Why Adelaide Should Be Your Road Trip's Launch Pad (or Grand Finale)

Alright. Let’s address the elephant in the room, or rather, the slightly smug person who wrinkled their nose when you mentioned travelling to Adelaide in South Australia. “Adelaide?” they said. ‘“Isn’t that… boring?”

Reader, I promise they are wrong.

As the saying goes, only boring people get bored, and Adelaide is in fact, not boring. It’s not Sydney, screaming for your attention from across the harbour, or Melbourne drowning in laneways, but it is a city that slows down and lets you breathe. For road trippers, Adelaide is actually a great starting point (or end of the road). The city is the perfect place to fuel up - physically, culturally and spiritually before the open road calls your name.

So, buckle up! I’m here to show you why an Adelaide road trip needs to be on your Aussie road trip bucket list.

Explore Adelaide, the capital of South Australia | Photo by James R

So Why is Adelaide Called ‘Boring’?

The ‘boring city’ tag comes from the same place all unfair reputations do - from people who haven't actually been there, repeating what someone else said. In short, Adelaide is a city without a dramatic origin story. It’s a planned city with grid streets and parklands. No convict history, no gold rush, no dramatic harbour moments and in Australia, apparently that works against you. Where other cities get assigned personalities like Sydney’s glamour or Brisbane’s sunshine,  Adelaide often gets lumped with ‘nice’. And ‘nice’ unfairly became ‘boring’. But strip away that interstate rivalry and you’ll find Adelaide is a city that’s quietly been getting everything right. So maybe Adelaide really is ‘Rad-elaide’ and you just don’t know it yet.

Adelaide Is a City Built for Humans, Revolutionary Isn’t It!

Adelaide is a city built for connection. Connection between people, between neighbourhoods, between the city and the wild. It’s wrapped in 760 hectares of parklands, squeezed between the cool gully breezes of the Adelaide Hills and the sun-bleached coast.

Locals call it a “20 minute city” but in reality there’s more to it than just time. When you're there, you’ll notice nothing gets in your way, it feels like a city with no friction. You could be finishing a flat white in the CBD and twenty minutes later your bike tyres are crunching on a trail through the hills.

If you’re travelling to Australia and looking to hire a campervan, this is a huge perk! You’ll get a proper city experience but still be able to park up your van, decompress, rest brilliantly and sleep well all before launching yourself into one of the most spectacular road trip regions on the planet. What’s not to love?

Get ready to hit the road in Adelaide!

The Best Things to Do in Adelaide

Here’s where we really put the ‘boring’ myth to bed. Adelaide's got a lot going on, you just need to know where to look! Here’s what to do in Adelaide, broken down by the type of traveller you are.

For the Creative and Curious

Adelaide has a quietly staggering cultural scene and their secret weapon is that nothing requires a booking three months in advance. Start at the Mortlock Chamber, claimed to be one of the earth’s most beautiful rooms tucked inside the State Library of South Australia. Imagine three tiers of ornate iron balconies, soaring ceilings and warm light filtering through old glass windows; it's a whimsical book lover's dream. A few minutes walk away is the Art Gallery of South Australia housing 47,000 artworks and counting. If art galleries sound like the ‘thing adults do on a rainy day’ type activity, I suggest you give it a try. You may just find some exhibitions inspiring and often surprising as the institution punches well above its weight on the international gallery circuit.

Next, step into the Adelaide Arcade, Australia's oldest surviving arcade, built in 1885 and still very much alive today. The Victorian shopfronts, tessellated tiled floors and original pressed metal ceilings make it feel less like a shopping precinct and more like a time portal. Finish off your day at MOD., the Museum of Discovery at UniSA, where science, technology and contemporary art collide across two floors of interactive wonder.

Inside the Mortlock Chamber, Library of South Australia | Photo by Vlad Kutepov

For the Ones Who Eat First, Sightsee Second

If this is you, you may just feel like you’ve tripped and stumbled into a dream when visiting the Adelaide Central Market for the first time. Known as the city’s beating heart since 1869, it’s an organised chaos of cheese stalls, fresh pasta, local produce, international spices, noise and smells. Come hungry and leave with more than you can carry! For something a little slower, head 28km into the hills to Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement. Visit to see half-timbered buildings, artisan studios, wine and the best bratwurst (sausage) and pretzels you may ever have in Australia.

Back in the city, Rundle Mall is Adelaide's retail and dining epicentre. Browse the flagship stores and duck into the surrounding laneways for everything from Korean BBQ and Japanese izakayas to modern Australian and a Chinatown strip that's the real deal. But before you get too distracted by the food, stop and find the pigs. The Rundle Mall Pigs are four bronze sculptures that have become Adelaide's most unlikely icon. Cast in 1999 by sculptor Marguerite Derricourt, they've been snuffling around the mall ever since, each with their own name - Horatio, Oliver, Augusta and Truffles.

Easily cook meals in the back of your campervan

For the Fresh Air Fiends

Adelaide really earns its title as a “20-minute city” the moment you strap on a helmet and roll into the Adelaide Hills. The trails wind through gum forests, past vineyards and heritage villages with just enough elevation to make a post ride schnitzel in Hahndorf feel completely justified. For those who want their geology served with a side of drama, Hallett Cove Conservation Park features one of the most significant geological sites in Australia. The 5.1km boardwalk makes the park accessible and the coastal views are nothing short of extraordinary. You’ll discover glacial deposits from 280 million years ago and erratic rocks that have provided a treasure chest of over 1,700 Aboriginal artefacts.

In the CBD, the Adelaide Botanical Gardens offer 50 hectares of gorgeous flowers, scientific collections, walking trails and glasshouses, including the Bicentennial Conservatory, the largest single-span glasshouse in the Southern Hemisphere. If you have a soft spot for animals, the Adelaide Zoo is worth an afternoon. Home to over 3,000 animals including Australia’s only giant pandas. It sits right on the banks of the River Torrens, a short stroll from the CBD.

View of Adelaide CBD from the hills | Photo by Stephen Mabbs

For the Beach Bums and the Thrill Seekers

These two people have more in common than they think - both chasing that feeling of being exactly where they’re supposed to be. The beach crew should start at Glenelg, Adelaide’s classic coastal suburb just a tram ride away from the city. Grab fish and chips, plant yourself on golden sand and let the summer evenings do their thing. Explore further and you’ll find Henley Beach, West Beach and a whole string of breezy coastal spots that feel local and unhurried. No tourist traps, just good beach vibes.

The thrill seekers should sign up for the Adelaide Oval RoofClimb. Venture 50m above the outfield on a guided climb to see 360-degree views across the city, the parklands and the rolling hills on the horizon. A Twilight Climb is best! You haven’t really seen a sunset in Adelaide till you’ve seen it from the roof of Adelaide Oval.

Climb on top of the Adelaide Oval | Photo by Marcus Walllis

Adelaide as a Road Trip Hub - Where to Go From Here?

Okay, so we’ve established that Adelaide actually is a cool city. But now I’m here to tell you why it’s one of the most strategically genius places for campervan hire in Australia. Choose to blast off into the outback or roll onto the Great Ocean Road, Adelaide is both a perfect launch pad and a clever finish line. Here’s what you can find as you blast off on a #SpaceshipsRoadTrip.

The Barossa Valley - 70km north. Australia’s most famous wine region, packed with cellar doors, incredible produce and the kind of rolling golden landscape that makes you want to sit outside on a picnic blanket indefinitely. Pull over at Jacobs Creek, taste something extraordinary at Penfolds and see why the region has been producing world-class wine since the 1840s. Nearby you’ll find the Clare Valley, another stellar wine region tucked an hour or so north. Famous for its Riesling Trail, a converted rail line you can cycle through vineyard after vineyard.

Kangaroo Island - A ferry from Cape Jervis (90 minutes from Adelaide) takes you to one of Australia’s greatest wildlife destinations. Sea lions on the beach, koalas in the trees, echidnas roaming free. The island itself is described as “Untamed. Unadulterated. Unpretentious. Unfiltered.” The island's southwestern corner is a UNESCO-listed site where the Remarkable Rocks perch on the clifftop like they’ve dropped from outer space. We’d recommend spending at least two days minimum exploring the island and taking your van over on the ferry. Visiting Kangaroo Island is an adventure of a lifetime.

The Flinders Ranges - Head north and the landscape transforms into ancient ranges carved by time. Some may say the Flinders Ranges were once the Andes of Australia towering dramatically across the land. 800 million years of wind, rain and time have had their way with them since, sanding them down to the amber coloured ridgelines you see today that stretch across 430km of South Australia. Walk the gorges, spot kangaroos grazing and camp somewhere far from the city lights. The Flinders Ranges has some of the clearest, most star-saturated skies in Australia so stargazing is a must!

Journey through Adelaide and beyond

Uluru via The Explorers Way - If the Flinders Ranges excite your appetite for the outback, then it's time to journey further! The Explorer’s Way is the road trip that defines “proper Australian adventure”. Follow the 5000km+ route tracing John McDouall Stuart’s path from Adelaide all the way to Cairns via Darwin, right through the red heart of the land. See iconic stops like Coober Pedy, Lake Eyre, Uluru and enough roadhouses to remind you that a cold drink, a hot pie and a friendly face in the middle of nowhere is kind of like magic. A road trip from Adelaide to Cairns is the real deal.

The Great Ocean Road + Victoria - Head east from Adelaide and you're on one of the most beloved road trips in the world. Pass great stops like Coorong National Park, Blue Lake or the Naracoorte Caves National Park before reaching the starting point of the Great Ocean Road in Allansford. Get comfy, settle in and prepare yourself for 243km of coastal driving so dramatic it barely seems real. The memorial arch at Aireys Inlet signals the beginning and from there the road clings to clifftops and dips through surf towns until the big finale - the Twelve Apostles. Continue on to Melbourne, the rest of Victoria and beyond, or flip the trip and head east to west, ending in Adelaide.

Adelaide to Sydney: The Rivers Route - Head northeast from Adelaide through the Barossa, then follow the Murray River (Australia’s longest river) as it snakes through red gum forests, riverside towns and houseboating country. Find a number of towns each with their own character like Renmark, Berri, Mildura or Swan Hill. Pull over at cliff-top lookouts over the river, watch pelicans drift on the current and take your time through the riverland before the road eventually turns east toward the Blue Mountains and Sydney.

Camp in style next to the Murray River

When to Visit Adelaide

Adelaide's wine regions mean harvest season (February-April) is a magical time to visit. The autumn seasons are when every cellar door is buzzing and the landscape is at its most golden. But Adelaide also hosts the Adelaide Fringe (February-March), the second largest arts festival in the world, which transforms the city into something otherworldly. Tens of thousands of performances, art installations and the collective sense that anything may happen at any moment.

Summer (December-February) is hot and brilliant for the beaches. Spring and autumn are more mild but perfect for the hills. Winter is cool and quiet. Ideal for cosy winery visits and little to no crowds. There is no ‘bad time’ to visit Adelaide. There is always something to do no matter the time of the year.

How Long to Spend in Adelaide

Adelaide is one of the best road trip bases in Australia, full stop. The Barossa, Kangaroo Island, the Flinders Ranges, the Great Ocean Road and even Uluru are all within striking distance. It’s a great place to start your road trip, or where it comes to an end. But how long should you spend in South Australia’s capital city? Two days gives you a taste, three days gives it more time to show off. Depending on your timeline you could realistically spend a couple of days to a week or two in Adelaide and surrounding areas.

Port Noarlunga, enjoy the Adelaide coastline | Photo by Syed Hadi Naqvi

The Truth About Visiting Adelaide

Adelaide doesn't really need defending anymore. It just needs more people willing to give it a proper go. Many don’t realise it’s the type of place where world-class libraries sit next to legendary cricket grounds, where ancient geology meets contemporary art and where you’re spoilt for choice of beaches and wineries.

So next time someone wrinkles their nose and says, “Adelaide? Isn’t that boring?” Smile and book that trip anyway. Some things are better discovered than explained.

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