 You can pick up a lot about the region's European history at Old Tailem Town, one of Australia's largest pioneer villages, five kilometres from Tailem Bend off the freeway to Adelaide. The centre opened in 1988 to preserve Australian social history, with the conservation of 90 old buildings and the restoration and presentation of various relics, including old railway equipment, along 12 streets.
Nearby, the Coorong, an inland sea of shimmering, shallow lagoons running south from the Murray River, remains an untouched bastion of coastal wilderness.
A protected national park, the region is home to more than 200 nesting bird species and 275 plant species. Pelicans breed here in large numbers. Banded stilts, black swans, Australian shelducks, Pacific black and musk ducks and chestnut teals bob on the water and add to the early morning noise. Keen birdwatchers spend hours seeking the elusive rufous bristlebird and the exquisite firetail.
Those with a desire to experience Australia's indigenous culture head for Camp Coorong, an Aboriginal cultural centre where visitors can stay and learn about the lifestyle of Australia's first inhabitants. Camp Coorong is run by the Ngarrindjeri people to teach visitors about bush food, traditional life and Dreaming stories. Learn about the Ngarrindjeri people's relationship with land and their culture; view a midden site; watch the art of Ngarrindjeri basket-weaving and gain insights into the environment, animals, medicine and food plants of the Coorong.
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