Practical Information for visiting South Australia

A car is necessary for everything beyond central Adelaide. The wine regions have no useful public transport, and tasting makes a designated driver or a tour the practical choice.

Adelaide itself has free city trams and connector buses covering the centre, and the grid makes it easy to walk.

Distances north are serious. Adelaide to the Flinders is five hours, to Coober Pedy eight, to the Northern Territory border a full day. Fuel stops thin out sharply and phone coverage disappears — carry water and tell someone your route.

Kangaroo Island is reached by ferry from Cape Jervis, about 45 minutes, and needs booking ahead in summer with a vehicle.

The Ghan and the Indian Pacific both pass through Adelaide, and both are journeys in their own right rather than transport.

Coverage is good in Adelaide, the wine regions and the larger coastal towns.

North of the ranges it disappears for long stretches. On the Nullarbor, the Oodnadatta and Strzelecki tracks and much of the outback, assume none — a satellite messenger is a reasonable precaution.

Free Wi-Fi is standard in cafés, libraries and accommodation.

English is universal. Italian, Greek, Mandarin and Vietnamese are all widely spoken in Adelaide.

Kaurna, the language of the Adelaide plains, is being actively revived and now appears in dual place names across the city; Adnyamathanha is spoken in the Flinders, where Ikara is the proper name for Wilpena Pound.

Local usage worth knowing: fritz is the luncheon meat everywhere else calls devon or polony, a frog cake is exactly what it sounds like, and the Bay means Glenelg. Adelaide residents will ask which school you went to, and they mean it as geography rather than class.

South Australia is very safe. Ordinary precautions are sufficient in Adelaide.

The outback is the real hazard. Breaking down between towns in summer is life-threatening rather than inconvenient: carry far more water than you expect to need, tell someone your route and expected arrival, and never leave the vehicle if you do break down — it is shade, and it is what searchers look for.

Heat. Adelaide heatwaves run several consecutive days over 40°C, and the north far exceeds that.

Bushfire in the Hills and on Kangaroo Island from December to March. Rip currents affect the surf beaches, and great whites are present off the Eyre Peninsula — which is why the cage diving is there.

No vaccinations are required and tap water is safe in towns. In the outback, do not assume bore or tank water is drinkable.

Heat and dehydration are the dominant risks, and they are underestimated by visitors more than anything else here.

UV is extreme — this is among the highest-risk places in the world for skin cancer, and burns happen fast even on mild days.

Snakes are present in summer, including some of the more dangerous species; boots and attention are the answer.

Hospitals are in Adelaide and the regional centres. The Royal Flying Doctor Service — founded to serve exactly this kind of country — covers the interior, and evacuation is expensive without insurance.

Tipping is not expected. Wages are legally set and service is included.

South Australia has a container deposit scheme dating from 1977, the first in the country — most drink containers carry a 10c refund, and bins are separated accordingly.

Alcohol comes from licensed bottle shops. The drinking age is 18 and identification is checked routinely.

Total fire bans are legally binding and cover barbecues and camp stoves. Drink-driving limits are low with random breath testing, and quarantine rules apply when crossing into the state — fresh fruit and vegetables must be surrendered at the border to protect the phylloxera-free vineyards.

000 reaches police, fire and ambulance; 112 also works from mobiles.

Major hospitals are in Adelaide, with regional hospitals at Mount Gambier, Whyalla and Port Augusta. The Royal Flying Doctor Service covers the outback.

Ambulance is not free for visitors and outback retrieval is expensive — travel insurance is the practical answer.

For bushfire, the CFS website and the state emergency broadcaster carry live warnings. If you are driving remote roads, the police can be notified of your route, and on the major tracks this is normal practice rather than excessive caution.