Adelaide

Adelaide is laid out in an easy to navigate grid pattern, surrounded by a green ribbon of parklands with the River Torrens running through the city. It has a very ‘civilised’ atmosphere, thanks to its colonial stone architecture, sense of space and focus on food and wine.

It is also known as the ‘Festival City’, and hosts many cultural and sporting events throughout the year. The city is flat and compact, making it easy to explore on foot, and it’s less than half an hour from the beaches and the hills.

North Terrace is a good place to start exploring as many of the city’s cultural institutions are found on this tree-lined boulevard. Former National Party leader, Tim Fischer, once said that the best way to get a feel for a city and its people, head to the railway station, so let’s…

Top Five

1. The Casino (for the building, not the gambling)
2. Glenleg (for the tram ride as much as the beach)
3. National Wine Centre (for a tipple without the travel)
4. Adelaide Oval (for a one-day international cricket match with atmosphere)
5. Gouger Street/Hindley Street (for a sophisticated meal and civilised sleaze)

Suggestions

The Adelaide Casino is in what was once the main railway station. Beautifully restored, it has a number of restaurants, bars, and free live entertainment in the Skycity complex.

Strolling east, you can’t miss Parliament House. It’s a grand, imposing building and the public gallery is open when parliament is sitting. Cross King William Street, past Government House and nip down Kintore Avenue for the Migration Museum, which documents the history of the migrants who settled in South Australia. Adjacent is the State Library, a rich resource, and home to the Bradman Collection, the Don’s personal cricketing memorabilia.

The South Australian Museum has five floors with excellent exhibits on geology, natural history and anthropology with the new Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery being the largest in the world.

A fine collection of Australian, European and Asian art along with temporary exhibitions can be seen at the Art Gallery of South Australia.

At the eastern end of North Terrace are the Botanic Gardens featuring heritage buildings, flora from the Asia-Pacific regions, a tropical rainforest display in the Bicentennial Conservatory and grand 150-year-old Moreton Bay fig trees. Also located in the gardens, the National Wine Centre showcases the diversity and excellence of the Australian wine industry through an interactive exhibition, display vineyard, educational facilities and a quality restaurant. You can sample wine from 50 different regions and buy wine from the retail outlet. Some locals think it was a waste of money, having such a huge facility promoting South Australian wines when the actual wineries are at the doorstep. They would rather it be somewhere like Sydney - you can’t please some people.

Cross the road and head up East Terrace to the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute (Tandanya) for displays of indigenous art, culture, visual and performing arts. Back on North Terrace, Ayers House recreates 19th century living in Adelaide. Built in 1845, the house was once home to Sir Henry Ayers, Premier of South Australia. At the western end of you’ll find the Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre. It’s a large arts centre with free, guided tours to see artists working in glass, ceramics, jewellery, textiles, wood and metal.

Back at King William Street, heading towards the Torrens, you pass the Adelaide Festival Centre, the city’s premier artistic venue and heart of the famous Adelaide Arts Festival.

There are various ways to travel along the River Torrens. You can take a cruise, a paddleboat or even a gondola from below the Festival Centre. Or sit on the bank, enjoy a picnic and feed the ducks and swans.

You can also hop a boat to the Adelaide Zoo. It’s compact but extremely rewarding with more than 1400 exotic and native mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. There are penguin, sea lion and pelican feedings, guided tours twice daily and a ‘free flight’ macaw show. If you’re driving, enter on Frome Road.

Cross Adelaide Bridge to get to the Adelaide Oval. There are tours and a museum and the oval’s personality says a lot about Adelaide. It’s small, intimate, polite, green and relaxing. The Melbourne Cricket Ground, in contrast, is busy and imposing, and the Sydney Cricket Ground has a party atmosphere with a sneaky pitch that can turn on the last day. Overlooking the oval and Adelaide is Light’s Vision, the historic monument to Colonel Light.

Back in town, the Central Market is colourful and full of unique, lively stalls with an amazing range of fresh food produce. Tours include samples of fruits, chocolate and seafood.

Rundle Mall is the place to start for shoppers. The IMAX Theatre is in Rundle East.

For more traditional movies there are a number of cinema complexes nearby. For nightlife and entertainment, check out the Advertiser’s Saturday magazine or ‘Arts Monday’.

There’s also a free monthly newspaper, Adelaide Review which can be found in cafes and bookshops. For inner city pubs and nightclubs, head to Rundle Mall, East End and Hindley Street.

For quieter relaxation, 45 per cent of the city is devoted to parklands, many with the latest play equipment for children in safe playgrounds. The parks are also home to archery, petanque and other sports and, on the weekends, you’ll spot brides being photographed in the lush, green setting. Just southwest of the central city is the Investigator Science and Technology Centre offering interactive, hands-on science and fun for all ages.

Further along, on the coast, is Glenelg. The suburb’s name, like the tram, looks the same way back as forward, and no trip to Adelaide would be complete without this tram ride to the sea. There’s the beach (albeit with a shortage of sand at the time of writing), the pier, terrific al fresco dining, the very good Rodney Fox Shark Museum and Magic Mountain for the kids. And the folk there are friendly. I arrived at the theme park an hour before it opened and breathed a sigh of relief. My small son wanted to ride what was dubbed the ‘biggest Ferris wheel in the Southern Hemisphere’ and I hate Ferris wheels. It’s not so much the height as the thought that a man with one eyebrow, a beanie and a spanner may have erected it. Anyway, the owner of the park opened just for us, and round and round and round we went with the man waving back every time I waved down to say we’d had enough. Nearby Henley Beach also has some fine restaurants.

The Adelaide Hills are classified as a region but they’re an easy 20-minute drive from the centre of the city. Look for the signs to Mount Lofty, Stirling, Hahndorf and Mount Barker.

The Hills are full of quaint villages, wildlife sanctuaries, parks and gardens, cellars, art and craft galleries, and antique shops.

The galleries in larger towns like Hahndorf and Mount Barker are open seven days a week. There’s also a strong pub culture, with many offering excellent meals and weekend jazz.

For native fauna, visit Cleland Wildlife Park where koalas, kangaroos, wombats, emus, dingoes and many reptile and bird species can be seen. Aboriginal tours and nightwalks are also available.

The Warrawong Earth Sanctuary (Stirling) is the State’s leading eco-tourism venue with wildlife including potoroos, platypus, bettongs, bandicoots, quolls, kangaroos and many endangered Australian species. There’s also comfortable bush cabin accommodation and a licensed restaurant.

In Hahndorf, Beerenberg Strawberry Farm dates back to the 1830’s German settlement. From October to May visitors can pick their own strawberries along the rose-covered walkway and year round homemade jams, pickles, chutneys, sauces and marinades are for sale. Hahndorf Farm Barn is a hands-on farm experience with sheep shearing, cow milking and rabbit cuddling. You can also see chickens hatch and bees make honey.

Melba’s Chocolates and Confectionary in Woodside is an historic factory/shop that produces souvenirs, giftware and sweets. Entry and samples are free.

See wooden toys being made and purchase at factory prices at The Toy Factory in Gumeracha, which is also home to The Biggest Rocking Horse in the world!!

More Information

For more information about South Australia:

• Events And Festivals
• Accommodation
• To See And Do
• Barossa Valley
• Clare and beyond
• Fleurieu
• Kangaroo Island
• The Outback
• From Andamooka to Woomera

South Australia Tours With Tours To Go