Glenelg Transportation

4 more images

The only tram line still operating in Adelaide is the Glenelg Tram which runs from Moseley Square in Glenelg to the Adelaide CBD.

This route goes back to 1873 and it still operates on weekends and holidays.

Glenelg is located just to the southwest of the ADL airport. It was less than a 15 minute drive once we had our rental car.

South Australia's Capital City, Adelaide is serviced by one of the premier airports in Australia. Named as the Australian Capital City's Airport of the Year, ADL is no slouch on the airport circuit. Great facilities, plenty of direct and indirect connections, and a larger number of international carriers bless this tiny regional outpost's main air center. It is a shock to me that small Adelaide (in comparison to Sydney/Melbourne) could have similar or better flight schedules than their bigger brothers. Way to go politicians fighting for SA!

Domestically, ADL services Qantas, Virgin Blue, and Jetstar (the big three). Rurally, it has REX, National Jet, and O'connor for small hops. Internationally, Qantas, Cathay to HKG, Singapore, Malaysia to KL, and Air New Zealand if you are going to the "eastern states" of Australia, New Zealand.

I stayed in the beach resort of Glenelg in April 2006, having arrived in Australia at Adelaide airport.

I therefore looked into the various options for getting to Glenelg from the airport:

i) The most expensive way is to take a taxi from the airport. There are taxis waiting outside the airport and you'll have no problems finding one;

ii) It is possible to catch a bus from the airport to Victoria Square in the centre of Adelaide. You can then catch the historic Glenelg tram from there to Moseley Square at Glenelg. This is the most exciting way to get to Glenelg, but will be a bit of a hassle with a lot of luggage;

iii) Bus #278 will take you to Glenelg (via West Beach). I opted for this latter option and the following information was correct as of the time of my visit:

- The closest bus stop to the airport is a 10 minute walk away. Walk in the direction of the IKEA store (which can be seen after exiting the arrivals hall) and look for the yellow bus stop on Donald Bradman Way;

- Tickets are purchased from the driver and must then be validated in the machine on board the bus;

- The journey from the airport to Glenelg is about 15-20 minutes (via West Beach);

- The bus stops at various points along Jetty Road in Glenelg, before turning left at Moseley Square along Moseley Road;

- The cost of a one way ticket was 2.10 AUD.

Timetables and further information about public transport routes in and around Adelaide can be found on the excellent Adelaide Metro website.

Glenelg is located about 15 km from Adelaide via traditional roads, however one of the original modes of transportation from the 1920s is the Glenelg tram. It is the single longest operational mode of transportation between Glenelg and Adelaide. In the 1950's, a good deal of the Adelaide Metro tram runs were closed off, but this particular line made it well past that dropoff. For roughly 25 years, the H-class tram as seen in the picture was the exclusive tram used for this route, however in Jan. 2006, Adelaide actually added in a new larger class tram to run the route.

The current route is scheduled 7 days a week, but soon the historic H-class trams will only be running on weekends and public holidays.

CLICK HERE to look up the schedules. Trip between Adelaide and Glenelg takes about 25 minutes. Price is about $3.60 for a two hour ticket or $6.20 for a day pass, which are both good on any Adelaide public transport.

2 more images

I did not know wheter to put this tip under "things to do" or "transportation". Riding these trams is absolutely both a means of transport and a must do. The tram line was opened in 1929, and the original trams are still running. They are beautifully preserved, take a look at the pictures and judge for yourselves!

The tram runs between Mosely Square, Glenelg and Victoria Square, Adelaide, 4 times an hour during day and 3 times an hour in the evening. A day ticket was AUD 5.70 in december 2001, two children can travel for free with one adult on that ticket.