Adelaide - South Australia Travel Highlights

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia. Its population is slightly over 1 million, which makes it by far the largest city in the otherwise sparsely populated state.

Adelaide is centrally located among the wine regions of McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley and Clare Valley, all of which are within day-trip distance.

Things to See at Adelaide

• Historic beachside suburb of Glenelg offering a jetty, the 'Grand' (a quality hotel) and many restaurants and cafes. Catch one of the historic trams from Victoria Square in Adelaide's CBD.
• Montefiore Hill in North Adelaide (provides a spectacular view of the city, especially at night)
• Adelaide Hills, including the Mt Lofty Summit which provides spectacular views of the Adelaide plains, Adelaide metropolitan area, Adelaide CBD, Glenelg and surrounding areas. There is a restaurant at the Mt. Lofty summit, which is moderately priced and there is a souvenir shop which also offers tourist information. The summit cannot be accessed by vehicle between late evening and early morning hours.

Other lookouts include Windy Point along Belair Road, and Skye at the end of Kensington Road.

• Hahndorf German settlement, a short drive up the freeway, attractions include a small chocolate factory, the Beerenberg Strawberry Farm (where you can pick your own strawberries for very reasonable prices!) parks with barbeque facilities and a playground plus many small stores selling all manner of products.
• Walking North Terrace will take you past the Casino (Railway Station below), Parliament House, Government House, the State Library, Migration Museum (free entry), Art Gallery (free entry), Adelaide University, University of South Australia, Royal Adelaide Hospital, the Botanic Gardens. A worthwhile trek!
• Catch an O-Bahn bus out to the North East suburban shopping centre of Tea Tree Plaza. The O-Bahn is a 12Km long guided bus way, where special street buses run on guided tracks at up to 100Kmh and uses the unified metroticket system mentioned above.
• Lazy walks along white sandy beaches.
• Picturesque Victor Harbor and Granite Island, just an hour or so drive south of Adelaide. Granite Island is one of the few places you can see Fairy Penguins in their natural habitat.
• The stunning Flinders Ranges begin just one and a half hours north of Adelaide
• Whispering wall at the Barossa Reservoir.
• Conservation parks such as Cleland and Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary, Cleland is a good stop on the way down from Mt. Lofty. The park offers gas BBQ facilities (Entry fees apply).

Events and Festivals at Adelaide

• During mid-March, the Clipsal 500 supercar racing event is very popular, sporting massive street parties, huge concert line-ups and many fanatic Adelaidians.
• During late Feb-March, the Adelaide Fringe Festival (second largest of its type in the world) and Festival of Arts bring the city alive with music, arts, dance and culture from all over the world. Both are large and very popular events visited by people from all over the world. WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance) is another hugely popular music festival now held every year in March. People come from all over Australia and overseas to be at this very special event. Adelaide at its very best.