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Visiting

Overview

Visiting South Australia's State Heritage Areas offers experiences as diverse as the Areas themselves. While they obviously share common elements significant to South Australia's natural and cultural heritage, each State Heritage Area is quite different in terms of location, character, facilities and attractions.

The 17 State Heritage Areas lie in different geographical locations across the State. They are found in isolated outback regions, in populated metropolitan suburbs or in peaceful Adelaide Hills towns. They are in the State's south-east, near the mouth of the River Murray, on Yorke Peninsula and in the mid-north. Some are less than a half hour's drive from Adelaide, others offer day-trips, weekend stop-overs or short holidays, and at least two (Arckaringa Hills and Innamincka/Cooper Creek) require well-planned expeditions.

Burra Mines Historic Site
Burra Mines Historic Site

The State Heritage Areas include natural landscapes, geological sites and recreational facilities. There are sites connected to the State's mining and transport heritage, and to its economic development and settlement. There are peaceful residential areas or busy tourist hubs exposing visitors to significant aspects of South Australia's history, architecture, culture and natural environment. Some State Heritage Areas are small and can be explored with just a short stroll, but a few require transport and more than a day to be appreciated fully.

Tourism is an important focus of most State Heritage Areas, which offer a variety of accommodation options, facilities and visitor experiences. Some Areas have campsites and caravan parks, while others specialise in heritage B&B or hotel accommodation. Many have visitor information centres, formal tours, drive or walking trails, recreational facilities and interpretive materials.

Some State Heritage Areas are managed by the Department for Environment and Heritage, other Government agencies or local Councils. Many of the properties within State Heritage Areas are conserved by local National Trust groups who offer special programs as well as access to a variety of buildings and sites.

Access

One State Heritage Area (Arckaringa Hills) is on a privately-leased pastoral property, and so access is limited. Others are all within the public domain, although access to many buildings, structures and properties within the Areas may be restricted. Entry to the Innamincka region requires a special permit (Desert Parks Pass), and other Areas (such as Belair National Park) have entry fees.

Entry Kiosk, Belair National Park
Entry Kiosk, Belair National Park

Some of the places within these Areas welcome and cater for visitors, but many properties within the boundary of a State Heritage Area are privately-owned homes, offices, farms, and so on. All visitors to a State Heritage Area should be aware that there is no increased right of public access to heritage properties or places within State Heritage Areas and so the owners'/occupiers' rights to privacy must be respected at all times.


Enjoying individual State Heritage Areas - site visits or a virtual tour

Follow the links below to enjoy a virtual tour of each State Heritage Area and discover the visitor experiences, facilities and features on offer at each of these unique places.

The introductory information included on each page aims to give an overview of what is available for tourists and is not meant as a tour guide or 'travel itinerary'. Visitors should contact TourismSA, local visitor information centres, local tour operators or other relevant groups for more detailed information about attractions, accommodation, fees and facilities at each State Heritage Area.