Facts at a Glance
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Population: 1,070,000
Country: Australia
Time Zone: GMT/UTC plus 9.5 hours
Telephone Area Code: 08
At the time of European settlement, the area that is now Adelaide was occupied by the Kaurna people, a peaceful group numbering around 300. Their territory extended south towards Cape Jervis and north towards Port Wakefield, and they had close ties with the Narungga of Yorke Peninsula. Modern historians know little about Kaurna social life, but we do know that they were skilled at working with skins and fibres. Even before the arrival of white settlers in South Australia, the Kaurna people had suffered epidemics of smallpox and other disease which had swept down the Murray from NSW.
The site for Adelaide was chosen in December 1836 by the colony's far-sighted Surveyor-General, Colonel William Light, who created its remarkable design. The site was well-drained, had fertile soil and straddled the Torrens River, which guaranteed a ready water supply. The site was named after Queen Adelaide, wife of the British King William IV.
Adelaide was unusual in that it was settled by free people - the city has no convict history. It was also unusal in the the British Government gave the colony no financial backing, so when things finally took off in Adelaide, most of the money stayed in the state. The colony promised settlers civil and religious liberty and by 1839 Lutherans fleeing religious persecution were arriving from Prussia. In 1840, 6557 Europeans lived in Adelaide; by 1851 the European population was 14,577. By the early 1840s the town had about 30 satellite villages, including the German settlements of Hahndorf, Klemzig and Lobethal, where the state's wine industry was founded.
The capital's growth has reflected the state's cycle of boom and bust. A wheat boom in the 1870s and 80s set off a building boom, and a lot of the beautiful buildings which still line the city's streets were built during these decades. Rapid expansion also took place during WWI, the 1920s and the busy post-WWII years. After WW II, new migrants arrived from Europe (especially Italy) bringing with them the cafe culture which lends Adelaide its relaxed ambience.
During the late 60s and 70s, South Australia made several ground-breaking political reforms, prohibiting sexual discrimination, racial discrimination and capital punishment, and recognising Aboriginal land rights (interestingly, South Australia's original settlers had been the first to recognise Aboriginal ownership of land, although it didn't stop them stealing it). As the suburbs race towards Maslins Beach in the south and Gawler in the north, Adelaide has become a linear city squeezed between the Mt Lofty Ranges and the sea. Nearby towns are becoming dormitories for city workers, although planning restrictions stop the Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and Southern Vales from being gobbled up by houses.
Adelaide can be pretty damn hot in summer (December to February), and if you don't have access to a pool or airconditioner you'll find it unpleasant. If you're a festival buff, though, you really shouldn't miss the three-week Adelaide Festival of the Arts, held in late February or early March. Spring and Autumn are probably the most pleasant times, with winter (June to August) getting a bit cold and soggy.
Adelaide sits on the eastern shore of the Gulf St Vincent, in the far south of South Australia. The streets of Adelaide's central business district follow a grid pattern which makes it very easy for visitors to find their way around. Victoria Square sits in the centre of the grid, and the main street, King William, runs through it. Although not the geographical centre of town, Rundle Mall is the shopping centre of the city, with the big department stores - Rundle St's eastern end has some of the city centre's best dining and boutique shopping. North Terrace, running parallel to Rundle St, is the city's cultural centre, a grand boulevard lined with the gallery, museum, state library and the university. The River Torrens separates the city centre from North Adelaide, and a green belt of parkland surrounds both areas.
The Adelaide airport is about 6km (3.7mi) west of the city centre, the interstate train terminal is just south-west of the city centre in the suburb of Keswick, and interstate buses arrive at Central, almost smack in the middle of town. Most hostels are in the south-eastern corner of the city centre; Hindley St in the city has mid-range options, North Terrace has the top-end hotels. Rundle St, Hindley St and North Terrace are the main food centres.
This museum, which has a huge whale skeleton in the front window, is one of Adelaide's landmarks. Although its primarily a natural history museum, with the usual array of stuffed, glassy-eyed critters, it also has a good collection of Aboriginal artefacts, including an Aboriginal Dreamtime
exhibition. You'll find the museum on North Terrace.
Other museums nearby include the excellent Migration Museum, which tells the story of groups from over 100 nationalities who've migrated to South Australia, and the University's Museum of Classical Archaeology, which has a fascinating collection of antiquities dating from the third millennium BC.
The free Art Gallery, next to the South Australian Museum, contains one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of Australian, Asian and European art. It boasts the largest display of Australian art, including a fine selection of paintings by great colonial and contemporary Australian artists. There's a magnificent collection of South-East Asian ceramics, and a lovely display of decorative arts.
The gallery also has the second-largest collection of Rodin sculptures in the world.
Festival Centre
Looking uncannily like a squared-off version of the Sydney Opera House, the Festival Centre is the home of the Adelaide Festival. Inside, there is a variety of performance spaces and galleries, and there are free rock concerts in the outside amphitheatre on Sundays during summer. One of the most pleasant aspects of the Festival Centre is its riverside setting; people picnic on the grass out the front and paddleboats can be hired nearby.
The magnificent white, sandy beach here is the most popular in Adelaide, despite the occasional rumour of giant white pointer sharks. There's not much in the way of surf, but the swimming is certainly pleasant. If sand holds no interest for you, head for the shooting games, scary rides and test-your-luck machines of Glenelg's old-style amusement park. Just east of the ferris wheels you find the more modern fun of Magic Mountain, with its waterslides, mini-golf and arcade games.
For the more seriously minded, Glenelg holds a number of relics from Adelaide's early days. The Old Gum Tree marks the spot where the proclamation of South Australia was read in 1836. A replica of the HMS Buffalo, the ship which brought the first settlers, is moored in Glenelg's boat harbour. On board you'll find one of the city's best seafood restaurants, and a museum telling the story of the ship's voyage from England to South Australia. A vintage tram runs from the city centre right to Glenelg beach.
Hahndorf
The oldest surviving German settlement in Australia, Hahndorf, 29km (18mi) south-east of Adelaide, is a popular day trip. Settled in 1839 by Lutherans who left Prussia to escape religious persecution, Hahndorf still has an honorary burgermeister (mayor). These days it's a major tourist attraction, with more stuffed koalas than you can shake a eucalyptus leaf at.
There are many old German-style buildings in town. The German Arms Hotel dates from 1839 and is one of the best pubs in the Adelaide hills. The Hahndorf Academy was established in 1857 and houses an art gallery, craft shop and museum, with several paintings by Sir Hans Heysen. The famous landscape artist who lived in the town for many years, and you can take tours of his studio and house. If you're keen to indulge in a stein or seven, visit the town on Founders Day, held over a weekend in March. Buses run to Hahndorf from Adelaide several times a day.
McLaren Vale
Although the Barossa Valley is the best-known of South Australia's winery destinations, McLaren Vale is much more accessible from Adelaide. The area is particularly well-suited to red wines, but a trend towards white wine consumption in the tasteful 70s prompted growers to stick in a few of the paler grapes. There around two dozen wineries with cellar-door sales in the McLaren Vale area and about 50 in the surrounding countryside. The first winery was established here in 1838, and plenty of plonk-sellers still reside in fine old buildings.
The McLaren Vale Wine Bushing Festival goes on in late October, with wine tastings and tours, finished off with a grand feast. During the festival a bus runs between the wineries, so you can tipple to your heart's content without worrying about driving. Around three buses a day do the 30km (19mi) trip south to McLaren Vale.
Victor Harbor
Victor Harbor, 84km (52mi) south of Adelaide, is the main town on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Victor Harbor was founded as a sealing and whaling centre in the 1830s, but the whalers shut up shop in 1864. The town is protected from the angry Southern Ocean by Granite Island, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. You can ride out there on a double-decker tram pulled by Cldesdale horses, and if you climb to the top of the hill you get great views across the bay. The island is also a rookery for little penguins. There is an educational centre which will tell you all about the little fellas, or you can take an evening walk to watch the penguins come home from fishing.
Between June and October you might be lucky enough to see a southern right whale swimming near the causeway, as they pass through here on their annual migration. If you want to learn more about whales, the South Australian Whale Centre at Victor Harbour operates a whale information network covering sightings up and down the South Australian coast. Tourist trains run to Victor Harbor from the Adelaide Hills, or you can get a bus from the city.
There are several bushwalking clubs in the Adelaide area which organise weekend walks in the Mt Lofty Ranges. There is good sailing all along the Adelaide shoreline of the Gulf of St Vincent. Beaches close to the city, such as Seacliff, Brighton, Somerton and Glenelg offer excellent swimming.
The Adelaide Arts Festival takes place at the beginning of March in even-numbered years. The festival attracts culture vultures from all over Australia to see live drama, dance and music. It also includes a writers' week, art exhibitions and poetry readings. Guest speakers and performers from all over the world attend. The Fringe Festival, which takes place at the same time, features alternative contemporary music and performance art. Womadelaide is an outdoor festival of world music and dance which takes place every February in odd-numbered years.
International flights arrive in Adelaide from all over the world, many of them flying directly to the city. Australia's two airlines fly into Adelaide from every other capital city, although you may have to make a stopover if you're coming from Brisbane or Sydney - Adelaide is a long way from Australia's other capitals, so flying is often the best option.
Bus travel is cheaper than flying, but be prepared for a long haul. Services run to all major cities - you can go with one of the major lines and do the quick-but-dull trip, or take a smaller bus and meander around a bit. Buses also run to Alice Springs and to regional centres in South Australia. Interstate trains run from Adelaide to Alice Springs, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.
An airport bus runs from the airport to city hotels and hostels - the bus also calls in at the interstate train station. Adelaide has an integrated local transport system which includes metropolitan buses and trains, as well as the tram which operates between the city centre and Glenelg, and the O-Bahn busway which runs on concrete tracks between the city centre and the Tea Tree Plaza shopping centre. The airport is 8km (5mi) west of the city and is serviced by an airport bus. Adelaide is a relatively cyclist-friendly city, with good cycling tracks and bicycle lanes on many city streets.
- Survival in Our Own Land, edited by Christobel Mattingley & Ken Hampton, has present-day and historical accounts by South Australia Aboriginals of the land rights struggle.
- Flinders Ranges Dreaming by Dorothy Tunbridge is a collection of 50 Dreamtime stories from the Adnyamathanha people of the northern Flinders Ranges. It has many maps and beautiful photos.
- A History of SA - From Colonial Days to the Present by RM Gibbs is a concise overview of the state's history
- Take a look at the social life of colonial Adelaide through the eyes of a perky young lady in Maisie: Her Life, Her Loves, Her Letters 1898-1902, edited by Joan Willington.
- Clara Morison, by Catherine Helen Spence, tells the story of a Scottish woman who arrives in Adelaide in the 1850s to find herself in 'reduced circumstances'. The book, first published 140 years ago, is considered an Australian classic.
- Much more modern is Ben Winch's 90s 'rites of passage' novel, set in Adelaide, My Boyfriend's Father.
- When you've seen what comes out of the taps in Adelaide, you'll understand the relevance of Bringing the Water, an anthology of works on the theme of clean water.
 Lonely Planet Guides
 Travellers' Reports
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Facts at a Glance
History
When to Go
Orientation
Attractions
Off the Beaten Track
Activities
Events
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Recommended Reading
On-line Info
