Adelaide Specials

City Guide

ADELAIDE

Calming hills, crashing waves and a whole valley of wine.

When the early colonists arrived and began building Adelaide they used stone. They wanted to build a solid, dignified city, a civilised and calm place, with a manner no other state capital in the country could match. Nowadays, much to the wowsers' chagrin, pubs and nightclubs outnumber the churches.

The solidity goes further than architecture, for Adelaide was once regarded as a city of wowsers (read: puritan spoilsports) and was renowned chiefly for its disproportionately large number of churches.

'there's this man called Johnny who wears nothing but Speedos and wellie boots and walks up and down the main street.' - Ross Noble

Timezones

GMT +9.5

Daylight savings start: last Sunday in October

Daylight savings end: last Sunday in March

Environment

Latitude -34.8116760254

Longitude 138.520828247

Area_sqkm 870

Population 1467300

Adelaide sits on the eastern shore of 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 Sq 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 Tce, running parallel to Rundle St, is the city's cultural centre, a grand boulevard lined with a gallery, museum, state library and university. The River Torrens separates the city centre from North Adelaide, and a green belt of parkland surrounds both areas.

Orientation

Adelaide airport is about 8km (5mi) west of the city centre, the interstate train terminal is just southwest 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 southeastern corner of the city centre; Hindley St in the city has mid-range options, North Tce has the top-end hotels. Rundle St, Hindley St and North Tce are the main food centres.

Events

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. Keep an eye out for works by the entertaining Francophiles of Miniature Size (small people with a big love for France). Womadelaide is an outdoor festival of world music and dance which takes place every February/March.

Jan

Jacob's Creek Tour Down Under
One hundred of the world's best cyclists sweat their lycra to the limits over a week's worth of six races and street parties. Stages 1 to 5 race through 55 of the state's towns with a grand finale in Adelaide.

March

Adelaide Festival of Arts
Culture vultures absorb international and Australian dance, drama, opera and theatre performances on even-numbered years.

Adelaide Fringe
A biennial independent arts festival (even-numbered years), second only to Edinburgh Fringe.

Clipsal 500
Rev heads rejoice as Adelaide's streets become a four-day Holden versus Ford racing track.

Womadelaide
One of the world's best live music events with more than 400 musicians and performers from around the globe. Held in odd-numbered years.

April

Medieval Festival
Held at Carrick Hill, this celebration of Middle Ages culture includes jousting and other knightly activities, such as feasting.

July

Adelaide's Festival of Ideas
The glorious, the good and the innovative from around the world descend on Adelaide for a biennial talkfest (odd-numbered years).

August

Royal Adelaide Show
Agricultural and horticultural displays and entertainment.

South Australian Living Artists
Innovative exhibitions and displays across the city.

October

Feast
A three-week lesbian and gay cultural festival with a carnival, theatre performances, talks and dances.

November

Mitsubishi Horse Trials
An Olympic-level event held in the city-centre parklands.

Credit Union Christmas Pageant
An Adelaide institution for more than 70 years - floats, bands and marching troupes take over the city streets for the day.

December

Bay Sports Festivals
A large sports fest held in Glenelg, including beach volleyball, aquathon, a surf carnival, hockey and gridiron.

Weather

Adelaide can be pretty damn hot in summer (December to February), and if you don't have access to a pool or air-conditioner you'll find it unpleasant. Spring and Autumn are probably the most pleasant times, with winter (June to August) getting a bit cold and soggy.

Communication

Area Code 08

Transport

Getting there and away

International flights arrive in Adelaide from all over the world, many of them flying directly to the city. Australian 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. An airport bus runs from the airport to city hotels and hostels - the bus also calls in at the interstate train station.

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, Darwin, Melbourne and Sydney.

Getting around

Adelaide has an integrated local transport system that includes metropolitan buses and trains, as well as the tram that 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.