Adelaide CBD
The Vibe
Liveable and human-scale — ringed by parklands, anchored by one of the market halls, and containing cultural institutions.
Description
Adelaide's city center is distinguished from every other Australian CBD by the ring of parklands that surrounds it on all sides — a component of Colonel William Light's 1837 plan that deliberately prevented the city from ever merging with its suburbs, creating an urban form unique in the world. The grid of streets within the parklands ring contains the Central Market (operating since 1869, one of the finest fresh produce markets in Australia), the Art Gallery of South Australia, the South Australian Museum, the State Library, and the Victoria Square fountain. Rundle Mall is the pedestrian retail spine; Gouger Street and Hindley Street are the restaurant and late-night streets respectively. What distinguishes Adelaide's CBD from Melbourne's or Sydney's is its human scale: the parklands are always visible or accessible, the streets are wide, and the city never feels overwhelming — a liveability that has placed Adelaide consistently in the world's most liveable city rankings.
Neighborhood Stats
Popular With
- culture-seekers
- foodies
- business-travelers
- families
Key Attributes
- central
- cultural
- market
- walkable
- liveable
Food Scene
Central Market (Gouger Street entrance) for the best food hall in Australia. Peel Street for the city's most exciting contemporary restaurant strip. Africola (Pine Street) for cult North African cooking. Osteria Oggi for modern Italian. Press Food + Wine for the definitive natural wine list.