Alexandrina Council topographic map

Adelaide is north of the Fleurieu Peninsula, on the Adelaide Plains between the Gulf St Vincent and the low-lying Mount Lofty Ranges. The city stretches 20 km (12 mi) from the coast to the foothills, and 90 km (56 mi) from Gawler at its northern extent to Sellicks Beach in the south. According to the Regional…

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Matthew Flinders sailed past on 7 March 1802 and reported 'low front land, somewhat sandy, with raised land inland and of a barren appearance, its elevation diminishing to the northward.' The first land-based European exploration took place in April 1840, when the party of Governor Gawler, John Hill, and…

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One theory is that the whole area was uplifted by crustal movements in the Miocene, and since then, erosion by wind and rain has reduced its thickness. The plain has most likely never had any major defining topographic features, resulting in the extremely flat terrain across the plain today.

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Each November, the lake turns to a deep turquoise colour, gradually returning to a duller blue colour in late February to March. The exact cause of this phenomenon is still a matter of conjecture, but likely it involves the warming of the surface layers of the lake during the summer to around 20 °C (68 °F),…

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