Adelaide City Guide - overview

In keeping with its climate, Adelaide, capital of South Australia, has a Mediterranean ambience as it straddles the Torrens River, filled with churches, gardens, civic buildings, sidewalk cafes and a plethora of museums, galleries and festivals catering to the culturally inclined. The city was originally laid out in 1836 by Colonel Light in a square mile (three sq km) grid of wide streets with gracious colonial architecture. This has resulted in a compact inner city area, geared for easy exploring on foot, allowing the central area to be surrounded with hectares of parklands, walking trails, sports grounds and picnic areas on the banks of the river. The main boulevard is North Terrace, along which are the restored Mortlock Library, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australian Museum with its spectacular whale skeleton and collection of Aboriginal natural history. Aboriginal culture is also catered for at Tandanya, a multi-arts cultural centre that has galleries, performance areas and a café serving native cuisine. Visitors who have had enough of culture can take a cruise or gondola ride on the Torrens River, or ride a vintage tram to the nearby seaside town of Glenelg with its magnificent white, sandy beach, popular despite the occasional rumour of sharks. Adelaide's Central Market is the destination for 'foodies'. Among the noisy, colourful atmosphere and wondrous smells are fruit and vegetable stores and a large selection of meat and fish along with gourmet specialities introduced by the waves of immigrants who call Adelaide their home. Also popular with visitors is the Adelaide Zoo and Cleland Wildlife Park, which features local birds and animals including koalas and kangaroos.

Getting around: Adelaide has a small city centre so it is easy to get around on foot or bicycle along the many cycling paths. A novel service is the Adelaide City Bikes Scheme, where visitors and residents can hire a bike within the city centre, with the first two hours free. Those wishing to explore further afield can make good use of the Adelaide Connector free bus service, which provides a safe and convenient link between north and south Adelaide through the central city area. The 19-seater free buses are fitted with disability access and run seven days a week except public holidays. There are also other free bus services in the CBD itself aimed at carrying visitors between the main sights. The city is also served by the TransAdelaide rail system that extends across the metropolitan area via five rail lines: Outer Harbour, Gawler, Noarlunga, Grange and Belair. Most visitors enjoy a trip on the 1929 historic vintage tram, which departs from Victoria Square at regular intervals, carrying passengers to Glenelg in about 30 minutes. Numerous taxi companies operate in the city and cabs can be hired at stands, hailed in the street or booked by telephone.

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