Beetaloo Reservoir – Beetaloo South Australia

If you like to enjoy nature like me another place you can visit in South Australia is the Beetaloo Reservoir in Beetaloo which is managed by SA Water. It is about 220 kms from Adelaide. It is a reservoir built in the year of 1885 with a capacity of 3150 mega liters of water and having a catchment area of 4856 hectares. Its wall is 33.53 meters high and the maximum water level could reach 23.88 meters.

After parking your car you need to walk for about 10 minutes to visit the lookout area. Walk is not difficult, but if it rains some areas might be slippery. You do not need a 4WD to reach Beetaloo Reservoir. Its gate is open from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM each weekday and on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays open till 5:00 PM.

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Aldinga Beach – South Australia

If you are a beach person then Aldinga beach is a place not to miss. One speciality in this South Australian beach is that you can take your vehicle into the beach and have a drive. Since the sand is hard on this beach you do not need a 4WD, a normal 2WD car will do the job, but do not get over excited since then there is a chance you can get into trouble.

Without trying to explain using words I will upload some photos I have taken since a picture is worth thousand words.

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While we were there, we experienced an extraordinary scene provided by mother nature. Suddenly on top of wet sand we started seeing sand flying with wind for few minutes. Just enjoy it by watching the following video.

Aldinga Beach – Sandy Wind

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Painted Desert – Arckaringa South Australia

One of the most famous places in Australian outback is the painted desert. Which consists of different beautiful landscapes which was formed millions years ago while it way covered by water when it was under the sea. Since these attractions are in remote locations for some of us it will be difficult to find them. I agree some of the attractions are in the guide books but I assure you they are not that easy to find when you are on your own without any phone facilities or mobile data connections to browse maps. So for people who are interested in visiting these places I hope this article will help them to locate some of the attractions. Remember to cache your GPS or maps before you leave town or simply buy a detailed map.

All these places are accessible through unsealed / dirt roads and it is always better if you have an AWD or a 4WD. But if you are travelling in dry whether and if you are cautious you will be able to visit all of them in a 2WD as well. Few other things to remember when going to outback places are mentioned in my other post.

The Breakaways

The breakaways has colourful small hills which are broken away from Stuart Range, hence their name “The Breakaways”

You will not miss the road to the lookout since you need to turn right just before the Dingo fence when you travel from Coober Pedy to Oodnadatta. There will also be road signs for this.

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Dingo Fence

Dingo fence or Dog fence is holding the title of longest man made object in the world having a length of 5614 kms. This runs from Surfaces Paradise in Queensland to Bight in near Western Australia border. This was put up to protect the live stock on the south side of the country from the northern predators.

You can have a look into this if you travel about 15 kms from Cobber Pedy to Oodnadatta.

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Painted Desert

Painted desert lookout is also giving you a great view onto the vivid coloured mountains. There is a walk of about 15-20 minutes after parking your car. The way is marked in a nature friendly manner by collecting stones to make up arrows as seen in my photos. Some parts of the walk is bit challenging so if you do not like walking or afraid of heights or slopes best is to wait in the car.

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On your way to these you will encounter other interesting natures creations as well.

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Quarry Road Lookout – Beetaloo South Australia

If you are travelling in Beetaloo and also if you are enjoying the views of nature a good place to visit is Quarry road lookout. Quarry road it self is having some good views in your way. If you have sometime to spend there is a table and chair for you to sit down and have some food. Another good thing is you do not have to walk, you can park your car right in the lookout and enjoy.

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Naracoorte Caves – Naracoorte South Australia

If you are a cave lover, there are many places Australia has to offer. Out of them one of the best is Naracoorte caves in South Australia. Inside the caves you will be able to see lime stones which took about 200 million years to form.

Stalactites – Are the ones hanging from above. Because they form from water dripping from above they tend to get points on them.

 

Stalagmites – Are formed on floor and start growing up with time.

Columns – Are formed by one stalactite and stalagmite connecting after so many years.

 

It is good idea to plan and visit the caves bit early since you need time to have a look into the caves. They normally close at 5PM and the last tour starts around 4PM.

There is a visitor information centre in the Wonambi Fossil Centre so you can find out the interesting places in Naracoorte Caves National Park. Wet cave is a free attraction. When you purchase a ticket for a tour to visit Alexandra cave you will get free admittance to the Fossil enter and the miniature man made zoo.

Pram accessibility is not there when visiting caves, also you need to take care of your young children because they might need lot of assistance from you when inside the caves. Also supervise your children frequently since some of the Stalactites and Stalagmites are fragile and if they break one then thy may be destroying millions of years of natures’ work.

Car parking is free and plenty of sitting areas are there. Toilet facilities are there also is a restaurant so you can buy food if you need.

Address : Naracoorte Caves National Park, PO Box 134, Naracoorte SA 5271.

Phone : (+61 8) 8762 2340

EMail : naracoortecaves@sa.gov.au

Web : http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/naracoorte/Home

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Deep Creek Conservation Park, South Australia

If you would love to enjoy scenery and wild life, a place you should definitely visit is Deep Creek conservation park in South Australia. It is located at the southern tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

It is always better to have a 4WD or an AWD but with a 2WD also in good weather you will be able to do most of the tracks without any major problems.

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Rocking Horse – Gumeracha South Australia

When you come to South Australia another good place you should visit is the Rocking Horse at Gumeracha. There you will find a huge wooden rocking horse to which you can climb after paying few dollars. You can also watch the birds kept there and do not forget the Toy Factory nearby to do some shopping which has a good collection of gifts.

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If any one interested visiting below are the contact details. But do not try to rock the horse.

Address
The Toy Factory,
Adelaide-Mannum Road,
Gumeracha, SA 5233,
South Australia,
Australia.

Telephone
(08) 8389 1085

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Whispering Wall – Williamstown South Australia

Barossa Dam or whispering wall in Williamstown is not a place you should miss in your visit to South Australia. From the outer look it is just a dam created in Barossa Reservoir. But the magic starts after you send a friend to the other side of the dam and speak.

You and your friend will be able to talk as you two are near each other. The sound is very clear hence the name you can whisper and that will be heard by a person who is in the other side of the dam.

I was said that when the dam was built the lead engineer used to listen to the workers using this amazing facility to get to know what they are talking about him. Also it seems a later attempt to build a similar dam following the same design and material failed to demonstrate the whisper ability. So this is a unique dam you will not find elsewhere.

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Adelaide – South Australia

Thought to share some nice photos captured in the city I live in. Even though the city is small there are many thing that you can enjoy in this city so I recommend Adelaide for travelers. If you are in Australia don’t forget to visit Adelaide for few days.

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Album contain photos of Adelaide city and few of the many gardens Adelaide.

Cathedral shown is the famous St. Peters Cathedral located in 27, King William Road, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia. Which is located in the following map.

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