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Updated South Australia quarantine regulations fully explained

From snacks and drinks to pit stops and lookouts, holiday planning can be exhausting! But great planning could save you a $375 fine.

South Australia has strict quarantine restrictions to keep unwanted pests, such as fruit fly, out of the state. When travelling into South Australia you must plan ahead and know what the rules are before you go.

Travelling to South Australia 

• If you’re entering South Australia via Yamba, you must eat or dispose of fruit and vegetables at the quarantine bins located before you reach the quarantine station, or face a $375 fine.
• If you’re entering South Australia via Pinnaroo, Oodla Wirra or Ceduna, you can dispose your fruit and vegetables at the quarantine stations.

Travelling to the Riverland

• If you’re within South Australia and planning a trip to the Riverland, fresh fruit and vegetables are only allowed if you have an itemised receipt from a South Australian retail outlet. So buy local, and keep your docket. Random roadblocks are in operation in this region, so don’t think you won’t be caught.

Why all the fuss? Fruit fly is one of the most destructive fruit pests and can easily destroy fruit and vegetables in commercial crops and home gardens.

South Australia is the only mainland state that is fruit fly free (try saying that three times quick!). And the Riverland region is an internationally recognised Pest Free Area.

Being fruit fly free has many benefits. It protects the state’s commercial production of fruit, vegetable and wine grapes which in 2018-19 had an estimated farm-gate value of $1.2 billion.

It is also a key selling point to lucrative overseas export markets such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

For those of us with green thumbs, being free of the unwanted pest makes it easier for South Australians to grow fruit and vegetables at home with less pesticides.

Quarantine stations, signs and disposal bins are present at key locations across the state including major roads and highways, airports and rail terminals.

Click here to find out more.