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Discover South Australia: Top 10 Amazing Fun Facts You Won't Want to Miss!

illustration of south-australia
Get ready to embark on a quirky journey through the land down under as we delve into the most fascinating, peculiar and mind-boggling fun facts about South Australia!

1. Screw Cap Wine Revolution

Move over, bottles – South Australia's got screw caps on lock: Boasting over 680 wineries and more than 3,250 vineyard owners, the state produces high-quality Riesling, Cabernet, and Merlot, all while revolutionizing the wine industry through low-input techniques and the ever-convenient screw cap closure.
Source => greatwinecapitals.com

2. Home of Sea Lions: Seal Bay

Forget about finding Nemo: Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island is where the real stars of the ocean reside! This picturesque spot serves as the permanent holiday home to over 1,000 sea lions, making it one of Australia's largest sea lion colonies. With a history spanning thousands of years and guided tours available, there's no excuse not to witness these endangered aquatic acrobats in their natural element, just a hop, skip, and swim away from Kingscote.
Source => parks.sa.gov.au

3. A Lake Fit for Royalty

Before the Queen's gambit, there was the Alexandrina: Lake Alexandrina, in South Australia, received its regal title as a nod to a certain royal teenager who'd grow up to ace the monarchy test! The serious reveal: Named in honor of then-Princess Alexandrina of Kent, who would later become the iconic Queen Victoria, the vast lake is a testament to her legacy, even though she preferred her more modest middle name.
Source => theconversation.com

4. Woomera: Rocket Paradise

A spear-launching, rocket-testing, sunburn-inducing paradise: South Australia's Woomera, named after an Aboriginal word for "a short stick used to launch a spear," is home to RAAF Base Woomera and the Woomera Heritage Centre & Missile Park. Visitors can marvel at the likes of the Black Arrow rocket and the Jindivik pilotless target aircraft while remembering to pack sunscreen, hats, and insect repellent - after all, they don't call it a scorcher Down Under for nothing!
Source => weekendnotes.com

Nullarbor Links: World's Longest Golf Course

5. Nullarbor Links: World's Longest Golf Course

Teeing off in the middle of nowhere, with road-tripping golfers as witnesses: the Nullarbor Links golf course straddles South and Western Australia, spanning an impressive 1,365 kilometers along the Eyre Highway, consisting of 18 holes, and staking its claim as the world's longest golf course.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Adelaide Arcade: fairytale Shopping Heaven

If Cinderella were to do her shopping in Australia, she'd surely drop her glass slipper at this beauty: Adelaide Arcade, the oldest shopping arcade down under, was built in a mind-boggling five months by 200 sweating workers, featuring Kapunda marble, UK-imported floor tiles, and a staggering 2 million bricks! Housing around 50 shops at the outset, today, over 100 stores sprawl beneath intricate archways and a magnificent staircase that's just waiting to host a fairy tale-worthy ball.
Source => adelaidehauntedhorizons.com.au

7. Coober Pedy: Underground Living

Who needs a penthouse when you can dig yourself into a fancier living space underground? Welcome to the Hobbit life, Aussie style: In Coober Pedy, South Australia, residents carve homes out of old opal mines to escape the scorching heat, which can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, complete with modern amenities like electricity, water, and internet, and a chance to explore subterranean churches and bookstores.
Source => businessinsider.com

8. Port Germein Jetty: Sugar, Spice, & Maritime History

If you're sugar and spice and everything nice, South Australia's longest wooden jetty might just tickle your sweet tooth and your funny bone: Port Germein features delightful metal sculptures and mosaics made from local sugar and red gum trees, yet also boasts a rare maritime clock and remnants of ballast from shipping history - even receiving a visit from the German-flagged Admiral Karpfanger in 1939, marking the only time a swastika flew on Australian soil.
Source => australiansiloarttrail.com

9. Chocolate-Flavored Kangaroo Island Kangaroos

What do you get when you cross a kangaroo with a chocolate factory? A shorter, stockier, and irresistibly delicious Kangaroo Island Kangaroo: This distinct sub-species sports a chocolate-brown coat, darker ear tips, paws, feet, and tails due to a prolonged period of isolation from mainland Australia, and they mature quickly, with both males and females reaching sexual maturity at around 20 months old.
Source => australianwildlifejourneys.com

Adelaide Oval: Cricketer's Dreamland

10. Adelaide Oval: Cricketer's Dreamland

In a land down under where kangaroos wear pads and koalas bowl googlies, there lies a historic treasure for sports enthusiasts of a certain bat-and-ball persuasion: The Adelaide Oval in South Australia is not just an iconic cricket ground, but it also offers fantastic views of the city, boasts a rich past filled with memorable cricket moments like David Warner's unbeaten 335 against Pakistan, and has undergone extensive renovations, now featuring state-of-the-art facilities and an LED lighting system for dazzling night-time spectacles.
Source => seattletimes.com

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