Explore American River, South Australia, Australia, with this interactive street and satellite map. You can “grab” the American River, SA map and move it around to re-centre it. You can change between standard map view and satellite map view by clicking the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. You can use the zoom buttons on the lower right side of the map to zoom in or out to street-level detail.
This page also offers TOPO MAPS — Geoscience Australia topographic mapping and the classic NATMAP 1:250 000 sheets — plus a labelled MGA grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below. You will find live weather, local and world news further down the page.
This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for American River, South Australia, Australia. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture to zoom in and out.
Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen for a larger view. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key on your keyboard, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).
Drag the map to pan to any area of South Australia or beyond. Switch to Satellite view to see high-resolution aerial photography of American River and surrounding areas, including streets, buildings, parks and waterways.
TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the Geoscience Australia National Base Map — seamless topographic mapping covering the mainland, Tasmania and the external territories. NATMAP 250K shows the classic NATMAP 1:250 000 map sheets, mosaicked nationwide — the printed sheets generations of Australians navigated the outback with. The search box finds any Australian town, suburb or landmark by name, so you are not limited to American River.
Reading the map like a paper sheet. Click Grid to overlay the Map Grid of Australia (MGA), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.
Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as an MGA grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — the grid reference being what emergency services and search and rescue work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need mobile coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load, which across much of inland Australia is most of the time.
Map search is available for a limited number of queries per session to manage costs. Be specific — search precisely for best results.
| Locality | American River |
| State | South Australia (SA) |
| Local Government Area | Kangaroo Island Council |
| Country | Australia |
| Timezone | Australian Central Time (ACST/ACDT) |
| Remoteness | Remote Australia |
| Latitude | -35.7816 |
| Longitude | 137.76888 |
| Population | 255 |
| Density | 69.1 /km² |
| Area | 3.7 km² |
| Elevation | 27 m |
| Postcode | 5221 |
| Area Code | 08 |
| Distance to Adelaide | 121 km southwest |
American River is a locality in the Kangaroo Island Council local government area of South Australia, Australia. It is a small community with a population of 255. The locality covers an area of 3.7 km², giving a population density of about 69.1 people per km². It sits at an elevation of around 27 m above sea level. It lies approximately 121 km southwest of Adelaide. American River is located at 35.7816°S, 137.7689°E. It observes Australian Central Time (ACST/ACDT). Postcode: 5221. The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies the area as Remote Australia.
American River lies at the heart of Kangaroo Island's eastern embrace, a tranquil inlet where salt-laced air mingles with the earthy scent of eucalypts. It lies 100.6 km south-west of Morphett Vale, SA (from Morphett Vale, SA: bearing 223°T), and is situated 19.9 km south-east of Kingscote. The water itself, a soft, milky green, laps gently against low, sandy shores and scrub-covered hills that roll inland, their slopes a mosaic of muted greens and ochres. Beyond the immediate curve of the river mouth, the landscape opens to the broader expanse of the Backstairs Passage, its steely grey waters often flecked with whitecaps, hinting at the wilder ocean beyond. Here, the light at dusk possesses a peculiar softness, a diffused glow that catches the dust motes dancing in the still air and paints the weathered bark of the paperbark trees with a subtle, ephemeral beauty.
This is a place where the echoes of a more boisterous past still resonate, though muted by the passage of years and the quiet diligence of the present. The name itself speaks of a curious chapter in maritime history, a brief but significant encounter that left its mark. Today, the economy of American River is woven from the threads of its natural bounty; fishing boats, their hulls bleached by sun and spray, bob patiently at moorings, their catches destined for local tables and further afield. Small-scale aquaculture also plays a part, a quiet cultivation of the sea's offerings. For the traveller, it is a haven of understated charm, a place to breathe deeply and watch the pelicans glide with effortless grace across the placid waters, their shadows momentarily disturbing the glassy surface.
Sources: curated tourist landmarks, CAPAD 2024 (Australian protected areas), OpenStreetMap.
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This page provides a street and satellite map of American River, South Australia. Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorially written description provides background on American River, in the Kangaroo Island Council local government area.
Detailed location data for American River includes the postcode (5221), telephone area code (08), and local government area (Kangaroo Island Council), with an ABS remoteness classification of Remote Australia. These are among the most commonly searched location details for any Australian city, town or locality.
Search Maps opens a second, independent map. It searches OpenStreetMap for any Australian town, suburb or landmark by name; offers Geoscience Australia topographic mapping and the classic NATMAP 1:250 000 sheets as base layers; overlays a labelled Map Grid of Australia (MGA) so the map can be read like a printed topographic sheet; measures distance and grid, true and magnetic bearings between any two points; and takes a single GPS fix reporting your position as an MGA grid reference and as latitude and longitude. Map tiles require mobile coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map cannot load.
Location data is drawn from Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020) and enriched with GeoNames and Australian Bureau of Statistics data, matched by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct American River is identified even where the name is shared across multiple localities.
| Page generated | October 2026 |
| Location data | Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020); enriched with GeoNames and ABS 2021 Census data, matched by coordinate proximity |
| Map layers | Google Maps; © OpenStreetMap contributors; © Geoscience Australia National Base Map and NATMAP 1:250 000 (CC BY 4.0); magnetic declination from NOAA NCEI (World Magnetic Model) |
| Description | Editorial description generated with AI assistance from verified Geoscape, ABS and GeoNames location data. |