Adelaide
Travel Advice for Seniors: Adelaide
Adelaide was the next destination on our three-week trip through eastern and central Australia. We started in Melbourne and were making our way to the red center and then back around to Sydney for New Years. Australia is a very big country, and three weeks hardly does it justice, but that’s what return trips are for, right?
Adelaide is situated very well in the state of South Australia, it is minutes to the beaches on the coast, the hills and wine country. It is less touristed so while it has its share of major attractions, they are not (yet) so crowded.
One of the highlights of our trip to Australia was not only to see the sights, but to incorporate some wine tours into our itinerary. Australia is home to one of our favorite vintages, the Shiraz. And Adelaide is near the Barossa Valley, where some of the best Shiraz in the world comes from!
Another huge attraction of Adelaide is the South Australian Museum, a natural history museum and research institution. It is a solid tour through Australian history and there are several “not to be missed” exhibitions including Antarctic exploration, Aboriginal cultural artifacts, and Pacific Island artifacts. Plan to spend a few hours here.
The Art Gallery of South Australia was established in 1881 and houses one of the most important collections of Indigenous art in Australia, particularly paintings. We were fascinated by the indigenous artwork and especially by the legends behind the artwork. It inspired my mom, who is an avid quilter, to purchase some fabric with indigenous artwork patterns to make her own “dream time” quilt!
After a full day of culture and getting educated on indigenous art, we were ready to explore other sights in Adelaide. Including the fantastic Botanic Garden!
The Adelaide Botanic Garden is about 120 acres of joy and was built in 1855-7, and…it’s free and wheelchair accessible! Don’t miss the opportunity to take a stroll through the gardens and visit the greenhouses and fountains. “Must see” items include the Palm House, the Bicentennial Conservatory, the water lily pavilion and much more. Allocate a couple of hours and take a picnic, or there are cafes on site if you prefer.
We also paid a visit to Ayers House, a grand restored mansion built by Sir Henry Ayers, former Premier of South Australia who occupied it from 1855 until 1897. Interestingly, the furniture had been cleared for an exhibition of “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” a popular mystery TV show set in Melbourne, Australia, taking place in the 1920’s. Miss Fisher’s flapper wardrobe and snippets of the show were on display, which while a departure from what we were hoping to see, but was still engrossing.
We were only in Adelaide for three days, one of which was dedicated to a Barossa Valley Wine Tour, which is in a separate post, but we made very good use of our time!
Where we stayed: The Playford.
How we got there: Flew from Melbourne to Adelaide then private transport to hotel. This was part of a three-week private tour through Australia. We began in Melbourne and ended in Sydney for New Years’ Eve.
General Accessibility Information: Major tourist sights, hotels and transportation in most major cities is accessible. Further, several hiking trails are accessible. See AllTrails’ wheelchair-friendly trail guide.Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements.See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
