Monarto Safari Park is the big-ticket reason many travellers come this way. It spreads across dry mallee country west of Murray Bridge and works more like a safari reserve than a compact zoo, with shuttle loops, walking tracks, and close views of giraffes, rhinos, lions, cheetahs, and other species.
Allow several hours. The park is especially good for families, but it is also serious about conservation breeding, so it feels less like a roadside animal stop and more like a real destination.