Glenelg Things to Do

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Of course the beach is Glenelg's most important attraction and the reason for most people to come here. It is quite a long and wide beach and a nice place to relax.

Do you see the huge trees growing behind the beach? They were planted here because there long, straight trunks were perfect to serve as ship masts. I think it looks really funny: The trees resemble firs, and the sand of the beach is so white that at first glance I always mistake it for a christmas scenery - white snow and christmas trees :-)

The jetty is 215m long and was constructed in 1969 to replace the original jetty that had been destroyed several times.

Glenelg's Town Hall is a beautiful heritage building. It was built in 1875 as institute building, but bought by the council twelve years later and served as town hall until 1997. Since then it is used as a museum.
The Bay Discovery Centre is now located in the Town Hall. You can see an exhibition about Glenelg's history here as well as one about the ecology of the area.

I like this building very much, I think its beauty adds a special atmosphere to Moseley Square and the town centre!

No admission fee!
Opening hours: 10.00am to 05.00pm daily

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Jetty Road is Glenelg's shopping street, a hustle bustle place full of shops - some are cheap, some a little more expensive, some funky... I strolled around here and bought a discounted table book, but except from that I did not really find anything that interested me, and most of the houses were not so pretty because they looked very new.
There are of course also cafés and restaurants, so it is the place to go if you are looking for a place to have a break and eat something.

The street is easy to find as it starts at Moseley Square and the tram stops right here.

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This memorial was erected in 1936 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the founding of South Australia. I think it looks nice with the ship on top of it, evoking how the first settlers came here. The ship is a small model of the HMS Buffalo (see next tip).
The front of the memorial shows professions that have been important to the success of the state, for example a farmer and his sheep. The names of the founders of the state are engraved.

As Glenelg was the first place to be settled in this area, it seems right that the memorial was placed here!

The memorial is located on Moseley Square, which is a central meeting place in Glenelg. It is close to the beach, the townhall is located here and the tram stops here, too. I think that it is a nice square because the palm trees give it a tropical feeling which is a special contrast to the architecture of the townhall and the memorial.

The original HMS Buffalo was built in 1813 in India and bought by the Royal Navy a few years later. She became a convict ship in 1833 and sailed to Australia that year, carrying 180 female convicts. A few years later she was sold and then brought free settlers to the newly founded colony of South Australia, among them John Hindmarsh who became the first governor. The voyage took 158 days - I think today we cannot imagine the physical and psychological hardships of such a journey...

To honour the event and the importance of the Buffalo, an exact replique of the ship was built and is now anchored in Glenelg.
The original ship was destroyed during a storm in New Zealand in 1840.

The replique has a small museum which was closed when I was there, but which looks very interesting: There is memorabilia from the famous voyage, for example the log and a diary.

The ship is also a popular restaurant and available for functions.

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Rodney Fox Shark Experience is a small museum located on the ground floor of Glenelg's Town Hall.

Rodney Fox is a shark attack survivor turned shark expert, and the majority of this museum is devoted to the more notorious side of sharks.......attacking people!

The exhibits include model sharks and a life size model of a Giant Megalodon shark jaw. A warning sign warns you not to touch the razor sharp teeth.

A series of articles provides visitors with facts and figures about a variety of different sharks. These include statistics about the size of the sharks, the speeds at which they swim, the estimated number of such sharks in existence, the frequency of attacks on people....and much, much more.

A theatrette shows a continuously running shark documentary, part of which details the circumstances surrounding Rodney Fox's attack by a Great White Shark in 1963. A pretty gruesome waxwork model shows the injuries suffered by Rodney in that attack.

Towards the end of the museum there is an archive of newspaper cuttings with reports of recent shark attacks in Australia and further afield. This appears to be updated on an ongoing basis, so you can read about the very latest unfortunate victims.

As well as the museum, there is also a gift shop from which you can buy shark related souvenirs, such as books and videos, t-shirts, keyrings and fossil shark teeth.

The museum is pretty small, filling just one room, and it can be covered fairly extensively in under an hour.

Entrance fees:

Adults: $6.50

Concessions: $4.50

Family (2 adults, 3 kids): $17.50

Open 7 days a week: 10am - 5pm

In 1963, a young adult from South Australia named Rodney Fox had his life altered forever when he became a tasty afternoon snack for a local Great White Shark. Miraculously, he was able to make it back to shore where he was rushed to a hospital, and after extensive surgery is still alive today. While most people would take this sort of thing as a sign to just stay away, Rodney decided in turn to dedicate his life to the research and preservation of sharks.

Rodney was one of the key contributors to the movie Jaws, which struck fear into the hearts of millions worldwide and really gave the large Great White Shark the reputation they have today.

Now located in Glenelg, the Rodney Fox Shark Experience is a little piece of history, mixed in with alot of valuable information about sharks in general. There are a couple good short films to learn more about the species, as well as a great documentary on the life of Rodney Fox.

Definitely worth a look when you are in Glenelg!

OPEN
10:00am to 5:00pm
7 days a week
(or by appointment)

Museum Entry Prices (as of July, 2006)
Adults $6.50
Children: 5-15 years $4.50
Concession $4.50
Family: 2adults, 3 children $17.50
Groups: clubs, schools, social P.O.A

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When you arrive at the tram terminus in Glenelg you will be at the end of Jetty Road and this is Glenelg's main shopping precinct....This long Road has many shops , restaurants and cafes on either side ..I found a nice seafood cafe for dinner after a great afternoon on the beach..there are many to choose from as this is a very popular place with locals..Just so easy to find a nice cafe and sit and enjoy..