Picking up your rental car at Adelaide airport is one of the easiest ways to get into the city or to begin your tour of South Australia. It is also closer to the coastline than the CBD, only 9 minutes away, so you can begin your visit to SA with a dip in the Southern Ocean and a picnic atop the grass-topped dunes that trace this part of the coast.

There are a variety of transport options to the CBD and/or city hotels from the airport, and of course you can pick up your cheap rental from outlets in Adelaide city. Inside the airport, the car rental service desks, representing Australia's leading companies, can be found in Terminal 1, Level 0 opposite the domestic and regional baggage claim. A taxi trip over this distance will probably set you back about $20.

To get the most out of your South Australian experience renting a car is essential wine regions of the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley are internationally regarded and full of great food and beautiful landscapes as well as many a good drop. It is not all wine down here, there is some spectacular scenery to be found in this state, like the Flinders Ranges and Oodnadatta Track through the outback, or touring the Murray River.