South Australia

Even by Australian standards, South Australia is a land of extremes. In the south of the state the land is verdant and fertile, fronting onto the ocean for over 1000 miles. This is where the people live. The north of the state reaches right into the baked heart of the country where the sun and the heat blast everything to dust; this is where nearly nothing lives.

The coast was first mapped in 1627 but settlement only began over 200 years later with the landing of a group of settlers in 1836. This was to be a planned community made up of free men and women in a state free of religious and political persecution or bias. Initially the fledgling State struggled but the discovery of copper allowed it to become a self-supporting self-governing state by 1856.

As elsewhere in the country there are still 'issues' around the Aboriginal question. The indigenous inhabitants have justifiably sought reparation for past injustices and some land has been returned but this whole matter is far from resolved.

As a tourist destination, South Australia is often overlooked in favour of some of its brasher neighbours but there is much to recommend it. The Flinders mountain ranges are within striking distance of Adelaide, a trip on the Murray River is a seminal Aussie experience and the food and wine are gorgeous. The coastline is never dull and there are many 'surfable' beaches. Visit the Opal capital of the world, Coober Pedy, where the locals have taken to living underground to avoid the searing heat.