Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, is a city of visual elegance and natural beauty. Adelaide was designed on a grid system, so it’s very easy to get around the city. Situated beside the River Torrens between the Adelaide Hills and the Gulf St. Vincent, Adelaide boasts beautiful parklands, lush gardens, open spaces, and wide roads. Adelaide was once known as the ‘City of Churches’ because of its numerous stone churches built by the early settlers. Now Adelaide is known as the ‘Festival City’ because it brings in many multicultural, artistic, and sporting events each year.
TOURIST ACTIVITIES/DESTINATIONS Besides being a pleasant city to visit, Adelaide offers a wide range of tourist activities and destinations for any type of traveller. Adelaide has excellent restaurants, happening bars, good shopping, interesting museums, rich history, and beautiful scenery.
The Adelaide Botanic Gardens, located on the north east side of the city, are the perfect spot for a picnic or a meeting with friends. The Botanic Gardens feature flora from the Asia-Pacific regions as well as a tropical rainforest display. One of the biggest draws of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens is the 150-year-old Moreton Bay fig trees. Another attraction of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens is the National Wine Centre, where you can learn about Australian wine making through exhibitions, a vineyard display, and educational facilities. You can sample wine from 50 different regions or enjoy a wonderful meal at the restaurants right in the midst of the Botanic Gardens!
The River Torrens runs through the city of Adelaide like a ribbon. There are many ways to see and enjoy the River Torrens: you can take a cruise, a paddleboat, or even a gondola down the river. You can also enjoy the River Torrens by sitting on its banks, feeding the ducks or having a picnic.
The Festival Centre is Adelaide’s multi-purpose arts centre. Each year, the Festival Centre presents a variety of performances and arts programs such as visual arts exhibitions, theatre, opera, dance concerts, and musicals. The Festival Centre is also the venue for the famous Adelaide Arts Festival.
The Art Gallery of South Australia has a good collection of Australian art, European art, and Asian art. The entire collection is divided into four areas: prints and drawings, Australian decorative arts, European and Asian decorative arts, painting and sculpture.
The South Australian Museum is a must-see destination when visiting Adelaide. The museum features over five floors natural history, geology, and anthropology exhibits. The South Australian Museum also has the largest Aboriginal exhibit in the world. The Aboriginal gallery features a large collection of Aboriginal artefacts and a state-of-the-art Dreamtime exhibition.
The Migration Museum is a fascinating museum about the history of South Australia. Through first-rate exhibitions, the personal stories of Australian migrants come alive. The Migration Museum is housed in the restored remnants of Adelaide's Old Destitute Asylum.
Tandanya, also known as the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, is a great place to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and arts. Tandanya has interactive exhibitions, as well as free digeridoo lessons and Torres Strait Islander dances. The National Aboriginal Cultural Institute also features an Aboriginal art gallery and café.
Glenelg is a beachside town 10 kilometres from central Adelaide. Glenelg is the site of South Australia’s original settlement, so the suburb is filled with historical sites, old stone churches, and colonial mansions. You can catch a vintage tram from central Adelaide (the only operating tram in the city) to Glenelg, and enjoy the town’s many restaurants, cafés, and shops. Glenelg also has a nice beach, a pier, and other attractions such as the Rodney Fox Shark Museum and Magic Mountain, an amusement park for kids.
Barossa Valley, South Australia’s most famous wine region, is about an hour’s drive from central Adelaide. The 45 wineries in Barossa Valley produce about a quarter of all of Australia’s vintage. If you have a car, you can drive around the delightful towns and visit the various vineyards to sample the wines. You can also take a guided wine tour through Barossa Valley, or rent a bike and cycle to each winery.
Adelaide Hills is another popular tourist destination, easily accessible from Barossa Valley. Adelaide Hills also has excellent wineries and restaurants, in addition to antique and craft shops, country pubs, and rich heritage.
Kangaroo Island is a fantastic get-away from busy Adelaide. Located only 16 kilometres from mainland, Kangaroo Island is filled with native flora and fauna, beautiful bushland, and lots of wildlife. You will also find kangaroos, platypuses, koalas, pelicans, and fur seals living on the island. Kangaroo Island is also the permanent breeding colony for 600 sea lions. There are also many good swimming beaches and scuba diving sites around the island. You can access Kangaroo Island by plane, ferry, or cruise ship.
ADELAIDE WEATHER Surrounded by a mountain range on the east, and the Southern Ocean on the west, Adelaide enjoys a somewhat Mediterrean climate with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. During the summer months (December to February), temperatures in Adelaide can exceed 35° C (95° F). In the winter (June to August), temperatures drop to 12° to 19° C (54° to 66° F). The most pleasant time to visit Adelaide is during the spring and autumn. TRANSPORT International flights arrive in Adelaide from all over the world. Australian airlines also fly into Adelaide from every major city. The best way to get to Adelaide is to fly, but you can also take a bus or drive (but be prepared for a long haul!). Getting around Adelaide is relatively easy. The city offers bus and train service around the city and to the surrounding suburbs. A tram service can take you to the suburb of Glenelg. The Adelaide airport is located 8 kilometres from the city centre which is serviced by an airport bus. ACCOMODATION Adelaide offers a wide range of beach-side resorts, hotels, serviced apartments, motels, and hostels in the central part of the city as well as the surrounding suburbs. In Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills, you can find nice bed and breakfast accommodation. There are also a few camping site and caravan parks around Adelaide.
