Padthaway is a small town in the Australian state of South Australia located in the state's south-east within the Limestone Coast region about 253 kilometres south east of the state capital of Adelaide and about 41 kilometres south-east of the municipal seat of Bordertown. The name is derived from the Potawurutj, the Aboriginal name word for cover or bury. Padthaway is in the Tatiara District Council, the state electorate of MacKillop and the federal Division of Barker.

Tatiara District Council is a local government area located in south-eastern South Australia. The name Tatiara is said to mean "the good country", a phrase which dates back to the area's first inhabitants, the Bodaruwitj people. It is one of the largest local government areas in South Australia at 6,476 km2 (2,500 sq mi). The district's economy is based primarily on agriculture, with cereal crops such as wheat, barley and oats and with livestock such as sheep, cattle and pigs prominent.