Destination guides > Australia > South Australia > Adelaide > Coming & going
Adelaide
Coming & going
Adelaide is well connected by road and rail to the rest of the country and most travellers heading to the outback will pass through the city.
AIR
Adelaide Airport is located between the city centre and West Beach. The airport has frequent flights to most Australian destinations including Alice Springs, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and also handles some international flights.
Many hostels in Adelaide offer free pick up from the airport but it is best to phone ahead to book first. The Jetbus is the cheapest way to travel between the airport and the city centre. The trip costs just $4.10 ($2.50 off peak) and you can use Adelaide Metro Multitrip and Daytrip tickets on Jetbus services. A more expensive option is the Skylink airport shuttle bus (tel (08) 8332 2644), which costs $8 and runs between the airport terminals and the city centre with a stop at the Keswick Rail Terminal.
If you’re arriving on a late flight you’ll need to take a taxi into town, which will cost around $15.
BUS
The Adelaide Central Bus Station is located at 85 Franklin Street and is close to several backpackers hostels.
Premier Stateliner (tel (08) 8415 5555) and several other smaller companies run to destinations within South Australia, Firefly (tel 1300 730 740) go to Melbourne and Sydney and Greyhound (tel 1300 473 946) go to Melbourne, Sydney and across the outback to Alice Springs.
There are quite a few travel agencies in the area around the Adelaide Central Bus Station that sell discounted tickets and travel passes.
TRAIN
Train service is pretty good out of Adelaide with trains to Alice Springs, Broken Hill, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Trains terminate at the Keswick Interstate Rail Terminal about 2km southwest of the city centre.
Both the Ghan to Alice Springs and Darwin and the Indian Pacific to Perth are rated as Australia’s top train journeys. Although you’re really just looking at desert for hours on end, it is a much more comfortable option than the bus. The train is usually more expensive than travelling by bus, but the discounts offered by flashing your HI/YHA or VIP card make this a travel option worth considering. Check the budget travel agents around Franklin Street for the best deal.
HITCHHIKING
Hitching out of Adelaide isn’t too bad and you can sometimes get lucky with long rides, especially if you’re heading north or west.
If you’re heading to Melbourne it is best to wait for a lift on Glen Osmond Road before it joins the South Eastern Freeway. Take bus 100, 230F, 840, T840, 841F, 861, 863, T863 or 864 and get off at the intersection of Cross Road and Glen Osmond Road. The area on Mount Barker Road to the east of the intersection of Cross, Glen Osmond and Portrush Roads is a good spot to try your luck. Use a sign because this road gets a lot of local traffic to the Adelaide Hills.
Main North Road between Elizabeth and Gawler is your best bet for lifts to the fruit picking spots on the Murray River as well as rides to Broken Hill and Sydney. Take the train to Munno Para or Kudla station and walk about five minutes to Main North Road to wait for a lift. This road gets some local traffic to the Barossa Valley and splits into two roads shortly after the turn off for Gawler so you’ll need to use a sign indicating either your destination or the road you want to travel along. The Barrier Highway (route 32) goes to Sydney via Broken Hill. The Sturt Highway (route 20) goes via the fruit picking areas near the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers and joins up with the Hume Highway near Wagga Wagga where you can continue on to Sydney.
You may be lucky enough to get some really long lifts if you’re heading north towards Coober Pedy, Alice Springs and Darwin or west towards Perth. For all directions north and west you’ll need to get a lift north along the Princes Highway towards Port Augusta. At Port Augusta the road splits into two, the Eyre Highway (route 1) to Perth and the Stuart Highway (route 87) north to Alice Springs and Darwin. To leave Adelaide in this direction, you’ll need to get a northbound lift on the Princes Highway (route 1), also known as Port Wakefield Road. Take buses 222 or 224 past the intersection where the road splits into Main North Road (route 20) and Port Wakefield Road (route 1), bus 222 terminates at this intersection and bus 224 continues along Port Wakefield Road. Get off the bus on Port Wakefield Road and find a safe place to wait for a lift.
Be careful not to confuse the Sturt and Stuart Highways if you’re hitching with a sign showing the name of the road you want to travel on.
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