Royal Geographical Society of South Australia

16/10/2026

RGSSA Director Iain Hay will be speaking to the Adelaide Lyceum Club on 5 November about the Society and its underpinning qualities and focus, captured in one of the Society's key taglines: 'Experience. Geography. Together.'

13/10/2026

12/10/2026

Today, four members of the RGSSA Council— LeighRadford, Iain Hay, Frances Gnodtke and Hugh Orr—joined around 25 other participants for a three-hour strategic planning session in the magnificent Mortlock Wing of the State Library of South Australia.

Bringing together senior Library staff, the Library’s Director Megan Berghuis, Board Chair Bruce Linn and other Board members, the session focused on shaping the State Library’s 2027–2032 strategic plan—including its work with South Australia’s public libraries.

It was a valuable opportunity for the RGSSA to contribute to the future direction of one of South Australia’s most important cultural institutions. According to Bruce Linn, the planning process is nearing completion, with the new plan expected to be finalised by early 2027.

09/10/2026

RGSSA members (especially if you're involved with GeoNext) may be interested in this Careers Evening on 15 October. There's many diverse opportunities for those with a geographical background and here's a chance to hear about a few of them.

08/10/2026

Join us for Beyond the Car: Creating a Sustainable and Liveable Adelaide, a timely symposium presented by the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia (RGSSA). Bringing together leading transport-planning experts, the event will explore how better-integrated transport and land-use strategies can help create a more sustainable, inclusive, healthy and liveable Adelaide.

Adelaide’s future will be shaped not only by where we live and work, but also by how easily, safely and affordably we can move between the places that matter. The symposium will examine the challenges of car-dependent development, consider the potential of active and public transport, and encourage practical discussion about the transport networks and urban forms needed for a fairer, greener and better-connected city.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship of RAA and Green Adelaide.

We hope you can join us—and please share this invitation with colleagues, networks and others who may be interested.

07/10/2026

06/10/2026

Distinguished scholar, Dr Phillip Jones, will deliver the RGSSA October evening lecture. This is sure to be an insightful and fascinating presentation.

The lecture will be preceded at 5.15pm by the RGSSA Annual General Meeting.

Please note the Adelaide University venue for both the lecture and the AGM (due to works in the usual Hetzel Theatre).

01/10/2026

The RGSSA is delighted to acknowledge the attendance and short presentation of our Society’s Education Committee Secretary, Dr Alaric Maude AM, at the Australian Geography Teachers’ Association (AGTA) 2026 Awards Dinner, held last night in the magnificent setting of the National Arboretum in Canberra.

Alaric has long been one of Australia’s most influential advocates for geographical education. Continuing his significant and longstanding contribution to geography teaching, he has been developing high-quality resources to support teachers in delivering key aspects of the Australian Curriculum. These resources help bring geographical thinking to life in classrooms and support teachers in fostering students’ understanding of the world and their place within it.

The RGSSA is proud to have Alaric’s expertise, leadership and commitment guiding our education initiatives. His work continues to strengthen geography education across Australia and inspire both teachers and students.
Congratulations, Alaric, and thank you for your ongoing service to geography education.

30/09/2026

Today, RGSSA Director Professor Iain Hay delivered the Keynote Address at the Australian Geography Teachers' Association (AGTA) Biennial Conference, held in the iconic Ian Wark Lecture Theatre at the Australian Academy of Science's Shine Dome, affectionately known as "The Martian Embassy".

Addressing geography educators from across Australia, Iain explored what he described as an existential challenge for Geography and argued for a stronger public articulation of the discipline's purpose and value.

His proposed message was simple and memorable:

Geography: the science of place.

The keynote highlighted how place is Geography's distinctive superpower, and how using the term science aligns with the International Science Council's definition of science and supports important goals identified in the Australian Academy of Science's Decadal Plan for Geographical Sciences (2018-2028).

The response from delegates was wonderfully supportive. Throughout the day, participants expressed enthusiasm for the tagline and its potential to strengthen Geography's public profile through student recruitment materials, advocacy campaigns, and classroom promotion.

Geography: the science of place.

Place is our superpower.

30/09/2026

Recently the Royal Scottish Geographical Society contacted us to ask if we could write an article about the current filling of Kati Thanda- Lake Eyre. RGSSA President Leigh Radford obliged and they published it:

At any time, Kati-Thanda/Lake Eyre is the most remarkable of geographical features in outback Australia. The sheer size of the lake is astounding to see in real life, and being a long way from anywhere, it’s quite an adventure to get there.