As you will see from the map above most of the northern half of the state is covered by the Great Victoria and Simpson deserts and the center is occupied by the saline lakes of Eyre, Torrens, Frome and Gardiner.
A large section of the state's center is occupied by the prohibited area around Woomera, an experimental rocket launch site in the 1950s and 1960s. Atomic bomb tests conducted by the British at Maralinga in the 1950s have left similar no-go zones.
The Flinders Ranges rise from the northern end of Spencer Gulf, in the east of South Australia, and running north for 800 kilometers (500 miles). In the far north, the mountains are hemmed in barren salt lakes. The best-known feature of the range is the huge natural basin known as Wilpena Pound which is ringed by 1000 meter (3280 feet) cliffs. Also other attractions are the Alligator Gorge in Mount Remarkable National Park, Brachina Gorge, and the ironstone capped ridge known as the Great Wall of China.
Coober Pedy is the opal mining center of Australia and is as close as Australia gets to having a frontier town. The name is Aboriginal and means `white fellow's hole in the ground' which describes the place because a large proportion of the population live in dug-outs so as to shelter from the extreme temperatures, which can reach 50 degrees centigrade. Coober Pedy has 53 nationalities represented in its population of 2500 people.
The Eyre Peninsula is located 650 Kilometers west of the South Australia's capital Adelaide, and stretches from Whyalla in the east to the West Australian / South Australian Border Village in the west, a distance of 1000 Kilometers and 400 Kilometers from the Gawler Ranges in the north to Port Lincoln in the south.
Eyre Peninsula's beauty ranges from a hinterland of golden grain, remarkable rocks and rugged ranges to a proud display of heritage including tall ships, coastal ketches, mining, shipbuilding and the early pioneers.
Whyalla is the second largest city in South Australia and acts as an important gateway to Eyre Peninsula. Captain Matthew Flinders, while navigating Spencer Gulf in 1802, named Hummock Hill, which is now the easternmost point of the city. The township of Hummock Hill, subsequently developed as a community from 1901, and was renamed Whyalla in 1914. In stark contrast to the sheltered waters of Spencer Gulf, the West Coast is exposed to the full force of the Southern Ocean, offering some of the most spectacular coastal scenery to be found anywhere in Australia. The climate of the Eyre Peninsula ranges from arid in the far west to cool and temperate in the south. The waters of the Southern Ocean and Spencer Gulf have a moderating effect on the climate of the coastal areas.
Ceduna set on the shores of Murat Bay, is the western most town of any size in South Australia. Ceduna's name is a derivative of an Aboriginal word "chedoona", meaning "a resting place".
Port Lincoln's early history shows that it was considered for the site of South Australia's capital but Colonel William Light rejected the idea as he considered the harbour entrance unsafe. The area was settled in 1839.
The average maximum temperatures range from 25°C to 29°C in the summer months near the coast to 34°C inland. During winter the average maximum temperatures range from 15°C to 18°C.
The northern area is home to approximately 145 kilometer stretch of coastline known as the Coorong. Declared a wetland of international importance, the Coorong National Park provides a haven for many water birds, animal and plant species.
Sunset over Coffin Bay
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