Adelaide Park Lands

The city centre and upmarket North Adelaide are surrounded by a broad band of parkland. Colonel William Light, Adelaide’s controversial planner, came up with the concept, which has been both a blessing and a curse for the city. Pros: heaps of green space, clean air and playgrounds for the kids. Cons: bone dry in summer, loitering perverts and a sense that the city is cut off from its suburbs.

Don’t miss the playgrounds and Adelaide-Himeji Garden on South Tce, and the statue of Colonel William Light overlooking the Adelaide Oval and city office towers from Montefiore Hill.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Adelaide attractions

2. National Wine Centre of Australia

0.31 MILES

Check out the free self-guided, interactive Wine Discovery Journey exhibition at this very sexy wine centre (doubling as a research facility for the…

3. Adelaide Botanic Gardens

0.32 MILES

Meander, jog or chew through your trashy airport novel in these lush city-fringe gardens. Highlights include a restored 1877 palm house, the water-lily…

4. Freemasons' Grand Lodge

0.39 MILES

This towering sandstone edifice on North Tce has been a bastion of secret handshakes and funny robes since 1927. But like other things that most people…

5. Art Gallery of South Australia

0.55 MILES

Spend a few hushed hours in the vaulted, parquetry-floored gallery that represents the big names in Australian art. Permanent exhibitions include…

6. Mall's Balls

0.56 MILES

Check out the infamous and very shiny Mall’s Balls sculpture in Rundle Mall (real name Spheres, by sculptor Burt Flugelman).

7. South Australian Museum

0.6 MILES

Dig into Australia’s natural history with the museum's special exhibits on whales and Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson. Over two levels, the amazing…

8. Migration Museum

0.68 MILES

This engaging social-history museum tells the story of the many migrants who have made SA their home. The museum has info on 100-plus nationalities logged…