Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

ADELAIDE 501
lizard in captivity in Australia, a species thought to be extinct since the 1940s,
until a specimen was discovered inside the belly of a dead snake. Allow 1 hour.
Frome Rd.& 08/8267 3255. Admission A$15 (US$9.75) adults, A$8 (US$5.20) children. Daily 9:30am–5pm.
Bus: 272 or 273 from Currie St. to bus stop 2 (5 min.).
Botanic Gardens You’ll feel like you’re at the heart of the city when you stroll
through the huddles of office workers having picnic lunches on the lawns. Highlights
include a broad avenue of Moreton Bay figs, duck ponds, giant water lilies,
an Italianate garden, a palm house, and the Bicentennial Conservatory—a glass
dome full of rainforest species. You might want to have lunch in the Botanic
Gardens Restaurant (& 08/8223 3526) surrounded by bird song and lush vegetation,
in the center of the park; it’s open daily from 10am to 5pm.
North Terrace. & 08/8222 9311. Free admission. Mon–Fri 8am–sundown; Sat–Sun 9am–sundown.
FOR TRAIN BUFFS
National Railway Museum This former Port Adelaide railway yard houses
Australia’s largest and finest collection of locomotive engines and rolling stock—
with around 104 items on display including some 30 engines. Among the most
impressive trains on show are the gigantic “Mountain” class engines, and socalled
“Tea and Sugar” trains that once ran between railway camps in remote
parts of the desert. Entrance includes a train ride. Allow 1 1 ⁄2 hours.
Lipton St., North Adelaide. & 08/8341 1690. Admission A$9 (US$5.85) adults, A$3.50 (US$2.30) children,
A$20 (US$13) families. Daily 10am–5pm. Bus: 151 or 153 from North terrace, opposite Parliament House, to
stop number 40 (approx. 30-min. journey).
ORGANIZED TOURS
Grayline Day Tours (& 1300/858 687 in Australia; www.grayline.com) operates
a city sightseeing tour for A$39 (US$25) for adults and A$20 (US$13) for
children. It operates from 9:30am to noon every day except Sunday. The bus can
pick you up at your hotel. Grayline also does other tours taking in central Adelaide
with either Hahndorf or Cleland Wildlife Park included, as well as tours to
the Flinders ranges and Kangaroo Island.
ENJOYING THE GREAT OUTDOORS
BIKING Adelaide’s parks and riverbanks are very popular with cyclists. Rent
your bicycle from Linear Park Hire (& 018/844 588 mobile phone). The
going rate is A$15 to A$20 (US$9.75–US$13) for 24 hours, including helmet,
lock, and baby seat (if needed). Recreation SA (& 08/8226 7301) publishes a
brochure showing Adelaide’s bike routes. Pick one up at the South Australian
Visitor & Travel Centre (see “Visitor Information” earlier in chapter). The
Map Shop, 6 Peel St. (& 08/8231 2033), is also a good source for maps.
HIKING & JOGGING The banks of the River Torrens are a good place for
a jog. The truly fit and/or adventurous, might want to tackle the Heysen Trail,
a spectacular 1,600km (992-mile) walk through bush, farmland, and rugged hill
country that starts 80km (50 miles) south of Adelaide and goes to the Flinders
Ranges by way of the Adelaide Hills and the Barossa Valley. For more information
on the trail, visit the South Australian Visitor & Travel Centre (see “Visitor
Information” earlier in chapter).
GOLF The City of Adelaide Golf Course (& 08/8267 2171) is quite close
to town and has two short 18-hole courses and a full-size championship course.
Greens fees are A$14 to A$17 (US$9.10–US$11) weekdays and A$17 to A$19
(US$11–US$12) weekends, depending on the course, Monday through Friday,