years ago.  Depending on exactly who I spoke with, 20 was as few as 10 years but as many as 30.  Aussies having a ‘yarn’!

Known for it’s world-famous wine regions, South Australia offers so much more.  One of my favourites are its beaches.  Extremely accessible, beachfront property has a literal meaning in S.A.  Tennyson stands out as a favourite, with its seemingly endless coastline stretching along Gulf St. Vincent.

For an authentic Aussie adventure, I traveled south of Adelaide along the Fleurieu Peninsula and arrived at Cape Jervis.  I boarded the SeaLink Ferry and headed across the Backstairs Passage to Kangaroo Island.  It doesn’t get much more Australian than Kangaroo Island.

The ironic part of the island bearing this name is that there are more sheep and koalas than there are kangaroos.  The 1.5 million sheep and 15,000 koalas dwarf the 4,000 human beings living on the island.   I was fortunate enough to visit a K.I. sheep farm and witnessed the Australian kelpies, at their owner’s call, herd scores of sheep.  Seeing a sheep being shorn can be chalked up as another first for me as well.

During my three-day stint on Kangaroo Island, I did not see any kangaroos.  Not one.  I did, however, spot one of Australia’s most notable creatures: the koala.  On a flashlight-lit midnight walk,  I spotted the always-tired marsupial perched high in a tree.

Sand boarding and sand surfing were also on the K.I. agenda, as was some up-close interaction with dozens of seals at Seal Bay and Admiral’s Arch.   I was left speechless at K.I.’s Remarkable Rocks.  They truly did live up to their name.

Upon my return to mainland Australia, I had the opportunity to explore two of the country's most popular wine regions: the Clare Valley and Barossa Valley, respectively.  Rolling hills connected scores of wineries, and it felt like every direction I look another vinyard appeared.  Aussies love their homegrown wine, and I now understand why.

After returning to Adelaide I traveled through S.A.’s southeastern corner, making my way toward the Victorian border.  Always up for a road trip, I enjoyed passing through Naracoorte, ‘Australia’s Tidiest Town’, and seeing the Blue Lake in Mount Gambier.

My time in South Australia solidified it as one of my favourites ‘down under.’  The diverse range of experiences I had – from koalas and seals to wineries and beaches – certainly make S.A. a destination again in the future.