North Adelaide is just a walk across the River Torrens from the CBD – a popular student area with incredible late-night dining options, ample green space, and Adelaide’s biggest sporting stadium.
Highlights
On the way to North Adelaide, you’ll pass one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks – St Peter’s Cathedral. This magnificent work of architecture is open at select times during the week for visitors, free guided tours, and services. Hidden away on Melbourne Street, you’ll find the David Roche Foundation, a museum with amazing antiques and fine art from around the world, and there are discounts on guided tours for students. Then, to finish your mini historical tour of North Adelaide, visit Light’s Vision on Montefiore Hill. At the top of the hill sits a tribute to the surveyor-general of Adelaide, Sir William Light. The statute’s location offers a beautiful view of Adelaide and of Light’s city planning.
From your position at Light’s Vision, you’ll spot the enormous Adelaide Oval – North Adelaide’s eye-catching entertainment venue. The oval hosts a wide range of sporting events, from cricket in the summer, to Australian Rules Football (AFL) which begins in autumn. You can also see some of the biggest names in music (think Adele and Ed Sheeran), or try the Adelaide Oval RoofClimb, where you can enjoy a spectacular view of the city from the Oval’s roofline. For entertainment on a smaller scale, try the art deco Piccadilly Cinemas, where movie tickets start from $12. Also, check out what’s on at Pinky Flat near the River Torrens – events such as Oktoberfest and French festival, So Frenchy So Chic, have been hosted here in the past.
North Adelaide has an excellent restaurant scene with lots of international dining options. Along O’Connell Street you’ll find everything from phenomenal thin-crust pizzas at Tony Tomatoes; jaw-dropping burgers, a dedicated Nutella menu, and 50c wings on Tuesdays at Chuck Wagon 175; and affordable Asian fusion delights at Gin Long Canteen. As North Adelaide is home to numerous university colleges, cheap late-night takeaway joints are popular with students here. But, there are a few notable standouts: for an authentic Adelaidean experience, you have to order an ‘AB’ (think hot chips, gyros meat, garlic-y tzatziki and barbeque sauce) from either the Blue and White Cafe or the North Adelaide Burger Bar. After-study food and drinks should be held at The Oxford Hotel, The Pink Pig Wine Bar, or the Royal Oak – all of these venues have extensive menus and take dietary restrictions into consideration.
North Adelaide is home to a huge amount of late-night dessert bars for its relative size. Try Chocolate Taperia, Chocolatree and St. Louis House of Fine Ice Cream and Desserts for postdinner treats. If you’d like to complete your dessert experience, head to the Adelaide Chocolate School and learn how to make chocolates, pralines and truffles yourself.
Community facilities
The North Adelaide Community Centre is centrally located just off Tynte Street and offers a range of services including free internet access, library borrowing, community gardening, free bike hire (just show your passport) and regular classes in everything from English language to crochet.
To counteract all of North Adelaide’s delicious food offerings, improve your fitness at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre. It’s open seven days a week, with oneoff visit passes only $6.80 for students. There are swimming pools, diving pools, fitness classes and a fitness centre full of gym equipment, covering all your exercise needs. For fun, there is also a leisure pool with water slides. Grab a racket and some friends and head to the Memorial Drive Tennis Club, which has 28 courts to play on, a gym, spa and sauna. Join one of their social clubs and mix with players of all ages and skill levels. The tennis centre hosts professional tennis as well. Prior to the Australian Open, current and former pros come to Adelaide to play in the World Tennis Challenge.
North Adelaide has a significant amount of medical facilities, with the Women’s and Children’s Hospital the largest in the area, while the North Adelaide Family Practice caters to a variety of healthcare needs.
Unique experiences
Playing, watching and celebrating sports is significant in Australian culture. During your time in Adelaide, we recommend you catch a game of something – and there’s no better place to do so than Adelaide Oval. In the summer, grab a picnic and head to the cricket. Big Bash League games are very accessible if you’re not familiar with the specifics of cricket – tickets are cheap, there’s music, and the match finishes with fireworks. In autumn and winter, you have to catch an AFL game, even if you don’t understand the rules! Pick a team to support, adorn yourself in their colours and chant along with the crowd. You’ll pick up the cues quickly.
As a student, it’s imperative that you head to North Adelaide after midnight for a late-night treat at the famous 24-hour Bakery on O’Connell. There are delicious vanilla slices, fresh doughnuts, cronuts, and uniquely Australian delights such as pie floaters (meat pie in pea soup) and lamingtons (chocolate syrup-soaked cake, covered in coconut). You’ll often find residents of the nearby colleges enjoying a study break here with coffee.
