West Adelaide

West Adelaide is in Adelaide. The district is home to several beaches, popular for surfing.

Get in

By plane

The main airport of Adelaide, 1 Adelaide International Airport (ADL ^IATA). is in this district and is surprisingly well connected, and has daily international flights to hubs in Asia, the Middle East and New Zealand which allow for one-stop connections around the globe.  

By tram

Glenelg is linked to the city in Victoria Square via the 10.8 km (6.7 mi) Glenelg Tram and takes about 30 minutes. It is the last remaining tram line in Adelaide dates back to 1873. While modern low-floor Bombardier-type trams operate on weekdays, historic trams are used on weekends and public holidays.

By car

From the city, take A6 west for about 15 minutes, until you've arrived at Glenelg

See

Glenelg Town Hall

• 1 Glenelg Town Hall, 1 Moseley Square, Glenelg, ☏ +61 8 8294 5833. 10AM–2PM. A rather traditional looking building in Glenelg right in front of the seaside. (updated Dec 2021)
  • 2 Bay Discovery Centre, Moseley Square, Glenelg (Glenelg; take the historic tram). Museum dedicated to the culture and history of South Australia, housed in Glenelg's historical town hall. 
• 3 Tennyson Dunes Conservation Reserve, Tennyson Beach, ☏ +61 8 8336 0901, DEW.NPWSNorthLofty@sa.gov.au. The most accessible sand dunes in the state, and is accessible via public transport. Though many of Adelaide's beaches have been severely damaged or impacted in some way or another, this one is a bit of an exception, where you can still see the result of what's been forming for eons. The best way to fully experience the dunes though, is to bushwalk the 1.5-km Tennyson Dunes Discovery Trail (and the trail also has an app that can be downloaded on both the App Store and Google Play), and you might be lucky enough to spot some classic Australian wildlife. (updated May 2022)

Do

The pier at Glenelg Beach

• 1 Glenelg Beach. The historic beachside suburb of Glenelg has a jetty, the Grand hotel and many restaurants and cafés. Very popular with young and old, lots of volleyball competitions. (updated Nov 2019)
• 2 The Beachouse, 4 Colley Terrace, Glenelg, ☏ +61 8 8295 1511. A coastal theme/amusement park with several small attractions such as bumper cars, slides, a castle, a carousel, an 18-hole mini-golf course, a miniature train and many other small games. (updated May 2022)
• 3 West Beach. Ideal for family walks and swimming. It is reasonably close to both Glenelg and Henley Beach. At Henley Beach there is Henley square which hosts some 15 restaurants - an excellent dining venue. All the beaches along Adelaide's coastline are excellent white sand beaches, some with public toilets and cold water showers. If you want to 'wet a line' there are jetties at (suburban beaches, from north to south) Grange, Semaphore, Henley Beach, Glenelg, Brighton and Port Noarlunga. 
• Golf courses are concentrated in this "sandbelt" district, notably:
  • Royal Adelaide GC, +61 8 8356 5511, Tapleys Hill Road, Seaton — The club was founded in the parklands in 1892 and moved to its current Seaton site in 1906, with an original design credited to Cargie Rymill and Dan Soutar. Famed golf course architect Alistair Mackenzie visited the club in 1926, and had a large influence on the design of many holes on the front 9, including the classic short par 4 third, which features a blind tee shot, followed by a long narrow green protected by a large mound at the front left of the green. The Course is regarded as the states top course (and one of the top 100 in the world, and top 10 in the country). The club has hosted the Australian Open tournament 9 times. A private club, it has reciprocal agreements with many clubs around the world, while tee times for visitors who are members of a golf club are available for $265-350.
  • Kooyonga GC, +61 8 8352 5444, May Terrace, Lockleys — The club was founded in 1923, and was designed by Cargie Rymill. The Course is ranked in the top 30 in the country, and the club has hosted the Australian Open tournament 5 times. While it is a private club, it has reciprocal agreements with many clubs around the world, and tee times for visitors who are members of a golf club are available for $250-295.
  • Glenelg GC, +61 8 8350 3200, James Melrose Road, Novar Gardens — The club was originally designed in 1927 by Cargie Rymill, and redesigned by Vern Morcom in 1947. A remodel was undertaken in the early 2000s by Neil Crafter and Bob Tuohy. The course is ranked number 30 in the country by Golf Australia Magazine. While it is a private club, it has reciprocal agreements with many clubs around the world, and tee times for visitors can be arranged for $220.
  • Grange GC, +61 8 8355 7100, White Sands Drive, Grange — Golf has been played on the site since 1910, when the land was owned by the McCoy family. The facility boasts two courses, both which have undergone redesigns since 2004. The West Course, redesigned by Mike Clayton, is known for its wide fairways and tricky green complexes. The West Course held the Women's Australian Open in 2016 and 2019. The East course was redesigned by Greg Norman in 2011, and features wetlands on some holes. Both courses are ranked in the top 35 by Golf Australia Magazine (28th and 35th respectively). While it is a private club, it has reciprocal agreements with many clubs around the world, and tee times for visitors are available for $200.

Buy

• 1 Westfield Marion Shopping Centre. Adelaide's largest shopping centre with over 400 shops. There are direct buses from the city centre. 
• 2 Harbour Town. Mid sized mall undergoing an expansion, featuring outlet shopping, situated up against the western edge of the Adelaide Airport. Only a short bus ride from the Airport, and 30 minutes from the city centre. Also, no, this is not a spelling mistake. 

• 3 Gaganis Brothers, 9-13 Bacon Street, Hindmarsh (car parking on site or Grange Road Bus), ☏ +61 8 8346 5766. M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM, Saturday 8:30AM-3:30PM. A food wholesaler but sells to the public with an amazing selection of ethnic foods. Most items available in larger quantities. (updated Jun 2015)

Eat

Budget

• 1 Cafe de Vili's, 2-14 Manchester St (off South Rd, after Richmond Rd). Vili is an Adelaide producer of pastries, especially pies and pasties. This unpretentious eatery at their factory serves full meals in addition to pastries, and is particularly known for their pie floaters (meat pies in pea and ham soup). Shift workers and night owls regularly eat there because it is open 24 hr, 7 days. It is a minor Adelaide icon. It has a second location at 426 Main N Rd in the Blair Athol district. (updated Mar 2019)

Mid-range

• 2 Market 33, 33B Hastings Street, Glenelg, ☏ +61 413 361 175, maddieaujard@hotmail.com. A typical kind of Australian cafe you could encounter in the western suburbs. (updated Mar 2022)
• 3 Broadway Hotel, 61 Broadway, ☏ +61 8 8295 2175. M–Sa 9AM–2AM, Su 9AM–midnight. An upper mid-range restaurant with gambling machines, a bar and specialises in seafood. (updated Mar 2022)

Sleep

• 1 Esplanade Apartments, 80 Seaview Rd West Beach, ☏ +61 8 8353 0443, fax: +61 88 356 4478, splanade@senet.com.au. 1-bedroom from $75, 2-bedroom from $90. 
• 2 Oaks Liberty Towers, 25 Colley Terrace, Glenelg, ☏ +61 7 3246 1741, liberty@theoaksgroup.com.au. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 10AM. This property consists of seaside apartments that are suitable for vacations or business trips. Free Wi-Fi, swimming pool access and gymnasium facilities are available. (updated May 2017)
• 3 Water Bay Villa Bed & Breakfast, 28 Broadway, Glenelg South, ☏ +61 412 221 724. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Accommodation in a historic 1910s building very conveniently close to the beach. However, it is somewhat costly as it costs more than $250 for a single person for a night, and its website might look a little outdated. (updated Mar 2022)