High-profile Liberal candidate Georgina Downer is cutting ties with South Australia after announcing she will be returning to Victoria, ending a 40-year Downer dynasty in the state.

Key points: Ms Downer returned to South Australia to contest the seat of Mayo in 2018

Ms Downer returned to South Australia to contest the seat of Mayo in 2018 She twice failed in her election bids to independent MP Rebekha Sharkie

She twice failed in her election bids to independent MP Rebekha Sharkie The SA Liberal Party president said Ms Downer was moving back to Victoria for family reasons

SA Liberal Party president John Olsen confirmed Ms Downer had announced at a Liberal party members event last night that she would be making the trek back to Victoria.

The daughter of former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer, Ms Downer returned to the state to make her bid for the Adelaide Hills seat of Mayo last year.

It was her second tilt in South Australia, however she failed twice to win the seat, losing to Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie.

Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie won the Mayo by-election. ( ABC News: Isabel Dayman )

When running for the seat, Ms Downer batted off criticism that she had been parachuted into the seat from her home in Victoria.

She said she had relocated her family to the electorate and was committed to the local community.

"As someone who grew up and spent the first two decades of her life in Mayo, was married in Mayo, and whose family have lived in the Adelaide Hills for over a century, I am coming home," Ms Downer said at the time.

Mr Olsen said he understood Ms Downer had now decided to leave the state for family reasons.

"I understand that is the case based on family decision and circumstances that Georgina is perhaps in the short term going to sacrifice her career path for that of the family," he told ABC Radio Adelaide.

"There is no doubt that Georgina Downer is a highly intelligent, articulate, compassionate and very capable person in her own right.

"To lose that capacity as a potential member of Parliament or elected member of Parliament I think is a loss."

Liberal candidate for Mayo Georgina Downer hands over a novelty cheque to the Yankalilla Bowling Club. ( Facebook: Georgina Downer — Liberal for Mayo )

During her time in the state, Ms Downer was the subject of many headlines, not many positive.

In May, she told ABC Radio Adelaide the minimum wage is "about right" after previously pushing for it to be abolished along with penalty rates.

She was also investigated by the National Audit Office, to assess whether a novelty cheque worth $127,373 — which she presented to a the Yankalilla Bowling Club — was politically motivated.

She was also the victim of an alleged stalker, after political volunteer Paul Bunney, 63, was charged with stalking Ms Downer in April while she was contesting the seat of Mayo.

Downer was 'compromised by the media'

Mr Olsen said it was unfortunate that Ms Downer had been judged against her father during her election bids, rather than as an individual.

"She is an outstanding person. She's achieved much in her own life," he said.

"I saw her identify issues in the electorate of Mayo, argue the case to Government, get Government to respond to policy issues within the community and it's that sort of passion that, in my view, is going to be missed."

Alexander, Nicky, Georgina and Hetty Downer on the night of the Mayo by-election. ( ABC News: Tom Fedorowytsch )

He said her status as a Downer played a big part in her unsuccessful election bids.

"It was compromised by the media in some instances because of her family history in politics," he said.

He said Ms Downer's decision to move back to Victoria would allow her to spend more time with her family.

"Georgina and her husband, Will, have obviously gone through what many people in the community go through, and they've made a value judgment that the future of their family unit it the most important thing," he said.

"Georgina put her heart and soul into that community where she was born and educated and grew up in."