Tailem Bend (locally, “Tailem”) is a rural town in South Australia, 85 kilometres (53 miles) south-east of the state capital of Adelaide. It is located on the lower reaches of the River Murray, near where the river flows into Lake Alexandrina. It is linear in layout since it is constrained by river cliffs on its western side and the Adelaide–Melbourne railway line is dominant on its eastern side. The town grew and consolidated through being a large railway centre between the 1890s and 1990s; now it continues to service regional rural communities. In the 2021 census, Tailem Bend and the surrounding area had a population of 1,705.

Tailem Bend is on Australia’s principal highway, the A1, linking Adelaide and Melbourne; it is 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the end of the South Eastern Freeway to Adelaide. South of the town is the junction between the Princes and Dukes Highways. It is, however, a stopping place for interstate bus services. The Tailem Bend Ferry, a cable ferry, operates across the River Murray to Jervois.