Adelaide Holidays

Adelaide Holidays - Places of Interest

Adelaide, known as the "city of churches", straddles the tranquil Torrens River. Renowned for city gardens, civic buildings, museums and  galleries, Adelaide is also known for its annual festival that caters to the culturally inclined.

The river precincts have gardens with walking and cycling tracks and like most cities, sidewalk cafes are an integral part of the local scene. For information about getting around in Adelaide,  see the TransAdelaide site. 

The most prominent cultural precinct of the city is North Terrace. This is where visitors will find the restored Mortlock library, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australian Museum. This houses spectacular whale displays and a fine collection of Aboriginal natural history and Dreamtime exhibits.

Port Adelaide is the home of the Maritime Museum which exhibits most of the maritime history of the region. Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Institute has more Aboriginal culture exhibits on display.

Take a river cruise on the tranquil Torrens, or try the tall ships and ketches that offer Port River cruises. A popular spot is the nearby seaside town of Glenelg with its shore walk promenade and vintage tram connecting it with the city.

If you appreciate the grandeur of times gone by, then your tour of Adelaide should include  Ayers Historic House, Town Hall, Main Post Office, Edmund Wright House, Government House, St Peters Cathedral. Holy Trinity Church and St Francis Xavier Cathedral.

Visit the sites of (explorer) Sturt's Cottage, the manor house and gardens of Carrick Hill and Fort Glanville. For a behind-the-scenes look at the business of the region, try a visit to the Central Markets.

The Rundle Mall with over 600 stores is a good place to start a shopping expedition. For discount warehouse shoppers, head for Glen Osmond Road and finish off with the upmarket, cosmopolitan shopping on King William Road.

Adelaide Hills is a popular day trip destination that is just a short drive from the city. The area is part of the Mt Lofty Ranges and is the site of Australia's oldest German settlement at Hahndorf where visits are available to the home of painter Sir Hans Heysen. The best lookout back to the city and coastline is from Mt Lofty Summit. The area has an extensive network of walking trails, several conservation parks and the historic towns of Clarendon and Strathalbyn.

Fleurieu Peninsula is a small promontory to the south of Adelaide that juts out towards Kangaroo Island. It is a place of protected beaches on the north coast and a rugged southern coastline exposed the Southern Ocean that has a history of whaling. Some of Australia's finest vineyards can be found inland from the coast of the peninsula. 

Willunga is an almond growing centre with several colonial buildings and the nearby Mt Magnificent Conservation Park is an access point for the Heysen Trail. Victor Harbor is the major town on the peninsula and started out as a whaling station. There are elevated headlands offering fine views of the coastline and the migratory path of the southern right whale can be seen from the shore. Tours are available to see the Fairy Penguin rookery on nearby Granite Island.

A vintage steam powered Cockle Train offers rides to Goolwa which was a trading port on the Murray River until the river mouth silted up. The town has the Signal Point Interpretive Centre with exhibits and the history of the original Aboriginal inhabitants and the riverboat trade of the 1800's.

Kangaroo Island is 13km off the mainland and reached via ferries departing from Glenelg and Cape Jervis. The island has permanent occupants with a small farming community producing speciality foods. Fishing is excellent and the seafood is plentiful. The island is a popular holiday spot with a northern coast of protected bays, pristine beaches and crystal clear water while the southern shoreline is exposed to the pounding of the Southern Ocean.

Kangaroo Island has colonies of sea lions and fairy penguins on the southern coast. There is plenty of wildlife in the Flinders Chase National Park located at the end of the island.

The island is popular for diving and snorkelling the several wrecks, and 4WD tours are available.  Feed the pelicans on the wharf at Kingscote or explore the underground caves at Kelly Hill.

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