Adelaide attractions

The National Wine Centre of Australia introduces visitors to Australian wine, with a focus on South Australia. The outer shell of the building resembles wine barrels. Inside, visitors can take a wine discovery journey or an educational class, or indulge in food, a wealth of tastings, and one of the southern hemisphere’s best cellars.

Adelaide’s shopping epicenter—Rundle Mall—is home to over 700 retail stores and four department stores, plus food, sculptures, and, often, street performers. The original Rundle Street was an Adelaide shopping favorite as far back as the 1870s and Rundle Mall’s Victorian arcades preserve its historic charm.

The 29-mile (46.5-kilometer River Torrens Linear Trail traces the River Torrens (Karrawirra Parri from the Adelaide Hills through Adelaide city and out to Henley Beach. Good for walkers, runners, and cyclists, many sections of the trail can be enjoyed as circuits. Head out along one side of the river then return on the opposite bank.

Set on North Terrace, the grand boulevard that forms Adelaide’s cultural heart, the State Library of South Australia (SLSA) occupies three spectacular buildings from different eras. Besides the architectural splendor of the Mortlock Wing, the library offers the full range of reference library resources, as well as exhibitions, free Wi-Fi, and a café.

The Art Gallery of South Australia showcases around 45,000 works of art spanning 2,000 years. Expect to see works by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and a diverse array of art from around the world, including Rodin bronzes and contemporary pieces. The museum occupies a landmark neoclassical building in the heart of Adelaide.

One of the principal attractions of Adelaide’s Cultural Precinct, the South Australian Museum is devoted to the region’s natural and cultural history. The museum is best known for its impressive collection of Australian Aboriginal cultural items: the largest collection of its kind in the world.

Telling the stories of the migrants who came from all over the world to make South Australia their home, the Migration Museum provides fascinating insight into Adelaide’s rich history and cultural heritage. With respect for the indigenous people of this region, the museum also illustrates the impact of immigration on native Australians.

Set in the Cleland Conservation Park, just 20 minutes outside Adelaide, Cleland Wildlife Park is home to a wealth of Australian animals, most of them roaming free. It’s possible to hand-feed native fauna, including kangaroos, wallabies, and emus, while the park offers up-close experiences with koalas, wombats, and more.

Australia’s longest river and a sacred place to indigenous communities, the mighty Murray River winds its way 1,558 miles (2,508 kilometers) through three Australian states. There are multiple ways—both on and off the water—to experience the river that runs through several Victoria towns and past striking South Australia landscapes.

Established in 1844, Penfolds is perhaps Australia’s defining wine brand, and these Adelaide Hills vineyards are where it all began. Besides cellars, wine-making operations, and tasting rooms, the site is home to the original Grange cottage where the founders lived, an award-winning fine-dining restaurant, and an informal eatery.

This small island, just a short walk from Victor Harbor, gets its name from the huge granite boulders that dot its landscape. Granite Island (Nulcoowarra) may be of significance to geologists, but the island is perhaps most important to the indigenous Ramindjeri people, who believe it was formed by spears thrown into the water.Today, visitors come to Granite Island to ride the horse-drawn tram and wander the hills in search of the tiny penguins that call this place home. An informative Penguin Center is open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with twice-daily public feedings. The well-marked Kaiki Walk lets visitors loop around the island’s edge in an easy 40 minutes, and a handful of ocean lookouts prove also ideal for whale watching.

Home to the Parliament of the state of South Australia, Parliament House is a landmark of downtown Adelaide. Behind grand columns it houses the state’s two legislative chambers: the House of Assembly (lower house) and the Legislative Council (upper house). Designed as early as 1872, it wasn’t completed until 1939.

A hugely popular hiking (bushwalking in Australian) destination for Adelaideans, Waterfall Gully lies within Cleland National Park just outside the city limits. It’s home to six of the park’s seven waterfalls, including the First Falls, which tumble around 100 feet (30 meters) down a craggy rock face, as well as koalas and the occasional kangaroo.

Linking Adelaide city center to the historic beachfront suburb of Glenelg, the Glenelg Tram is a relic of a public transport network that once spanned the entire city. Attractive red heritage trams are available for charter and occasionally during special events, but almost all trams that run the scenic route are modern.

Light’s Vision, a life-size 1906 bronze statue of Adelaide’s founder Colonel William Light, stands atop grassy Montefiore Hill in North Adelaide, pointing boldly across the city. Laid out in 1938, the area, also known as Colonel Light’s Lookout, offers views over parkland and the city, especially the landmark Adelaide Oval cricket ground.

Covering more than 3,700 acres (1,500 hectares) and featuring more than 500 free-roaming animals, Monarto Zoo is Australia’s largest open-range zoo. Along with Aussie favorites such as wallabies and Tasmanian Devils, the zoo is home to Australia’s largest herd of giraffes, as well as lions, rhinos, cheetah, and meerkats.

With its traditional horse-drawn trams, elegant colonial buildings, and sandy shores; Victor Harbor is one of South Australia’s most charming seaside resorts. In a prime location along the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, it’s surrounded by surf beaches, wildlife-filled islands, and scenic coastal hikes.

In 1847, after nearly a decade of living in the hills of the Barossa Valley, Bavarian-native Johann Gramp and his wife decided to literally put down roots in the Australian countryside and planted nearly 30 hectares of grapevines. While the couple almost immediately began producing wine, it wasn’t until 1976 that the name Jacob’s Creek” was introduced to the public. Gramp’s first Shiraz-Cab blend was a hit among wine lovers.Today, some 150 years later, this vineyard’s commitment to family traditions and its drive for innovation holding strong. Today, travelers can visit this famous vineyard and tour the age-old grounds of Jacob’s Creek, as well as sample wines and learn about production and farming at the innovative, modern and environmentally sound new Jacob's Creek Visitor Centre.

Just 7 miles (11 kilometers) from downtown Adelaide, the seaside suburb of Henley Beach offers more than just a long, safe, sandy beach and scenic jetty. Feast at the area’s spectacular seafood restaurants; paddle, swim, or fish at the beach; hike or bike along the coast; or watch the sun set over the Southern Ocean.

An Adelaide original, Haigh’s has been crafting chocolate since 1915 and is still family-owned today. At their factory, just south of Adelaide city center, the Haigh’s Chocolate Visitor Centre offers free tours plus the chance to shop Haigh’s specialties, from truffles and liqueurs to their signature chocolate frogs.

This iconic railway line is the oldest steel railed railway in the country. It was constructed in 1887 to serve as a passageway between River Murray and Victor Harbor. During its earliest days, passengers would load into the horse-drawn train after collecting cockleshells from the river’s shore.Visitors can take their own journey on this historic line every day from the Goolwa Depot. The train stops at Port Elliot, near the Encounter Bay Coast, where travelers can explore the local museum. When the train departs Port Elliot, travelers are privy to some of the most picturesque coastal scenery along the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Jutting into the ocean south of Adelaide towards pristine Kangaroo Island, the Fleurieu Peninsula offers some of South Australia’s finest produce, including the McLaren Vale wine-growing region. In season, Encounter Bay is one of South Australia’s favorite whale-watching destinations.

On the site of the shop that launched the R.M. Williams leather goods brand in 1934, the R.M. Williams Outback Heritage Museum is both museum and retail outlet. More than simply a tribute to one of South Australia’s most successful sons, the museum tells the story of bush culture and a defining Outback brand through displays, panels, and machinery.

In northwest Adelaide’s Port Adelaide suburb, the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide pays tribute to all things locomotive. Climb aboard a small train for a ride around the museum; admire steam engines and retro carriages; be immersed in Australia’s rail history; discover a model railway; and stock up on train-related souvenirs at the shop.

Traditionally owned by the Nganguraku and Ngaiawang people, Ngaut Ngaut Conservation Park is an important indigenous site on the banks of the Murray River. Yellow ocher cliffs house rock shelters dating back at least 5,000 years; a boardwalk runs along the river; and the rock art here has rich cultural significance.