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G'day Fringe artists and performers! Are you thinking about taking your brilliant show beyond the city limits? Understanding what "regional" means for the Adelaide Fringe, and how to navigate touring regional South Australia, can open up a whole new world of audiences and experiences. This guide is designed to help you suss out regional areas and point you towards the best resources for a successful regional tour.

Contents

What/Where is "Regional" South Australia?

When we talk about "regional" South Australia in the context of the Adelaide Fringe, we're referring to all the wonderful communities outside of metropolitan Adelaide. This includes a vast and diverse array of places, from the picturesque Adelaide Hills to the rugged Far North. These areas offer unique audiences and venues, and expanding your Fringe season to include regional dates can be a truly rewarding experience.

The communities considered "regional" encompass:

  • Adelaide Plains
  • Adelaide Hills and Mount Lofty Ranges
  • APY Lands
  • Barossa Valley
  • Clare Valley
  • Eyre Peninsula
  • Far North
  • Far West
  • Fleurieu Peninsula
  • Flinders Ranges
  • Kangaroo Island
  • Limestone Coast
  • Mallee
  • Mid North
  • Murraylands
  • Riverland
  • Yorke Peninsula

You can get a good visual sense of these areas by checking out the Detailed Maps of South Australian Regions, or by looking at the general SA Regions Highlighted Map, where the metro area is usually outlined in red, and everything beyond that is considered regional.

Checking if an Area is Regional

Sometimes it's not immediately obvious whether a specific postcode or address falls into the "regional" category. Luckily, there are a couple of handy online tools that use government data to help you figure it out.

Health Workforce Locator

This tool, while designed for the healthcare industry, pulls its data directly from the Government of South Australia's guidelines. It's a reliable way to check the regional status of a location.

  • Head to the Health Workforce Locator.
  • Select "Modified Monash Model 2019".
  • Pop the address you're curious about into the "Find Address" search bar.

The tool will then display a map and provide a code under "Modified Monash" ranging from MM1 to MM7. Any area classified as MM2 to MM7 is considered a Regional area. The map itself is also colour-coded, with a helpful legend in the bottom-right corner.

For example, if you were to search for Gawler, you'd see it classified as metro (MM1).

Brilliant Migration Regional Area Calculator for South Australia

Here's another useful tool that accesses the same data but presents it in a slightly different way, often providing additional helpful information about the town or postcode.

Under the "Region" section, it will tell you which region the town or postcode is located in. If the area is not regional, it will typically show a variation of "Adelaide" (for instance, McLaren Vale might appear as "Adelaide - South", and Gawler as "Adelaide - North"). This tool can also offer more details about the town that might be useful for your planning.

Regional Development Australia (RDA)

RDA is an Australian Government initiative that brings together all levels of government to support the development of regional Australia. It's funded by the Australian Government and by state, territory and local governments in some jurisdictions. They include a map of the SA Regions, and you can drill down into council / state initiatives that benefit / impact the SA Regions within their resource database.

Touring Regional SA with Fringe

Thinking about adding regional dates or locations to your Fringe season? It's a fantastic way to reach new audiences and explore our beautiful state. The Fringe has put together some excellent resources to help you get started.

Fringe Across the State Guide

We've created a super handy Fringe Across the State Guide specifically for artists interested in touring Regional South Australia. This guide covers the essential basics, including:

  • Where to go.
  • Who to contact in regional areas.
  • Key considerations for regional touring.
  • A practical checklist to get your regional tour planning in motion.

Consider Regional Touring: Professional Development Video

Want to hear from artists who have already successfully toured regional South Australia? Our "Consider Regional Touring" video, part of our monthly professional development series, features valuable insights directly from those who've blazed the trail.

In this August 2024 release, Jennifer Laycock of Art for Earthlings and Malcolm Harslett of Mighty Good Productions spill the tea about their regional touring experiences during Adelaide Fringe 2023. This is your chance to learn from their successes and challenges, gain practical tips, and fuel your wanderlust for performing beyond the city limits. Keep an eye out for where this video will be available!

Summary

  • "Regional" South Australia for Fringe purposes refers to all communities outside the Adelaide metropolitan area.
  • You can verify a location's regional status using the Health Workforce Locator (MM2-MM7 codes indicate regional) or the Brilliant Migration Regional Area Calculator (look for non-"Adelaide" region names).
  • The Fringe Across the State Guide is an excellent starting points for planning a regional tour.
  • Don't forget to check out the "Consider Regional Touring" professional development video for firsthand advice from experienced regional touring artists!

Additional Resources

  • Fringe Across the State Guide - Your go-to resource for touring regional SA.
  • Consider Regional Touring - Professional development video with artist insights.