 Visit Adelaide City SA
Adelaide is known as the wine and festival capital of Australia. Adelaide is a place to enjoy the buz, culture and convenience of a big city without being overwhelmed by the size of a big city. Its a beautiful city surrounded by beautiful parklands, pristine beaches, a lively nightlife, galleries, pubs, cafes, fashion, antiques and National Parks. The Adelaide parklands offer a wealth of experiences from gentle walks and cycling paths to outdoor sporting fields. Tranquillity can be found in the Botanic Gardens and adjacent Botanic Park. You can wander though a rainforest that grows inside the futuristic Bicentennial Conservatory or learn about the nation’s wine making history at the new National Wine Centre of Australia.
Cafe’s and bookshops line the busy Rundle Street and it is here you can expect to enjoy Adelaide in a sporting-party mode. Every year the city hosts a number of significant sporting events including the V8 super car race, the Clipsal 500 Adelaide and the cycle race – the Jacob’s Creek Tour Down Under.
There are sixty kilometres of white sandy beachfront making up Adelaide’s metropolitan coast, stretching from Outer Harbor in the north, to Sellicks Beach in the south.
Adelaide’s historic and popular coastal area of Holdfast Bay, encompassing Glenelg, Brighton, Seacliff and Kingston Park is only 20 minutes from the capital city and less than 10 minutes from the domestic and international airports, the coast offers great opportunities all year.
Experience Glenelg’s famous nostalgic 1929 Tram from Adelaide (uniquely the only operational city tram service), new Marina, beautiful sandy, white beaches, heritage walks and buildings, as well as a wide variety of accommodation, attractions, activities, festivals, cuisine and shopping.
Brighton, Kingston Park and Seacliff boast a very relaxed lifestyle and superb coastal views. They offer a variety of shopping, dining, historical features and seaside activities.
While at Holdfast Bay you can try kite surfing. Kite Surfing is the ultimate watersport which combines windsurfing, surfing and kite flying all in one. The local beaches are world-class venues, ideal for experts or beginners and lessons can be provided by the local kite school.
The Patawalonga Lake, just two minutes drive from the heart of Glenelg is a huge sustainable seawater lake that supports aquatic life, marine ecology and a full range of recreational activities. People can use the Patawalonga for a variety of activities including canoeing/kayaking, fishing, boating, windsurfing and dinghy sailing.
Enjoy the magnificent coastal views in the comfort of your own car. Wind your way along the shoreline from Kingston Park, passing through Seacliff, Brighton and Somerton Park to Adelaide’s most popular seaside destination, Glenelg.
The area boasts a Mediterranean climate characterised by warm dry summers and cool mild winters, with summer temperatures averaging 27 degrees Celsius and winter months around 15 degrees Celsius.
For the divers, the Adelaide’s Underwater Heritage Trail interprets four shipwrecks located in Gulf St Vincent; the Grecian, Zanoni, Star of Greece and Norma. This trail, which extends from the Star of Greece, off Port Willunga, to the Zanoni, about 15 kilometres south east of Ardrossan, includes a brochure and 4 underwater plaques placed adjacent to each wreck.
You can visit Belair National Park, South Australia’s oldest national park dedicated in 1891. Belair National Park is nestled in the Mitcham Hills and is only 13 kilometres (25 minutes) southeast of the city centre. This 837 hectare reserve contains natural woodlands and open forests interspersed with picnic facilities. The park is a popular picnic and bushwalking destination. A network of walking trails, allow visitors to explore parts of the park’s diverse environment. Late winter and spring wildflower displays including native orchid species can be seen. Animals are also frequently seen including Koalas.
The park is an important conservation area, preserving the Grey Box, Blue Gum, Red Gum and Manana Gum woodlands in the park’s western sectors. The Stringybark and Manna Gum Open Forests in the park’s eastern sectors are home to populations of endangered species including the Tall Greenhood Orchid and the Southern Brown Bandicoot.
The abandoned wrecks of the Garden Island Ships’ Graveyard represent a unique collection of craft which plied South Australian waters during an era when the maritime industry dominated transport, trade and employment. From 1909-1945 the North Arm of the Port Adelaide River became the final destination for many vessels.
While in Adelaide you can line up some friends for indoor paintball, go indoor go-kart racing in Richmond or try cable hang gliding and cable sky diving at Old Noarlunga 30 minutes south of Adelaide.
In Port Adelaide fishing along the wharves in the inner harbour of the port, on the board walk at Garden Island, or on one of the heritage listed jetties along the coast prove to be the most popular spots. Those keen on chartering a boat, can book a specialised fishing charter from North Haven. Fly fishing is increasingly popular and is not restricted to fresh water. The entrance to Outer Harbour is an excellent fly fishing spot.
Riverboat cruises show another fascinating view of Port Adelaide, and the famous Port River dolphins usually follow close behind. The tall ships, One and All and Falie, have their home in the Port and offer day or evening cruises or trips out into the gulf and beyond.
For the more adventurous paddle through the mangroves on a sea kayak. Cruise on a piece of port history by taking a Ships Graveyard Cruise on the 1942 historic police launch Archie Badenoch or 1952 steam tugboat the Yelta.
Heritage walks, steeped in history are the best way to experience the area. Walk along the docks and through the old heart of the port, the state’s first heritage area in 1982. Available is a self guided heritage tour or a local volunteer can be booked via the Port Walks program to take you on a personalised walk around the area.
For more information regarding South Australia's National Parks and Conservation Parks please visit SA National Parks and Wildlife Service.
This information was compiled with the help of resources available from South Australia Tourism. Please visit their website at www.southaustralia.com for a more detailed rundown of this exciting region and others.
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