North Terrace, Adelaide

The interior of Ayers House is famed for its beautiful decorative painted finishes on internal walls and ceilings that extend to every room of the house. The social history of the period is discussed on guided tours of the house as is the life and work of Sir Henry Ayers. On display is a superb collection of period decorative arts, furniture, silver and artwork as well as changing exhibitions.Ayers House is famed as one of the finest examples of Regency architecture in Australia. Originally a modest house built in 1846, it was owned from 1855 to 1878 by Henry Ayers, for many years prime minister of South Australia, after whom Ayers Rock is named. Ayers transformed it into an elegant 40-room mansion with a large new dining room and a ballroom. It is now the headquarters of the National Trust of South Australia and also contains two excellent restaurants.

The South Australian Museum occupies a building with a French-style mansard roof and a tower (1914). It contains a large collection of Aboriginal and Melanesian art and Egyptian antiquities. Of particular interest are the prehistoric and natural history collections.

To the north of Parliament House is the Adelaide Festival Centre (opened 1977), a modern cultural center with a tent-like roof structure slightly reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House. Here in alternate years is held the highly regarded Adelaide Arts Festival (theater, opera, ballet, exhibitions, readings by writers, lectures). It contains a large theater (2000 seats), a smaller one (600 seats) which is the home of the South Australia Theatre Company, the experimental Space Theatre (380 seats) and an amphitheater (800 seats) for concerts and recitals. The sculptural decoration of the South Plaza was the work of the German sculptor Otto Herbert Hajek.

The Art Gallery of South Australia, built in 1889, with a colonnade added in 1936 previously served a variety of purposes (as a church, a police barracks, the state record office). It has a fine collection of pictures, drawings and prints, both from Australia and elsewhere (Europe and Asia).

The spacious Botanic Gardens (established 1855) feature a rich display of subtropical and Mediterranean flora. A particular attraction is the palm house (1871) and the Bicentennial Conservatory which contains plants from the Asian Pacific region.

The new Parliament House is the most imposing public building in Adelaide and has a monumental colonnade. It was opened in 1939 after five-years' building.

Near the west end of North Terrace is Holy Trinity Church, the oldest Anglican church in South Australia, the foundation stone of which was laid by Governor Hindmarsh in 1838; the church was enlarged in 1845 and again in 1888. Compared with the imposing Victoria Bridge which spans Torrens Lake a little to the north, it looks like a village church. Nearby is a monument marking the site of the first school in the colony, opened in 1838.

To the north of the Festival Centre, extending to the Torrens River, is Elder Park, with an attractive rotunda which is a popular meeting point. From the Popeye landing stage there are boat trips on the river.

The neoclassical Government House (begun 1836) is set in spacious gardens. It is the official residence of the governor of South Australia and is not open to the public.

Rymill Park is beautifully laid out with rose gardens, a lake and children's play areas. In this park and Victoria Park (with racecourse), immediately south, is the Grand Prix circuit on which the annual Formula 1 race is run.

The State Library (1884), which forms an architectural unity with the adjoining South Australian Museum. It is the largest public library in South Australia, with a special collection of works on the history of the state.

The Migration Museum is housed in a well restored former poorhouse, it traces the history of immigration to South Australia.

The Old Parliament House Museum documents the political history of South Australia.

The campus of the University of Adelaide is spacious. The most notable buildings are the Mitchell Building (1881), Elder Hall and the church-like Bonython Hall.