Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia that is teeming with rich mining resources (opal), forest reserves, old museums, adorable beaches, and contemporary art galleries.
Experience the thrill of seeing and feeding the kangaroos and cute koalas at the Cleland Wildlife Park.
Inside, you can trek into the forest and arrive at the largest water attraction and the beautiful Waterfall Gully.
It is one of the seven falls located in this preserved conservation park that attracts tourists any time of the year.
Go all the way up to the summit and admire the idyllic views of Adelaide and its surrounding mountains.
Best Time to Visit Adelaide ?
The city experiences a Mediterranean type of atmosphere – humid and dry during summer, cold and wet in winter.
If the hot and arid season is ok with you then January and Feb are the best time to get a little heat wave in the high of 30s and even 40s.
The months of March and April are also great times to spend a holiday as the weather shifts to a warm weather and chances of occasional downpour.
In winter, you can have some really cold days and nights.
But there aren’t an excess of days when you can’t get outside and appreciate a bit of sun.
Spring and early summer are truly average.
Generally speaking, there are no tornados, storms, hurricanes, low humidity, no thick snows on the highway, and to sum it all up there is almost no chance for a horrible climate and there are lots of days when you can spend outside and enjoy a tour of Adelaide all year round.
Top 13 Things to Do in Adelaide?
Here I will show you how I spent a day in Adelaide, take a quick look at my favorite things to do and beautiful places to visit on your next holiday to Adelaide.
Adelaide Botanic Garden
This is the perfect place to relax and forget about the fact that you are in a bustling metropolis.
The Adelaide Botanic Garden is composed of a notable architecture.
The park has a Mediterranean garden of aquatic plants, exotic flowers, and a beautiful lotus pond.
Be sure to schedule your visit during the spring season because it is the ideal time when lots of plants blossom and show its natural beauty.
The horticultural park allows you to be alone with yourself and be one with nature right.
Stroll around and see a large number of colorful parrots and other birds.
There is a place to hide from the sun, read a book, have a snack, or just simply relax to enjoy this very quiet and pleasant place.
All of the internal structures you can find inside are truly interesting.
Don’t fail to visit the huge glasshouse in which the gardeners and landscape designers successfully recreated the atmosphere of a tropical forest.
During weekends, it gets more crowded and you can see many couples or families bring a blanket and some sandwiches for a real picnic on the lawns.
For nature lovers, it certainly has very interesting insights.
Everything is very nice and clean and brings a sense of serenity and peace.
Cleland Wildlife Park
In Adelaide, you can see all the typical animals of Australia in an environment that is absolutely not forced and where respect for nature is really important.
Within this natural enclosure, you can interact with kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, wallaby, Tasmanian Devil and bandicoots that are simply fantastic, cute and adorable.
You have the option to stay in close contact with various types of kangaroos (including the muscular “Red”), emus and other animals (you can feed and pet).
There is a spectacular pond filled with birds, but not closed in aviaries that are free where you can admire a whole flock of multicolored parrots, pelicans and other huge strange birds that are only endemic in Australia.
Of course, the star is always the koala.
Here at the Cleland Wildlife Park you can meet them in the company of the staff, which explains the characteristics and habits and also allows you to pet and feed him from your hands, truly a great experience when in Adelaide.
With an extra cost, you can hold a koala in your arms for a few minutes, complete with a souvenir photo / souvenir.
The feeling of being with a koala is stunning and unique given the fact that it is not easy to see them in their natural habitat.
Waterfall Gully
The Waterfall Gully is a half hour trail from the peak of the Mount Lofty Lookout, an interesting mountain trail that is very steep.
Even kids can be included in this adventure that covers an easy trail along the first and second falls.
It is more advisable to take a trek during the winter season when it is cold and the weather is more tolerable as compared to summer where you need to stack up on a lot of water and sweat a lot while assaulting the summit.
It is an ideal place to hike in Adelaide and if you are going, bring your own provisions (there is only one dining center there and the food is very costly), walking stick, drinks, snacks, extra clothes and comfortable pair of shoes that is perfect for the long and challenging climb at the top of the famous waterfalls.
Art Gallery of South Australia
The Art Gallery of South Australia has two different sections devoted to Australian art (including Aboriginal) and one in the European Union theme (with many excellent art works from all over Europe).
The part that most art lovers go to are the collection between art from the past centuries (1700 and 1800 in particular), and the exhibit rooms that contain a huge selection of contemporary art of the last century.
It also offers a very beautiful video installations, sculptures (Rodin especially) and some photographic works.
The restaurant of the Art Gallery is highly recommended to those who love good food (accompanied by excellent Australian wine), relaxed atmosphere, and the pleasure of listening to live music.
What sets it apart from any other art galleries in the city is it shows many ancient works of art of many different styles with stories of Australian history and interesting modern art pieces from around the world.
It is absolutely not to be missed when in Adelaide.
Glenelg Tram
A ride to the Glenelg Tram is one of the best ways to reach Glenelg (a maritime area with a beautiful beach and a fantastic atmosphere).
As a means of transportation to easily go around the city, it is very efficient, clean, practical and with good air conditioning.
It is most certainly preferable and convenient to use than renting a private car because sometimes you cannot park any vehicle close to the beach, while this medium brings you directly a few steps from the beach, shops, and restaurants.
It starts from the central Victoria Square and arrive at the Jetty (jetty), Glenelg.
In twenty minutes you will arrive right in front of the beach.
From the pier you can fish (or see those who fish) or swim at the beach that is long, beautiful, and where the water is usually chilly.
River Torrens Linear Park Trail
A well manicured park where you spend days between walks, bike rides or barbeque by the River Torrens that passes between Adelaide and North Adelaide.
On one hand, the park takes you to the sea and across to the Adelaide Hills.
It is really nice and full of animals, plants, colors and smells wonderful.
The river is bordered by a wide bike lane and a pedestrian trail, there are fountains with light that form a beautiful rainbow while black swans and other birds surround this scenic panorama.
You can rent a pedal boat or small ferries that go to make a tour of the river.
And if you need to relax after exploring, there is a nice little garden where you can sit on a bench and enjoy the view.
Being one of the official symbols of Adelaide, you cannot see it at least once!
State Library of South Australia
The State Library of South Australia is a facility that is great and the services are excellent.
The library staff is super friendly and has everything you need in a modern library.
The library holds an organized display of old and new books and looks like one of the libraries that you imagine to see in a Harry Potter film, all in wood, old, a sight to see and photograph.
The place is equipped with a Wi-Fi connection and there is a little showroom or museum that explains the history and list of the books you can find in this huge library.
Be sure to follow the simple protocols that they require when requesting for archived and old materials.
The library has tight security and installed with CCTV cameras in every strategic point.
There is a small café where you can have a sip of coffee, enjoy a good snack and a good read.
South Australian Museum
This is one of the greatest museums in Adelaide that it is free, well-maintained with many exhibit rooms and video footages of great interest.
The South Australian Museum provides a collection of the many diverse tribes of South Australia.
The exceptional collection which consists of more than 1,000 artifacts, explanatory panels, photographs, videos and movies, aims to give the visitor an idea of everyday life and the skills developed by these people who were able to survive by interacting with the extreme conditions of the atmosphere and the natural environment.
Very interesting is the part about the proper use of herbal medicines, everything about magic, and their traditional burial rites.
Other noteworthy exhibit to check out is; the huge collection of paintings made with the famous technique of pitting.
The Aboriginal people used it for thousands of years in the decorations on rock that was moved after colonization, on canvas or wood, as evidenced by the collection of the doors of the school of Yuendumu which are partially preserved in the museum and other paintings.
The collection is the most complete in the Aboriginal Australian and global level.
It is recommended that you do not miss the movie that shows some of the boys as they translate with a nice game of gestures the most common words of one of the most widespread languages in Aboriginal English.
Adjacent to the Aboriginal section is a display about the cultures of the South Pacific islands, also not to be missed.
Adelaide Zoo
The Adelaide Zoo is definitely worth a visit.
There are many animals that are well cared and lots of interesting paths ideal for walking.
The highlight is definitely the area where you can pet the kangaroos and wallabies.
The experience is quite costly ($ 33) but it is all worth the time and money.
After a nice stroll along the river you will arrive at this great zoo, and you will love the well maintained avenues that are permeated by the smell of the eucalyptus trees, neat and lighted walkways, and people.
Adelaide is a great example of how Australia has embarked on the path of preservation and environmental conservation.
The overall concept of this park (open for more than 150 years) is still of a high standard and try to respect the different environments and habits of its animals that came from all over the world.
The main attractions of this zoo are not just the kangaroos, koalas, or the Indian tiger, but the two beautiful giant pandas named Whang Whang and Funi.
These two cute animals are in good health and are part of a larger project for the protection and conservation of their species.
Sooner or later they are bound to return to their place of origin.
The park is well-kept and also allows everyone to admire beautiful examples of plants, flowers, and trees that originated from all the continents of the world.
Aldinga Beach
The Aldinga Beach is located in a small town that is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, vineyards, houses, well-kept gardens, and small shopping center for everyone’s convenience.
It is just 20 minutes away from the main center of Adelaide.
This public beach is filled with beautiful sand, crystal clear water and a serene atmosphere despite the huge concentration of tourists and locals.
Enjoy a day at the beach that is easily accessible, free, close to the market, and where you can relax or unwind with a good thermos of coffee while admiring a splendid sunset and meeting the very friendly people of Adelaide.