South Australia deserves attention. Although no Sydney, Adelaide is an attractive State capital, and the State is filled with unique towns such as volcanic Mount Gambier and quaint Glenelg. There is no Uluru but there is Wilpena Pound, a huge natural amphitheatre with rocks protruding like gnarled fingers in Flinders Ranges National Park. There is no Sunshine Coast but there are great chunks of dramatic shoreline. Instead of reefs, South Australia is probably the best destination in Australia for seeing roaming native wildlife.

South Australia is the driest State in one of the driest Continents. As harsh as the scenery is, however, it encloses a distinct beauty. There are stunning National Parks to ramble, from the cerise dunes of Simpson Desert to Lake Eyre National Park and its enormous 'salt-sink' and wilderness, opening up giant skies. And even if the State occasionally gets thirsty, there is plenty to quench the thirst of the visitor. The Barossa Valley is just one prized wine-growing region in South Australia.

South Australia is the only State that was not colonised through convicts. Its early settlers were mostly religious non-conformists and South Australia has since paved the way in Australian reform: the first State to give women equal voting rights; first to appoint an Aboriginal and a female Governor; and the first in the British Commonwealth to employ policewomen.

South Australia still leads in innovation. It is host to some of the biggest worldwide challenges, from the World Solar Challenge to Tour Down Under. No wonder South Australia is called the 'Festival State'. There is always something to celebrate in such captivating land.