What to See & Do in Adelaide City

You will find there is something for everyone in Adelaide City!

Sky City Adelaide, one of the State's major tourism attractions, is located in the capital of South Australia, just a 10 minute taxi ride from the airport and situated in the grand, historic sandstone Railway Station building.

The Great Hall with its marble floor, giant Corinthian columns and domed ceiling provides a spectacular entrance to Sky City Adelaide.

Once inside, you will experience the excitement of one of the world's most stylish gaming establishments. The click of the chips, the rolling of dice and the hum of enthusiastic players fill the air with anticipation.

With around 70 gaming tables, 800 gaming machines, two restaurants, a cafe and live entertainment, it's no wonder its a popular tourist attraction.

The South Australian 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 and even some Egyptian Mummies. 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 of South Australia, 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.

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 popular market off the east end of Rundle Mall is a huge bazaar incorporating an international food court and stalls selling everything from 1930s car alarms to velvet paintings of Madonna and Coopers Brewery t-shirts. Once you've finished eating gelati and browsing among the cutlery windchimes, you can also pick up your weeks groceries.

For something a little more alternative, head out to Norwood, just east of the city centre. This is the place to go for great shopping, coffee shops and cafes.

The magnificent white and sandy beach, at Glenelg, 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 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. Vintage trams run from the city centre right to Glenelg beach.

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.