Adelaide
If you are interested in visiting Adelaide call Westoe Travel on 0800 0850878 for more information or visit our holiday section to find your dream holiday including South Australia
Adelaide is a cosmopolitan hub of about 1.2 million people with a reputation as the 20-minute city: you can always get from A to B in less than half an hour.
Parks surround the city and the streets are filled with lively cafes and restaurants that reflect the huge diversity of its ethnic communities. And with immigrants from 150 countries making their home in South Australia, there’s a culinary sensation to suit every taste.
Living here is relaxed and easy. Beneath the charm, lies a groundbreaking community. Back in 1895, South Australian women became the first in the world to be allowed to stand for parliament. The University of Adelaide was the first in the country to admit women to study and South Australia was the first Australian state to introduce wide-ranging anti-discrimination laws.
This is our festival capital. Thousands of art lovers from across the globe converge on the city for the biennial Adelaide Festival and annual Festival Fringe, biennial Tasting Australia food and wine festival, and the Clipsal 500 Adelaide’s super car race series.
Adelaide Sections - click to expand
Temptation Sailing - Swim with the Dolphins
'Temptation' is a 58ft colossal sailing catamaran that operates from Holdfast Shores Marina, Glenelg, SA - only 15 minutes from Adelaide CBD. With the capacity to hold all 50 passengers either on the front of the vessel, under cover or on the back deck, making Temptation a relaxing cruise for all types of functions.
Temptation is the first vessel in South Australia to be given a dolphin swim license and has been conducting successful dolphin swims since January, 2002.
Dolphins are one of the Earth's most fascinating and curious creatures. Dolphin swimming offers you this once in a lifetime encounter in which you will be touched forever.
This is possibly the only cruise of its type, where we don't go looking for dolphins, they come to us - something that has taken many cruises to achieve.
Visit the Temptation Sailing Dolphin Boat website
Adelaide Zoo - Home of the Giant Pandas
Adelaide Zoo is home to over 1,800 animals and almost 300 species of exotic and native mammals, birds, reptiles and fish exhibited in magnificent botanic surroundings now expanded to 8 hectares.
Adelaide Zoo focuses on endangered and rare animals from continents which made up the super continent Gondwana - South America, India, Africa and Australia (also South East Asia).
The Zoology and Botany of these continents show interesting similarities and are the regions represented in the Zoo’s major exhibits; South East Asian Rainforest, Seal Bay, Australian Rainforest Wetlands walk-through aviary, Africa, South America, India, Nocturnal House and Reptile House.
Visit the Adelaide Zoo website
Aboriginal Heritage
Adelaide is the perfect place for an introduction to Australia’s Aboriginal heritage and contemporary culture. The South Australian Museum’s Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery on North Terrace is home to the largest collection of Aboriginal artefacts and archival material in the world, with 3,000 items and interactive multimedia displays.
Nearby, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute is an award-winning multi-arts centre featuring regular exhibitions by Aboriginal and Torres Strait artists.
Visit the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute Website
Visit the South Australia Museum website
Adelaide Botanical Garden
Within walking distance of the city centre, this historical garden features an exceptional Victorian gardenesque landscape complemented by outstanding plant collections, cultural collections and garden buildings.
The Adelaide Botanic Garden is home to three architecturally significant glass houses - the Palm house, the Bicentennial Conservatory and the Amazon Waterlily Pavilion. Each glass house was built for a specific purpose and represents a leading design for its time.
Visit the internationally significant Santos Museum of Economic Botany, which first opened to the public in 1881, or stroll down the oldest avenue of Moreton Bay fig trees in Australia.
Visit the Botanical Garden Website
National Wine Centre of Australia
Here you can enjoy wine and winemaking from the ground up. Our interactive Wine Discovery Journey and exhibition showcases the complete wine experience. The Concourse Café offers fine Australian wines to taste and purchase or enjoy a meal from our seasonal à la carte menu while overlooking the stunning views of the Botanic Gardens.
The National Wine Centre is an architectural treat but what it holds inside is the real attraction. Situated on the edge of Adelaide's stunning Botanic Gardens it is a combination of eye-catching architecture and smooth functionality. The Centre provides a superb alternative to a standard venue for any event and is an exciting tourism venue which showcases the entire Australian Wine Industry.
Visit the National Wine Centre Website
Gawler Ranges Wilderness Safaris
Gawler Ranges Safaris are run by a passionate team of Aussies.
They began operating nature based Safaris in 1988, specialising in the wildlife our land has to offer. They provide an experience of the Outback and West Coast of South Australia with all of its wild beauty and wonder… and love to explore this country of ours.
To date, they’ve trekked all through the South Australian Outback, to the Ocean and beyond… with guests from all over the globe… returning home with new tales to tell and memories of a land with wildlife that is so spectacular and unique.
Visit the Gawler Ranges Wilderness Safari Website
Call us on 0800 0850878 for special offers on these tours
Adelaide Central Market
Jostle with the crowd for fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish and a host of gourmet specialties at the Adelaide Central Market. Most produce is harvested within 24 hours of sale and the heritage and character of the market remains, with the 1900s Grote Street facade still standing.
The market is open on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and is the perfect place for a hearty Adelaide breakfast.
Tours are also available - call us on 0800 0850878 for more details.
Visit the Adelaide Central Market Website
Glenelg
A 20-minute tram ride brings you from the heart of the city to the popular beachside suburb of Glenelg. Busking performances and street parties are common.
Try your hand at tandem bike riding, para sailing, windsurfing or sailing. Glenelg is also home to a great historical exhibition in the Bay Discovery Centre, as well as Temptation Sailing as described above. Spend the day on the beach or among the huge variety of shops on Jetty Road, including fashion stores, boutiques, souvenir shops, newsagents and many more.
There are also great playgrounds for the children, as well as live activities and entertainment in the summer months
Adelaide Cricket Oval Tours
Tours of Adelaide Oval are provided by SACA's expert team of tour volunteers. With literally hundreds of years knowledge between them, there is little about the Oval and its folklore that remains a mystery when in their hands.
The tours run all year round Monday to Friday at 10 am. During the South Australian cricket season (October to March) additional tours operate every Tuesday and Thursday commencing at 2pm. Please note: tours do not run on match days.
Prices are $10 adult, $5 children/concession. SACA Members free on presentation of their members card.
West End
The revitalised west end of Hindley Street is home to the JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design, Lion Arts Theatre and the University of South Australia. A recent influx of cosmopolitan cafes, bookstores and galleries is creating a new contrast to the nightclubs of Hindley Street.
The East End
Pavement cafes and bars, bohemian pubs, funky record stores and boutiques jostle for space in the city's trendy Rundle Street in the east end of the city.
Rundle Mall
Rundle Mall is the shopping hub of Adelaide, with more than 550 retail outlets, and acts as a geographical bridge between Hindley Street and trendy Rundle Street.
North Adelaide
As well as great restaurants and cafes, North Adelaide is one of Adelaide's most exclusive shopping precincts. Melbourne Street is where you will find a top selection of shops.
Norwood
The Parade in Norwood has a good selection of designer shopping and great delicatessens, cafes, home ware and bookshops.
Port Adelaide
There is a growing artistic population in Port Adelaide and the nearby Semaphore area. A gallery guide lists the artistic haunts of the area, while another details the extensive range of antique shops.
Rundle Street
Rundle Street, in the east end of the city, is the centre of alfresco eating where restaurants and cafes take advantage of the Mediterranean climate. There are more than 50 cafes and restaurants – including Italian, Greek, Japanese, Thai, Indian and Mexican – along with wine bars and pubs.
Hindley Street
Some of Adelaide’s hottest nightclubs and swanky bars and restaurants can be found on Hindley Street in the west end of the city. It is also home to the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
Gouger Street
This is the city's fresh-food mecca, home of the Adelaide Central Market where the city's top chefs create their daily menu from the fresh produce. Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian restaurants share the street with some of the best seafood restaurants in the city.
North Adelaide
North Adelaide has some of the state's grandest homes. In keeping with this high-end lifestyle, many fine restaurants and cafes are located in North Adelaide, especially along Melbourne and O'Connell streets, where you dine under lacy iron verandas.
King William Road, Hyde Park
South of the city, King William Road is a favourite at weekends when the hip set of Adelaide flock to its cool cafes, restaurants and shops.
Dining on the beach
The city beachside suburbs of Glenelg, Henley and Grange have restaurants in the form of groovy beach shacks, modern cafes and grand old esplanade hotels offering seafood, wood-oven pizzas and contemporary Australian cuisine.
In the Suburbs
For a family meal or special occasion, you can’t go past our inner-city suburbs. Unley Road in Unley and The Parade in Norwood are lined with quality restaurants and cafes.
At the Pub
Adelaide has about 600 hotels. Many are treasured old buildings – their balconies decorated with fancy ironwork, their verandas wreathed with old grapevines. As well as a cooling ale or local wine, they offer great pub food. Some have fine-dining restaurants.
The main coach terminal in Adelaide is the Central Bus Station at 101-111 Franklin Street. All interstate and intrastate coaches depart from and arrive at this terminal.
The interstate trains The Overland, The Ghan (Adelaide to Darwin) and the Indian Pacific (Sydney to Perth via Adelaide) arrive and depart from the Keswick Rail Terminal, at Richmond Road, Keswick, about three kilometres from the city centre. For information and bookings contact Great Southern Railway
Adelaide Metro is the city’s transport system, serving the greater metropolitan region with trains and buses and the Glenelg tram. The tram also takes passengers for a free ride between South Terrace and North Terrace, while the bright yellow 99C free bus travels past main streets and attractions in the city. Look for the Metro sign to buy your tickets. www.adelaidemetro.com.au
For all tickets and information, go to the Passenger Transport InfoCentre on the corner of King William and Currie streets.