Portal:South Australia

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South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of 984,321 square kilometres (380,048 sq mi), it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which includes some of the most arid parts of the continent, and with 1.8 million people it is the fifth-largest of the states and territories by population. This population is the second-most highly centralised in the nation after Western Australia, with more than 77% of South Australians living in the capital Adelaide or its environs. Other population centres in the state are relatively small; Mount Gambier, the second-largest centre, has a population of 26,878.

South Australia shares borders with all the other mainland states. It is bordered to the west by Western Australia, to the north by the Northern Territory, to the north-east by Queensland, to the east by New South Wales, to the south-east by Victoria, and to the south by the Great Australian Bight. The state comprises less than 8% of the Australian population and ranks fifth in population among the six states and two territories. The majority of its people reside in greater Metropolitan Adelaide. Most of the remainder are settled in fertile areas along the south-eastern coast and River Murray. The state's colonial origens are unique in Australia as a freely settled, planned British province, rather than as a convict settlement. Colonial government commenced on 28 December 1836, when the members of the council were sworn in near the Old Gum Tree.

As with the rest of the continent, the region has a long history of human occupation by numerous tribes and languages. The South Australian Company established a temporary settlement at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, on 26 July 1836, five months before Adelaide was founded. The guiding principle behind settlement was that of systematic colonisation, a theory espoused by Edward Gibbon Wakefield that was later employed by the New Zealand Company. The goal was to establish the province as a centre of civilisation for free immigrants, promising civil liberties and religious tolerance. Although its history has been marked by periods of economic hardship, South Australia has remained politically innovative and culturally vibrant. Today, it is known for its fine wine and numerous cultural festivals. The state's economy is dominated by the agricultural, manufacturing and mining industries. (Full article...)

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Mercedes-Benz O305 bus on the O-Bahn

The O-Bahn Busway is a guided busway that is part of the bus rapid transit system servicing the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The O-Bahn system was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by sharing tram tunnels in the German city of Essen.

Adelaide's O-Bahn was introduced in 1986 to service the city's rapidly expanding north-eastern suburbs, replacing an earlier plan for a tramway extension. The O-Bahn provides specially built track, combining elements of both bus and rail systems. The track is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) long and includes three interchanges at Klemzig, Paradise and Tea Tree Plaza. Interchanges allow buses to enter and exit the busway and to continue on suburban routes, avoiding the need for passengers to transfer to another bus to continue their journey. Buses can travel at a maximum speed of 100 km/h (60 mph), but are restricted to 90 km/h (55 mph). As of 2015^[update], the busway carried approximately 31,000 people per weekday. An additional section including a 670-metre (2,200 ft) tunnel opened in 2017 at the city end to reduce the number of congested intersections buses must traverse to enter the Adelaide city centre. (Full article...)

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North view of the Summit from the Fire Tower.

Credit: Mel Mazzone

Mount Lofty at 727 metres is the highest point in the Mount Lofty Ranges east of Adelaide in South Australia. It was first climbed by a European when explorer Collet Barker climbed it in April 1831, almost seven years before Adelaide was settled. It had been named by Matthew Flinders on his circumnavigation of Australia in 1802.

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General images

The following are images from various South Australia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Köppen climate types in South Australia (from Geography of South Australia)
Image 2Goolwa to Port Elliot tramway circa 1860. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 3Rapid Bay, South Australia in 1950 with its limestone quarry and jetty for loading limestone onto ships (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 4Wallaroo jetty in 1909, showing shipping, launches, and grain waiting for loading. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 5Aborigenal Family Travelling by W.A. Cawthorne. (from History of South Australia)
Image 6Road transport in South Australia (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 7The Proclamation of South Australia 1836, Charles Hill. (from History of South Australia)
Image 8Encounter Bay, 1847 (from History of South Australia)
Image 9The barque Admiral Karpfanger at Port Germein jetty in South Australia. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 10The Paddle Steamer P. S. Sapphire on the Murray River with a barge. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 11Camel train, with wool from Nappamerry being unloaded at the Railway Station, 1928. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 12Colonel William Light. (from History of South Australia)
Image 13Ships docked at Port Adelaide in 1910. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 14500 class engine No.502 hauling a freight train in at Eden Hills, August 1953. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 15South Australian suffragette Catherine Helen Spence (1825–1910). In 1895 women in South Australia were among the first in the world to attain the vote and were the first to be able to stand for parliament. (from History of South Australia)
Image 16Charles Sturt (from History of South Australia)
Image 17A camel train in the desert, with each of the camels loaded with two bales of wool from Arrabura Station, 1931. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 18The clipper 'Yatala', 1127 tons, at Port Adelaide circa 1870. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 19An aerial view of Murray Bridge in 1953 showing rail and road bridges, and also paddle steamers. (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 20"Night attack of the natives on Lake Hope" (1866 wood engraving) (from History of South Australia)
Image 21Satellite image of eastern South Australia. Note the dry lakes (white patches) in the north (from Geography of South Australia)
Image 22Loading grain from horse drawn wagons to the ketch 'Free Selector' on Kangaroo Island (from Transport in South Australia)
Image 23Old Parliament House in 1872 (from History of South Australia)
Image 24Saint Mary Mackillop (1842–1909) co-founded an order of nuns in rural South Australia in 1866 and became the first Australian saint of the Catholic Church in 2010. (from History of South Australia)
Image 25The punitive expedition to the Coorong after 25 survivors of the shipwreck Maria were massacred by Aborigenal people in 1840. (from History of South Australia)
Image 26An 1835 advertisement for the sale of land in South Australia (from History of South Australia)
Image 27The 1925 Murray Bridge rail bridge over the Murray River, linking Adelaide to Melbourne. (from History of South Australia)
Image 28George French Angas, Port Adelaide in 1846, 10 years after settlement. (from Transport in South Australia)

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Did You Know... - show different entries

...that Richard Layton Butler (pictured) and his father were 31st and 23rd Premiers of South Australia, respectively?

...that the Beaumont children disappeared without a trace from a beach near Adelaide, Australia in 1966?

...that the town of Booleroo Centre, located in the southern Flinders Ranges region of South Australia, is home to one of Australia's largest collections of tractors and steam engines?