Barossa

Adelaide named the Australian city with the most hidden gems

By Glam Adelaide

Posted on September 13, 2024

South Australia and Adelaide have taken out some of the country’s top spots for hidden gems.

In an era dominated by travel bloggers and viral TikTok destinations, the world’s once-undiscovered gems are rapidly gaining attention. Today’s travellers increasingly seek authentic local experiences, making the pursuit of hidden gems more relevant than ever.

From the dramatic landscapes of the Northern Territory to the serene beauty of Tasmania, Australia boasts a diverse range of captivating destinations that remain largely unexplored. Bounce, who are known for their luggage storage facilities around the world, have embarked on a quest to uncover these hidden treasures, analyzing data from Tripadvisor and search trends to unveil the country’s most treasured spots.

Topping the national list of states with the highest percentage of hidden treasures (vs the total number of attractions) is the Northern Territory. They had 71 hidden gems from their total number of 838 attractions. That means 8.47% of their total attractions are hidden gems.

Famed for its Outback desert landscapes, including its arid Red Centre where the iconic sandstone monolith Uluru lies, the NT is also known for its hidden treasures including the red rock domes of Kata Tjuta and the sculpted cliffs of Kings Canyon in Watarrka National Park. Remote Alice Springs is the gateway to the Red Centre desert and offers several hidden gems, including historical sites, Aboriginal art galleries, and the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens.

South Australia landed third in the national ranks, with hidden gems making up 4.77% of the State’s total attractions. Apparently we have 3,438 attractions here, which explains why our team at Glam Adelaide never runs out of things to write about! If you’re trying to calculate how many hidden gems that gives us, we’ll give you a hand. That’s 164 hidden gems. What exactly are they? We’re doing some digging and will let you know if we land that list.

What we do know, is that for this research, they flagged that our dramatic outback landscapes are home to some of the country’s most spectacular scenery, such as The Flinders Ranges, Limestone Coast, and Murray River. Some notable gems include the impressive Umpherston Sinkhole, a naturally formed limestone cave, and Seal Bay, where you’ll find yourself surrounded by adorable seals lazing on the sand.

Tassie was second in the national rankings, with 106 hidden gems (4.82% of the total umber of attractions at 2,197).

When the research delved into the city with the most hidden gems, Adelaide smashed it out of the park with 7.99%, along with the Adelaide Hills, taking out the first and second spot in the top 10.

Adelaide may not be the biggest city, but it has plenty of hidden gems tucked away, ready for the grand reveal when you least expect it. Right in the centre of Adelaide lies a little pocket of Japan, the Adelaide Himeji Garden. Designed in two Japanese styles, the garden grounds showcase a serene lake, ornate gates, and stepping stones designed specifically for mindfulness. South Australia’s unique maritime history can be found along the Garden Island Ships’ Graveyard Maritime Heritage Trail. The ‘graveyard’ contains 25 abandoned barges, ferries, sailing ships, and steamers, which were disposed of in the shallow waters of Port Adelaide between 1909 and 1945.

Then of course, we have the Adelaide Hills, which scored second with 6.74% of hidden gem attractions.

In terms of the most searched for hidden gems around the country, Toowoomba scored top position, with 937,500 annual searches. South Australia still represented strongly though, with Kangaroo Island taking out the number three spot behind Lord Howe Island. With 723,500 annual searches, Kangaroo Island is fast becoming a must-see destination, and tourists worldwide are discovering its spectacular coastline and untouched beauty. There are plenty of local Kangaroo Island secret spots, including the Pelican Lagoon Marine Sanctuary, which was named by British explorer Matthew Flinders after its large population of pelicans. It is South Australia’s oldest marine protected area and is a nature photographer’s paradise, with wallabies and kangaroos grazing on the shores around sunset.
The Western River Wilderness Protection Area on the northwestern coast follows a quiet and secluded path to Billy Goat Falls, a beautiful waterfall that normally flows in winter but has sometimes flowed as early as January and all through autumn, winter, and spring. The return 4.2-kilometre hike takes walkers through regenerating bushland and across the creek before descending into a spectacular valley of She-oak trees.

Finally, the research looked at the most searched for the best hidden-gem attractions in Australia, with a South Aussie winery landing a spot in the Top 5. Kies Family Wines are no stranger to accolades, being named the #1 Attraction in the Barossa Valley by Trip Advisor in 2023. They were also the 2022 winner of SA’s Best Small Family Business. More recently, they also blew some minds, being award a Gold medal for Shiraz (a traditionally red category) with their White Shiraz at the China Wine and Spirit Awards.

Methodology

The research team used Tripadvisor data to identify the quantity of hidden gems within each Australian state. By analyzing the total number of attractions listed, they calculated the percentage classified as hidden gems. To ensure a balanced analysis, the results for New South Wales and Victoria were capped at 10,000 attractions.

The ten most populated Australian cities, as per World Population Review, were examined to determine the number and percentage of hidden gem attractions within each city using Tripadvisor data. This data reflects the situation as of August 6, 2024.

A comprehensive list of 70 hidden gem attractions and landmarks across Australia was curated using information from sources such as Time Out, A Nomad’s Passport, and Australia.com. Subsequently, the number of searches conducted for each attraction within Australia between August 2023 and July 2024 was gathered using Google Keyword Planner.

Finally, to pinpoint Tripadvisor’s highest-rated hidden gems in Australia, the team analyzed Tripadvisor data to calculate the percentage of “excellent” reviews for each attraction relative to the total number of reviews.