TOURISM

Down Under Travel Bureau: Santa Ana is home to a new travel bureau promoting, among other things, what’s underneath the land Down Under.

Tourism South Australia, a combination travel agency and tourism promotion office, opened in Santa Ana two months ago after moving from Century City. Officials say they made the move because they found that Orange County, with its more affluent population, was more fertile ground for finding new clients.

While Americans have become increasingly familiar with Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne, South Australia has attracted much less attention.

The area has an abundance of interesting tourist destinations, many of them off the beaten path. Besides the capital of Adelaide, there are sights like the wildlife preserve of Kangaroo Island and the underground homes in Coober Pedy, an opal mining town.

So far, officials say, business has been brisk in the new office.

compiled by Chris Woodward, Times staff writer