Geranium  South Australia

Halfway along the stretch of the Mallee Highway between Pinnaroo and Tailem Bend, the colourfully named town of Geranium is in the heart of wheat, barley and oats producing Mallee country.

The town is perfectly located for forays into a number of nearby conservation parks. One of the more interesting is the 60,000ha Billiat Park which supports a mosaic of open Mallee scrub on dunes which are home to a variety of native fauna, including the pygmy possum and the reclusive Mallee fowl.

The Mallee Tourist and Heritage Centre, about 75km to the east, holds a wealth of material reflecting the Mallee’s unique landforms, flora, fauna and history.

Geranium is well within day-tripper distance of the internationally important wetland that is the Coorong. Protecting an area with long and deep spiritual significance to the Aborigines, the Coorong National Park stretches 145km from the mouth of the Murray River to just north of Kingston.

Lying behind the narrow Younghusband Peninsula, the park's inland sea of shimmering, shallow lagoons harbours a large range of water fowl and shore bird species, some of which are permanent residents and others are migratory.