Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.28 million. The adjectival form “Adelaidean” is used in reference to the city and its residents.

Festivals and food. Arts and culture. Shopping and sports. This is Adelaide – the Australian city where there’s always something on. Adelaide’s generous boulevards and elegant architecture provide the perfect backdrop for all sorts of holiday activities. No matter what takes your interest, there’s something that will pique your curiosity.

Whether you want to party or relax on your next holiday, South Australia’s capital city has it all. With spacious boulevards and vibrant inner-city districts, sophisticated architecture and lush gardens, plenty of accommodation to choose from, Adelaide is the perfect venue for all sorts of holiday activities – big or small. Whether you want to be entertained, get out and party, or just relax with the family on holiday, Adelaide has something for you. Adelaide is often referred to as a ‘city within a park’ because it is completely surrounded by green space.

The influential urban design of Adelaide – Australia’s first planned city – has been granted Australia’s highest heritage honour with its inclusion on the National Heritage List. The listing recognises the  Adelaide Park Lands and city layout as an urban masterpiece that influenced the planning of other towns in Australia and overseas.

Designed in 1837 by Colonel William Light as an intergral part of his plan for the City of Adelaide, the Adelaide Park Lands today comprise nearly 900 hectares, or around 45 per cent of the city, forming a significant aspect of the city’s identity and appeal. They include gardens and ancient gums, playing fields and 19th century olive groves, historic sites and contemporary art, ceremonial places and informal native plantings, appreciated by locals and visitors alike.

You might want to immerse yourself in South Australia’s rich arts and culture, stroll along North Terrace – Adelaide’s “cultural boulevard.” It’s home to the Aboriginal Cultures Gallery in the South Australian Museum, Adelaide Botanic Garden and the National Wine Centre. Just around the corner, wander through the fascinating National Aboriginal Cultural Institute – Tandanya.
You might want to indulge in retail therapy while shopping at Rundle Mall, There’s more than 800 shops to choose from, so you won’t run out of options or sample the tastes on offer at the famed Adelaide Central Market, or sip award-winning wines at the National Wine Centre.

You might prefer to follow in the footsteps of sporting champions at the world-famous Adelaide Oval. Or enjoy a retreat to the cosmopolitan seaside suburbs of Glenelg, Henley Beach and Semaphore.

And if you’re after a meal or a drink, there are more than 700 restaurants, cafes and pubs to choose from. So, sample the al fresco styles of East Rundle Street, try the seafood and Asian cuisine at Gouger Street, and treat yourself to some fine dining at the restaurants and cafes of North Adelaide.
But if there’s one thing you absolutely must do, it’s take a trip to the Adelaide Central Market. It’s open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays – and the best time to turn up is early in the morning for breakfast.

In Adelaide, there is a brilliant blend of things to see and do. All you have to do is choose.

Head for the Coast
Situated along the coastline of Gulf St Vincent, Adelaide’s beach districts stretch out over an area that’s almost thirty kilometres long. That’s a lot of sand for you to play on.
Head down to the cosmopolitan Jetty Road at Glenelg, enjoy the seaside village atmosphere at Brighton, or take in the stunning views from Kingston House, located at Kingston Park. And don’t miss Semaphore, for a classic beach escape, with everything from an historic carousel and coastal train ride, through to fish and chip cafes and kite flying festivals.

A little History

Named in honour of Queen Adelaide, the German-born consort of King William IV, the city was founded in 1836 as the planned capital for a freely settled British province in Australia. Colonel William Light, one of Adelaide’s founding fathers, designed the city and chose its location close to the River Torrens in the area originally inhabited by the Kaurna people. Light’s design set out Adelaide in a grid layout, interspaced by wide boulevards and large public squares, and entirely surrounded by parkland. Early Adelaide was shaped by religious freedom and a commitment to political progressivism and civil liberties, which led to the moniker “City of Churches”.

Adelaide was established as the centre of a planned colony of free immigrants, promising civil liberties and freedom from religious persecution, based upon the ideas of Edward Gibbon Wakefield. Wakefield had read accounts of Australian settlement while in prison in London for attempting to abduct an heiress, and realised that the eastern colonies suffered from a lack of available labour, due to the practice of giving land grants to all arrivals. Wakefield’s idea was for the Government to survey and sell the land at a rate that would maintain land values high enough to be unaffordable for labourers and journeymen. Funds raised from the sale of land were to be used to bring out working class emigrants, who would have to work hard for the monied settlers to ever afford their own land. As a result of this policy, Adelaide does not share the convict settlement history of other Australian cities like Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Hobart.

As South Australia’s seat of government and commercial centre, Adelaide is the site of many governmental and financial institutions. Most of these are concentrated in the city centre along the cultural boulevard of North Terrace, King William Street and in various districts of the metropolitan area. Today, Adelaide is noted for its many festivals and sporting events, its food, wine and culture, its long beachfronts, and its large defence and manufacturing sectors. It ranks highly in terms of liveability, being listed in the Top 10 of The Economist’s World’s Most Liveable Cities index in 2010 and being ranked the most liveable city in Australia by the Property Council of Australia in 2011.

Getting Here and Around

Air
Adelaide is easily accessed by air from all Australian capital cities and international destinations. Adelaide Airport is eight kilometres from the centre of the city, a 15-minute drive. It services regional, domestic and international travellers in one building. The state-of-the-art facility is the newest and most efficient aviation terminal in Australia, incorporating the latest in design and technology.

The South Australian Visitor & Travel Centre runs an information and booking centre in the main airport building. It is open for every domestic and international flight arrival, 365 days of the year. There is a AUD$2 levy on all taxi fares to the airport. The average taxi fare from the city centre to the airport is (AUD) $15. Skylink Shuttle operates between the airport, city and Interstate Rail Terminal (Keswick). Cost is $8.50 one way. JetBus links the airport and the city and some suburbs.

Coach
The main coach terminal in Adelaide is the Central Bus Station at Franklin Street, Adelaide. All interstate and intrastate coaches depart from and arrive at this terminal.

Public Transport
You can travel for free within the Adelaide city centre on the Adelaide Free bus, the 99C, and the tram between South Terrace and North Terrace. AdelaideMetro services the greater metropolitan region with trains and buses and the Glenelg tram. Visit the Adelaide Metro website for details of routes and fares.

Train
The interstate trains The Overland, The Ghan and the Indian Pacific arrive and depart from the Keswick Rail Terminal, located on Richmond Road, Keswick three kilometres from the city centre. All three are operated by Great Southern Rail.

Taxis
All taxis in Adelaide accept major credit cards and Cabcharge. There are several companies that offer an alternative to taxis, providing luxury vehicles and uniformed drivers for transfers and touring. On evenings in the city, you can find major taxi ranks on the North Terrace near SkyCity casino and also at the corner of Hindley and Morphett Streets. These are manned by taxi concierges Friday and Saturday nights from 11.00pm to 4.00am.

Cycle
Ride around the city centre on a bike supplied by the Adelaide City Council. Free bike hire is now available 7 days a week from 9am – 5pm.

Tours

Visit Wang-Wang and Funi.
For the next 9 years, Wang-Wang and Funi will enjoy state of the art accommodation, with each of the panda’s exhibits equivalent in size to a large house block. To assist with the conservation of this endangered species and it is hoped at least one panda cub will be born during their stay here.
Featuring more than 1800 animals, Adelaide Zoo also offers exclusive behind the scenes tours, enabling visitors to get up close and personal with a variety of creatures, including lemurs, squirrel monkeys, penguins, orangutans and lions. Behind the scenes tours of the Giant Panda exhibit are available.
Adelaide Zoo is within walking distance to other Adelaide attractions such as the Botanic Gardens, National Wine Centre, South Australian Museum, city shopping, cosmopolitan North Adelaide and the River Torrens. Within a 20 minute drive are the beachside suburbs of Glenelg and Henley Beach, as well as the scenic Adelaide Hills, with its cellar doors, restaurants and quaint towns.
With interest in the pandas so strong Australia-wide, it would be wise to check out accommodation options now. There’s plenty of family friendly accommodation near the Adelaide Zoo, including the Adelaide Serviced Apartments and Majestic Old Lion Apartments in North Adelaide, or Mantra Hindmarsh Square in the city centre.

Zoo Entry Prices

FAMILY
2 adults and 2 or 3 children $85

ADULTS
Ages 15+ $31.50

CHILDREN
Ages 4 – 14 $18

STUDENT/CONCESSION

Student/Concession card must be shown $22

Zoo Opening Hours

Open every day from 9.30am – 5pm
Zoo Shop open 9.30am – 4.45pm
Reptile House open 10am – 4.30pm
Nocturnal House open 10am – 4.30pm
Walk-through Aviaries open 9.30am – 4.30pm

Guided Tours
Take a guided tour of vibrant, elegant Adelaide. You’ll find a wide range of tours here – including heritage walks through North Adelaide and the city centre, go swimming with dolphins off seaside Glenelg, enjoy a tour of the bustling Central Market, sit back for limousine tour of a wine region, and much more.

Adelaide Tours – Short Holidays
Take a look at the special Adelaide tours available as part of our South Australian Shorts. Simply choose ‘tours’ from the search menu and read the list of ideas.

The Adelaide City Tour iPhone Application

The South Australian Tourism Commission free Adelaide City Tour takes you on a self drive narrated tour of the Adelaide City Centre and surrounds, providing a local’s perspective on the city’s sites and attractions.  The audio narrative is triggered as you approach sites of interest, providing easy directions around the City Centre and surrounds, and a broad array of interesting stories and interviews with local characters as you travel.  Click Here to download