Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

Personally I'd get a car as places are quite spread out, and it'll give you some independence.

Take a look at www.vroomvroomvroom.com.au

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

We went to Cuddly Creek wildlife farm when we first arrived. It's only about 30 minutes east of the city in the hills. You can walk around petting/feeding the kangaroos, hold a koala, etc. Lots of nice wildlife there.

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

Ditto to that, we find The Gorge wildlife park at cudlee creek much better than Cleland.

On public transport you could:

Take a dolphin cruise on the port river.
Spend the evening in Glenelg - pubs and clubs.
Go for a meal at Windy Point!
Go on the heluva ride jet boat from Glenelg Marina.
Fish and chips on the beach at Brighton.
Snorkeling at Port Norlunga.
Visit the museums for free on North Terrace.
Go shopping at Harbour Town.
Take a picnic and spend the day at a swim centre.
Go for a walk in one of the national Parks - Belair is great - see koalas, emus, echidnas etc. close up.
Got to the moonlight cinema in the botanical gardens.

A bit further out, some tours and transport though:

Views from Mount Lofty.
Mount Lofty Botanical Gardens are lovely.
If you have time spend some time on the river at Mannum - if you have time hire a houseboat, it is fab, especially in summer!
Go and see the worlds biggest rocking horse at Gumeracha.
Go to Lobethal to see the lights.
Go to the Whispering Wall on the way to the Barossa.
Go on a wine trail in the Barossa or the Adelaide Hills or Mclaren Vale - or do all of them. There is also a wine and cheese trail in the Adelaide Hills yumm!
Go to Victor Harbour and walk round Granite Island.
Go to Hahndorf and have a german sausage, in a german (!) pub, with german beer.

Just off the top of my head!

Adelaide being the city of churches is a bit of a myth, we have far more pubs than churches ;)

Have a great stay, check out SATC

By the way we are spending the same period in Sydney what are our must dos???

Nikki
xx

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

Wow, that list is going to keep me busy for quite a while :)

K sent

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

Nikki, that's a fantastic list! I might actually get to see a bit of Adelaide etc on this trip, rather that spend the whole time lolling around drinking and eating :rolleyes: The problem with spending Christmas with family is that the expectation is that you'll spend every minute with them, but this time I intend to be a real tourist :D

Sydney must dos - well there are the obvious:
Harbour
Bridge
Opera House
Bondi Beach (and coastal walk along the Eastern Suburbs)
Manly
Watson's Bay / The Gap
Blue Mountains
The Rocks
Sydney museums and art galleries
Historic houses (Old Government House, Vaucluse House etc)
Darling Harbour
Chinatown
Restaurants and bars in East Sydney/Kings Cross/Darlinghurst / Surrey Hills
Saturday markets - Paddington, Bondi, Balmain are my favourites. Farmers markets are also good, there's one in Kings Cross and one in Lilyfield

And the not so obvious outside of Sydney inner city:
Rivercat to Parramatta, explore the old stuff there
Fitzroy Falls / Kangaroo Valley (will need car)
Hunter Valley (again, car)
Royal National Park (train to Sutherland or Waterfall)
Ferry from Palm Beach (bus, takes a while)
Dural / Wiseman's Ferry (car)
Whitewater rafting in Penrith (train), then explore Nepean Valley

And the list could go on... I've actually had to do some research for work that has involved contacting every tourist information centre in NSW, and now have a huge pile of tourist guides! So if you have any more questions, ask away :)

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

Hi There!

Nikki has given you a good list there. If you have no car there's a few things you can walk to.

'The Seacliff Hotel' positioned on the Espanade/ Wheatland Street at Seacliff. It has a good atmosphere, can get a bit young and lively on the weekend. The view from the verandah at sunset can be beautiful. It is also a restaurant serving high quality food and bar snacks. (25 minute walk......40 back due to big hill/alcohol combination!)

Walk about another 15 minutes along the Esplanade and you get to Brighton's 'Jetty Road' It is mainly cafes with a few quirky shops. All with a sea view. Walk the other way (towards Marino) and you will find the Seacliff Yatch club....cheap alcohol, no atmosphere(think British Legion with Pokies) but right on the beach.

You could walk to Marion Shopping Centre, but it's a fair way and a bit of a boring walk with no shade in the heat. There's a Cinema, cafes, bars and of course shops. There's David Jones, Myer.....all the usuals right down to 'Cheap as Chips' and 'Reject Shop'.

There's a bus service that runs down Davenport Terrace (234???)and that will get you to Marion to pick up links of right into the City.

Enjoy your Holiday :beer:

Jan (ex Seaview Downs)

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

Thanks Jan, I'll check out the local buses and see what goes to where.

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

Kangaroo islands the best place in South Aust in my opinion, hire a car in Adelaide and take it on the ferry to the island, l don't think you can hire a car at KAnagroo island.

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

I think maybe it's better to hire a car on the mainland and put it on the ferry...it does cost quite a bit though :eek: ....or you can hire a car on the island, here are some companies:
www.Hertz.com.au

Discount Car Hire...
www.expedia.com.au


www.RentalCarGroup.com

I think this is the best time of year to go too but if you want accommodation it may be difficult to book now :) It is about 80 kms from Adelaide to Cape Jervis where you get the ferry. You can also fly and hire a car there :)

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

If only I could stay overnight there - I think it would be frowned on though, as we are meant to be enjoying the delights of family life ;)

OH seems to think we can get a tour bus over there, I'd rather DIY but as time will be limited to the one day we may not have the option. Main thing though is getting to see Kangaroo Island :)

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

Hi chels :) ...yes, you can get a tour bus/ferry trip...sounds like the best option for you...enjoy as much as I always did :)

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

I have to disagree with more pubs than churches, in my opinion there is probably 3 churches to every one pub.
You most definitley need a car to get around as someone has said, everything is very spaced out.
Adelaide is also known as one big living cemetery, can't think why :zzz:
The Sydney list sounds more like it, I hope to visit there one day.
I bet more people visit Sydney than Adelaide anyway.
Julie

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

Chels,

That is fab - Thanks - I will print it out and take it with me, we are actually staying in Parramatta as that is the closest we could get with a family room for 4 at New Year, and that was booking in June! We have sturdy feet and a car too though. Ditto guides, I am actually working in a VIC at the moment here in SA (but don't tell anyone!!)

Hope you have a fab stay, a lot of people think there isn't a lot to do here, there is loads if you look - its just not shouted about as loudly and sits at a smaller, lower key level, think smaller scale (isn't that right Jan :p )

KI is fab and you can get great deals - it does cost (I think) an extra $150ish to take a car over on the ferry - so a day trip would probably be the best bet. Pop into the VIC in Glenelg or on King William St -they will be able to help or phone 1300 655 276.

Have a lovely Christmas with your family, if you get bored on Boxing Day we have a regular expat meet on Henley Beach! ... wish my family lived in Sydney :(

Nikki
xx

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

The folk in Adelaide like to keep it a secret ;) I just adore it. I have friends in Sydney who I visit but I couldn't live there. Adelaide every time for me :D
I'm not saying I don't like Sydney, there are some wonderful places to visit...but much too busy for me.

Re: Things to do in Adelaide and beyond
 

I agree I couldn't live in Sydney, but it sounds a more interesting place to visit than Adelaide, which is on the other scale to Sydney. I just want something in between, not too busy and not too quiet.

Julie