South Australia
Adelaide Region
Adelaide is situated on the Adelaide plains, a flat, fertile corridor of land between Gulf St Vincent and the arc of the Mount Lofty Ranges. As capital of the Festival State, Adelaide plays host to a variety of festivals it also has some of country's finest restaurants and produces a lion's share of the nations wine. ADELAIDE is always thought of as a gracious city and an easy place to live; despite a population of around one million and a slick veneer of sophistication, it still has the feel of an overgrown country town. 

It’s a pretty place, laid out on either side of the Torrens River, ringed with a green belt of parks and set against the rolling hills. During the hot, dry summer the parklands are kept green by irrigation from the waters of the Murray River on which the city depends; there’s always a sense that the rawness of the Outback is waiting to take over.
The traditional way of life of the Kuarna people, the original occupants of the Adelaide Plains, had been destroyed within twenty years of the landing of Governor John Hindmarsh at Holdfast Bay in 1836. The Surveyor General for the colony, Colonel William Light, had visionary plans for the new city. After a long struggle with Hindmarsh, who wanted to build on a harbour, Light got his wish for a city on the western side of “the enchanted hills”, with a strong connection to the river. 

In 1823, Light had fondly written of the Sicilian city of Catania: “The two principal streets cross each other at right angles in the square in the direction of north and south and east and west. They are wide and spacious and about a mile long”, and this became the basis for the plan of Adelaide. Postwar immigration provided the final element missing from his plan – the human one: Italians now make up the biggest non-Anglo cultural group, and the café society they introduced adds spirit to the city.

In the Mediterranean-style hot, dry summers, alfresco eating and drinking are commonplace and lend the city a vaguely European air, with its wide, well-planned streets and squares transformed with a squint of the eye into boulevards. One of the chief delights of Adelaide is the interest its inhabitants take in food and wine, with restaurants and cafés as culturally varied as Sydney’s and Melbourne’s but much cheaper, and South Australian wine monopolizing every cellar. Unlike a European city, though, the centre is virtually deserted in the evening and on Sunday – except for a couple of lively thoroughfares. However, culture is held in high esteem, and the city comes to life every year with a festival: the Adelaide Festival of Arts (held on even years) or Womadelaide (odd years).

Outwardly conservative, Adelaide nonetheless has the advantage of South Australia’s liberal traditions, with a nudist beach, relaxed drug laws and 24-hour hotel licences. It’s the free and easy lifestyle within an ordered framework that’s so appealing; Adelaide may not be an obvious destination in itself, but it’s a great place for a relaxed break on your way up to the Northern Territory or across to Western Australia, with only daunting Outback and great distances ahead.

The Suburbs
Adelaide spreads a long way beyond the small inner-city enclaves, but few visitors see much of this. Most will at some stage venture down to the sea – a flat stretch of beaches west of the city, from Henley via Glenelg to Brighton, are sheltered by the Gulf St Vincent and characterized by their long jetties, while Port Adelaide further north has some excellent museums to set off its dockside atmosphere – but the inner suburbs remain uncharted territory. Some of them are well worth breaking the mould for, with local character, inexpensive restaurants and out-of-the-ordinary shopping.

NORWOOD, just east of the city, has two interesting streets: Magill Road (bus #106 from Grenfell or Currie streets), with its concentration of antique shops, and The Parade (bus #123 and #124 from Grenfell or Currie streets), a lively shopping strip with some great cafés and pubs and good bookshops. At weekends the small Orange Lane Market (Sat & Sun 10am–5pm), in a tin-roofed shed at the corner of Edward Street and The Parade, is a sedate place to browse among secondhand and new clothes, books, and bric-a-brac, and there are Asian and fry-up food stalls. In January the lively Italian Festival (call 08/8366 4555 for details) takes over the town hall.

In THEBARTON, west of the city, the lively Brickworks Market (Fri–Sun 9am–5pm; bus #110, #112 or #113 from Grenfell or Currie streets) spreads out from the 1912 Brickworks Kilns at 36 South Rd. There are plaza shops and indoor and outdoor stalls, mostly selling new clothes, and it’s always busy with buskers and crowds of people.

Immediately south of the city Unley Road (buses #190–198 from King William Street) is known for its antique shops and expensive boutiques. Parallel King William Road at Hyde Park (bus #203 from King William Street) is shaded by lots of trees, plants and vine-covered awnings, and has some good cafés to relax in.

Around Adelaide
Escaping Adelaide for a day or more is easy and enjoyable, as you can choose from beaches, hills and wine, or any combination thereof. Closest at hand are the Adelaide Hills, southeast of the city, which are popular for weekend outings and have numerous small national and conservation parks that are great for walking. 

To the south, the Fleurieu Peninsula extends towards Cape Jervis and has plenty of fine beaches and several small wineries. If wine is your priority, though, head for the Barossa Valley, Australia’s premier wine-producing region, with over thirty excellent wineries all less than 50km from Adelaide. The valley is easily visited in a day from the city, or on a tour, but it’s also a great place to stop over and unwind.

The Yorke Peninsula, across the gulf from Adelaide, is far less known, though many locals holiday here: as well as beaches, it has the remains of an old copper-mining industry and an excellent national park.

Getting there
Buses from out of town, including the airport bus, will drop you off at the Central Bus Station, 101–111 Franklin St, which, compared to bus terminals in other major cities, is very basic. The international airport, 7km southwest from the centre, is small, modern and easy to handle; there’s a currency exchange and information booth. The domestic terminal is about half a kilometre southwest. Both are serviced by the airport bus (Transit Regency Coaches depart hourly between 6.20am & 9.20pm and every 30min at busier times; to book a return trip call 08/8381 5311; $6), which will drop you off at most city accommodation on request; its set route stops at Victoria Square and North Terrace, as well as the bus station. A taxi costs around $15 to either the city or the beachside suburb of Glenelg, 11km from the centre. Arriving by train at the Keswick Interstate Terminal, you can also take the airport bus, which stops here en route ($3 to city or airport), or walk to the suburban platform and catch a train into Adelaide Train Station on North Terrace. Taxis to the city from the Interstate Terminal charge about $8.

City Transport
The city centre is compact enough to walk around, and its flatness makes this an easy option. There are two free buses that can help you get around the centre. The Bee Line (#99B) is a handy alternative that cuts out a lot of the legwork – it leaves from Victoria Square (every 5–10min Mon–Thurs 7.40am–6pm, Fri 7.40am–9.20pm; every 15min Sat 8.30am–5.30pm) and heads up King William Street to North Terrace, then along past the train station down the end of Hindley Street and back to Victoria Square along the same route. The City Loop Bus (same times; every 20min) is designed to be accessible for people with disabilities or burdened with prams, with ground-level access ramps; there are thirty stops taking in all the major cultural and commercial centres, beginning at Adelaide Train Station.

To explore further out of the city centre, you’ll need to use the integrated TransAdelaide (TA) system, which comprises mainly buses but also includes suburban trains and one tramline from the city to Glenelg. Free timetables are available from the Information Bureau TransAdelaide (Mon–Sat 8am–6pm, Sun 10.30am–5.30pm) on the corner of King William and Currie streets, where staff can advise on routes and fares, as well as sell tickets, and you can pick up The Metroguide, a free information booklet including a handy map of the system. Timetable information and advice are also available by phone from Passenger Transport InfoLine (daily 7am–8pm; tel 08/8210 1000; www.transadelaide.sa.gov.au) or by using a freephone at the South Australian Travel Centre. Waits at stops – where times are not always displayed – can be long, making it all the more important to pick up the relevant timetables before setting out. However, as part of a drive to improve services and entice Adelaidians away from their preference for cars, TransAdelaide have introduced large blue information boards in the city centre showing timetables and routes; eventually there will be similar boards at all stops.

TransAdelaide buses and trains run until about 11.30pm, with reduced services at night and on Sunday. Tickets come in multi-trip, single-trip and day-trip permutations, and can be used on buses, trains and the tram. You can buy single train tickets from a ticket vending machine on board, as well as from station ticket offices and a machine outside the Information Bureau TransAdelaide. Single tickets range from $1.10 to $2.80, depending on whether it’s peak or off-peak time, or whether a two-hour transfer is required. The day-trip ($5.40) is much easier and better value. Only multi-trip tickets cannot be bought on board buses or the tram but must be purchased, along with other tickets, from Information Bureau TransAdelaide, train stations, post offices and some newsagents. Night buses run by two private bus companies operate on Saturday only: the most useful for travellers is MAC Nightmoves, with routes running from city nightspots (pick-up points outside Heaven and The Planet nightclubs; midnight to 4am; $6) to Reynella and Noarlunga via Brighton Road and Glenelg, and to the Adelaide Hills via Stirling and Aldgate; timetables and more details from the TransAdelaide office.

Four suburban train lines run from Adelaide Train Station, a modern complex with shops and cafés on North Terrace. Violence on trains does happen late at night, but the problem is being addressed by extra guards; if you’re worried, buses are generally safer for night-time travel. The tram to seaside Glenelg (30min) leaves from Victoria Square every fifteen to twenty minutes. The O-Bahn is a fast-track bus which runs on concrete rails through scenic Torrens Linear Park, between the city (Grenfell St) and Tea Tree Plaza in Modbury, 12km northeast.

Cycling is a popular and excellent alternative: the flat city area and its wide, multi-laned streets make riding a breeze, and there are several good cycling routes – including the Torrens Linear Park track, which goes from the sea at Westbeach to the hills at Athelston, weaving along the river. A map of this and other cycling routes is available from Information SA, and several other cycling route maps from the City of Adelaide Customer Centre.

Climate
The climate is distinctly Mediterranean. It's a climate perfect for living. The nearby Southern Ocean ensures hot, dry summers and cool, mild winters. The average summer temperature is around 28oC; in winter, 15oC.

Hotel Accommodation
Area: Name of Hotel/Resort Rating Remarks
Adelaide (Airport) Aviators Lodge MC  
 
Adelaide (City Center) Adelaide Hilton FC  
Adelaide Intern. Hotel FC  
All Season Meridien Hotel MC  
Centra Adelaide Hotel FC  
Directos Adelaide Hotel MC  
Grosvenor Vista Hotel MC  
Hindley Parkroyal Hotel FC  
Hyatt Regency Adelaide DL  
Saville Park Suites FC  
Stamford Plaza Hotel FC  
 
Adelaide (Glenelg Beach) Haven Marina Inn MC  
Stamford Grand Hotel FC  
 
Adelaide (Hills) Mercure Grand Hotel FC  
Thorngrove Manor Lodge FC  

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Maps
wpe14B.jpg (180428 bytes) South Australia

wpe81.jpg (321547 bytes) Adelaide, incl. Barrossa Valley & York- & Fleurieux Peninsula