Adelaide

Adelaide, Australia

Adelaide is a new city in an old land, founded as a British colony in 1836 and now the capital of South Australia. Today, its rich mix of diverse cultures has adapted a relaxed and cosmopolitan lifestyle amidst green parks as well as 30km of beaches stretching along its suburbs. The city is famous for its al fresco eating culture, and it is the centre of the Australian wine industry, with some of the best food and drinks in the world.

Population:

1.306 million (2016)

Currency:

1 Australian Dollar = 100 cents

Emergency Numbers:

0

Opening Hours:

General shop hours are from Mon–Fri 9am–5:30pm and Sat 9am–5pm. Most major outlets are also open on Sundays from 11am–5pm.

Newspapers:

The Advertiser
Sunday Mail
Messenger Newspapers
The Australian

The City

When Colonel William Light picked the Adelaide Plains as the capital of the new British colony back in 1836, the region had already been home to the Kaurna Aboriginal people for thousands of years. Previously known as Tarndanyangga, or place of the red kangaroo, the new settlement that arose on the plains developed into one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world.

Named after the wife of King George IV of the United Kingdom, Adelaide soon spread out to the seashore, now dotted with a long line of relaxing beach suburbs.

The arrival of successive waves of immigrants--from Germans and Italians to Lebanese and Japanese--has given the city an enviable reputation for good food and drinks with some of the most diverse eating opportunities within the whole world. The wine-making brought by German immigrants, for example, has turned Adelaide into one of the world's great wine-producing centres.

The city's 19th-century centre, which lies closer to the Torrens River, is still intact, and it gives visitors a feel for the colony's early days. It is also a grid of wide graceful streets encircled by a ring of parks, which rewards Adelaide with an open and green atmosphere. Combined that with the blue skies and warmth of the South Australian climate, and you've got yourself one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Do & See

Adelaide is easy to get around and offers a wide variety of attractions for all ages. Learn more about the country's history at the South Australian Museum or the Migration Museum. If you long for the beaches, take the tram to Glenelg, a popular seaside suburb. To top it all off, Adelaide's Cleland Wildlife Park is among the select few places in the world where you can hold a koala.

Dining

Adelaide, the home of eating out, has more restaurants per person than any other city in Australia. A nation abundant with good food and the pleasures of al fresco dining. The city’s cultural mix--from Thai to Italian to Indian and Lebanese--offers a bewildering array of cuisines for you to enjoy, all complemented by the incredible range of fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood, and meats available in South Australia.

Cafes

Adelaide has a vibrant cafe culture and offers plenty of coffee houses all over the city. Some streets are packed with cafes with outdoor seating, such as the East End of Rundle Street towards Rundle Park, O’Connell Street, as well as the popular Melbourne Street.