SYDNEY - Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam will arrive in South Australia on Tuesday to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Adelaide, where he studied a PhD in applied mathematics in the 1960s.

The Adelaide stopover is part of Tan's six-day state visit to Australia, which began in Canberra on Sunday where he met Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott among other officials.

It is his first visit to Australia as Singapore president and he said the two countries shared strong ties.

"Our ties in fact go back to before Singapore's independence," Tan said on his Facebook page.

"Singapore and Australia enjoy excellent ties and strong relations in various fields including education, economics and defense."

"This visit will further strengthen the people-to-people ties and promote closer co-operation between our two countries."

Tan's last stop is Perth where he will meet the Western Australia's Governor Malcolm McCusker and Premier Colin Barnett.

He will also host a reception for the Singaporean community and visit the Republic of Singapore Air Force Pearce Detachment in Western Australia.