Free settlers first arrived in South Australia in 1836, founding the new state with innovative and modern ideas. Its liberal government was among the first in the world to allow women the vote, and, with a jam-packed yearly events calendar, its civilized capital city of Adelaide is known for supporting creativity and alternative art. Cities are located along the coast, or classic paddle steamers chug from town to town along the Murray River.

From Adelaide south, the Fleurieu Peninsula is edged with pristine beaches all the way to its tip, where tiny penguins, whales, dolphins and seals make their home. Deserted by its original human inhabitants for 2,250 years, Kangaroo Island in an unspoiled refuge for Australia's native animals, including, of course, the kangaroo. The Barossa and Clare Valleys cultivate elegant wines, and the Limestone Coast's bedrock preserves fossilized remains of prehistoric animals. South Australia's Flinders Ranges and vast outback support only one per cent of its population, roamed instead by giant cattle herds, a major state industry.