Plan, explore and experience South Australia
The official Explore South Australia app for iOS and Android and the Trip Planner on southaustralia.com, built by Rocket Lab for the South Australian Tourism Commission.
- Government and tourism
- Mobile App Development
- Web App Development
About the Client
The South Australian Tourism Commission is the South Australian Government's tourism body. It runs southaustralia.com, the state's official travel site, and publishes Explore South Australia, the official travel guide app for the state.
The Challenge
The commission set the product a clear job: help visitors find what's good, what's open and what's nearby once they are in South Australia, and connect them with local tourism businesses at the moment they decide where to go.
It had to work for the whole state, for travellers who plan at home and then head out to regions where the phone signal drops out:
- One search and one map across the state's tourism listings, fed from the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW).
- Recommendations that suit each traveller, from the big events to the local favourites.
- Plans that move between the website and the phone without starting again.
- Saved trips that still work offline, for regional and remote travel.
The Solution
Rocket Lab built the whole travel planner, on the web and on mobile: the Explore South Australia app for iOS and Android, built in React Native, and the Trip Planner on southaustralia.com. One free member account runs across both, so a trip started on the website carries on in the app.
The Explore South Australia app
- What's on, open and nearby. Location-based search and interactive maps, with filters for opening hours and distance.
- Personalised recommendations. A short travel quiz suggests experiences that match how each person likes to travel.
- An itinerary planner. Add places, reorder stops, see distances and driving directions, and share the trip with friends.
- Offline access. Saved itineraries and favourites stay available without signal.
The Trip Planner on southaustralia.com
- Sign in your way. An email and password, or Apple or Google sign-in.
- As many trips as you like. Create, rename and organise each trip by day.
- Add to trip from anywhere. Save a stay, an experience or a place from across southaustralia.com, or drag and drop it onto the route.
- See it on a map. The route on an interactive map, and a PDF summary to print or keep on a phone.
The Outcome
Explore South Australia went live on the App Store in March 2026 and has passed 10,000 downloads on Google Play. The commission now promotes the app to South Australian tourism operators as a new discovery and distribution channel, with guidance on making their ATDW listings work harder in it.
Next step
Building something like SATC?
Book a free 30-minute call. No pitch deck, no obligation. We will tell you if we are the right fit.
Julien Lamy
Founder and Fractional CPTO
You talk to the people who build it, not an account manager.
Key Stats
- Platforms
- iOS, Android and web
- Listings
- 7,000+ tourism businesses, attractions and events, from the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse
- Coverage
- 12 regions, from Adelaide to the Flinders Ranges and Outback
- Downloads
- 10,000+ on Google Play
- Launched
- On the App Store since March 2026
- One account
- Trips sync between southaustralia.com and the app
- Offline
- Saved itineraries and favourites work without signal
- Ratings
- 3.9 on the App Store (13 ratings) and 3.0 on Google Play (10 reviews), October 2026
- App Store chart
- No. 124 in Travel, October 2026
