Adelaide - The Festival City

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Adelaide – the capital of South Australia. The area around the River Torrens was once chosen to proclaim the new British province of South Australia. That happened on the 28th December 1836. John Hindmarsh made the proclamation. The Aboriginal people of the Kaurna tribe lived on the land long time before Europeans arrived. The city is located between the Gulf of St Vincent in the west and the Mount Lofty Ranges in the east. Adelaide is named after the German born Queen Adelaide (13th August 1792 – 2nd December 1849) who was a spouse of King William IV (21st August 1765 – 20th June 1837) of the United Kingdom. Adelaide did not emerge from a convict colony it was established by free settlers.

The population of Adelaide is 1.20 million (estimated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in June 2010). It is the fifth largest City of Down Under and the largest of South Australia. Adelaide is also known as the “Festival City”. The entertainment centre at King William Road is a highlight for those who are interested in cultural events. The city is hosting several hundreds of festivals and events throughout the year.

Adelaide and its suburbs sprawl out from the Town of Gawler in the north to Sellicks Beach in the south west. The distance is about 100 kilometres. The west – east expansion from the coast to the Mount Lofty Ranges is approximately 20 kilometres. The CBD and North Adelaide is surrounded by the Park Lands. That means 760 hectare green areas for recreation and sport. The city council has introduced the Park Lands Trail project which is under staged development. The 24 kilometre trail will circle the CBD and North Adelaide eventually by 2012.

Sunbathers will certainly enjoy the superb Adelaide Beaches. They stretch all along the coastline from Sellicks Beach in the south as far as North Haven in the north. That is close to Port Adelaide. The beaches suit individually all sort of recreation, like swimming, snorkelling and surfing or just relax in the sun. The most well known beaches are Glenelg Beach, Semaphore Beach or Henley Beach. But there are numerous other beaches like Brighton Beach, Seacliff Beach, West Beach or Christies Beach in the south.

Read more about beaches

When you like shopping you shouldn’t miss Rundle Mall in the City. That is certainly the biggest concentration of shops in South Australia. Rundle Mall offers a huge variety of more than 700 shops, as well as department stores like David Jones, Harris Scarfe Australia and Myer.
A popular shopping place is the Central Market, well known for its fresh food and specialities.
The suburbs offer also great opportunities for shopping. For example: Glenelg is well known for its shops along Jetty Road.
Adelaide has three big shopping centres, one in Marion, the Tea Tree Plaza in Modbury and another one in West Lakes. Brighton Road in the south west has lots of shops, as well as Unley Road south of the city.

To find a bed in Adelaide should not be a problem. The city offers all kind of accommodation. It doesn’t matter if you are a Backpacker or you’re looking for a five star hotel. Adelaide has it all. You find bed and breakfast places, caravan parks, backpacker hostels, serviced apartments, hotels of all categories, beachfront houses and of course a youth hostel.

Read more about Caravan Parks

Here some information about Hostel

Hotel and Motel Accommodation Guide

Listings of Serviced Apartments in Adelaide

In Adelaide Australia is always something to do. Either you take a ride on a tram to the popular beach port of Glenelg or spend some time relaxing near the Torrens River. You can visit Adelaide Zoo, the Festival- or Entertainment Centre, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Central Market, the Maritime Museum or have some coffee at one of the numerous street café’s. Adelaide is also a great gateway to the nearby wine regions like the Barossa Valley or McLaren Vale. Check out the village of Hahndorf or have a stroll through the National Motor Museum in Birdwood. The opportunities are plentiful, in Adelaide - the capital of South Australia.

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