Adelaide - what is there to do

[Zippo]

So, I am now looking at places to take another holiday in 2015.
Adelaide has made the list, because I have never been there before.

Due to financial reasons, I need to go in either May or September (leaning towards September) and I want to know what to do in the city (and further afield) and also if its warm or not (anything over 25 is too hot for me)

On the way back, I am thinking of hitting Melbourne as well since I need to either fly to Melbourne or Sydney to get home

Thoughts or comments

[Polursine]

Visit IKEA, Rundle Mall, Tea Tree Plaza, and Marion for all shopping needs. Rundle Mall has the big balls, and a fair few knickknack shops like Shin Tokyo which sells anime and assorted Japanese TFs and shittonne of figures, and the card game shop.
Bontanical Gardens in the city if you so feel.
Marvel at the roadworks happening at any place at any time.

Yeah, we ain't got much happening.

[Omega Metro]

Curl up in a foetal position all day every day?.....much like Perth also ;)

[Skullcruncher]

Try and avoid the mall on Fridays after about 5pm. That is all.

[Gutsman Heavy]

Like footy? Go to a game at Adelaide Oval.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I got told off for looking at a Playboy in a newsagents when I was 15 on my one visit through there on a school trip. So don't go to the newsagents ;) That is 100% of my experiences of Adelaide


(wow - looking at a softcore porn mag in a shop - it was a low-tech and barbaric age the 90's :p)

[UltraMarginal]

there are supposedly a few nice churches ;-)

I did notice when I was there in 200 that there were a few nice small pubs near the city.

If you drive down to Techport, you can see the new AWD being assembled from the road but that should take about 5 minutes once you get there.

[griffin]

I've been to Adelaide twice, so can offer a tourist's perspective.
My first visit in October 2008 (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=56228#post56228) I stayed in a cheap backpacker type place in the CBD, and was restricted to walking distance or help from locals with cars (like Sofaman).
My second visit was in March 2013 (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=348748#post348748), staying at a nice hotel (massive room (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/blog/a568.jpg) and bathroom (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/blog/a569.jpg), but half the rooms do not have a good view (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/blog/a570.jpg)) in the CBD and hiring a car, to check out more of greater Adelaide.

So your options are depending on your budget and resources. If you hire a car, maybe check out one or two Shopping centres for any toys you are after... and do a search of "tourist" options online.
If you stay in the CBD or don't get a hire car, the airport is very close (I walked it in under an hour and a half), and there is a Museum near the Mall if you have a cultural interest (and it was free when I was there in 2008).
If you do get a hire car, just be aware that the *main* road from the Airport to the CBD was (in 2013) a 50 k/h zone. It's a main arterial road in Adelaide, and yet its NOT 60k like most other main roads in Adelaide or any other city, so I got a ticket in the mail some time later for doing 60k instead of 50. :o

My visit in March 2013 happened to be during a kite festival (http://www.toycollectors.com.au/blog/a573.jpg) at the beach, and the CBD is not as crowded and built up as the larger capital cities, so has a more relaxed, nicer feel to the place.

And don't forget that there is a SA meet topic in this section, so if you are looking for a meet, see if anyone local is interested.


I got told off for looking at a Playboy in a newsagents when I was 15 on my one visit through there on a school trip. So don't go to the newsagents ;) That is 100% of my experiences of Adelaide

(wow - looking at a softcore porn mag in a shop - it was a low-tech and barbaric age the 90's :p)

Hmmm... I had a similar experience at the same age at the start of the 90s in Toowoomba while on a school excursion. We were allowed to wander off for our lunch break, and a group of us went into a newsagent, and as teens in a group do - egg on each other to do something naughty like look at the adult magazines. Unfortunately, I was the one holding onto the magazine when a teacher busted us, so was the one punished later. :o

[5FDP]

I was born and raised in Adelaide. In fact, it was because I grew up in Adelaide that Santa delivered to me a G1 Megatron for Xmas in 85. My cousins in Melbourne were insanely jealous :p It's a great city for relaxing and getting away from it all. I'm not a big city person so it took me a while to get used to Sydney, and even now, I'm still not used to it. I always planned to move back to Adelaide one day but with kids now, it's a harder decision because it means up-rooting them from school and leaving their friends and much of our family behind. Maybe I'll just retire there...

Oh, and go check out Glenelg while your there. It's a great tourist spot.

[Zippo]

Cheers for the feedback so far everyone.
I haven't spent any time looking at anything aside from how I would get there

Dunedin to Christchurch to Sydney to Adelaide
or Dunedin to Auckland to Sydney OR Melbourn to Adelaide seems to be the options.

Nor have I decided the budget ... While its nice planing a holiday 6+ months out, the wait once everything is book to go is hell :)

[loophole]

depending on when you come over there is a Mega Toy Fair its over the May/June weekend

http://www.aroundyou.com.au/whats-on/events/mega-toy-fair-at-adelaide-showground