Holiday houses in Port Adelaide

An historic river port on the outskirts of Adelaide, South Australia’s capital, Port Adelaide preserves a rich maritime heritage even as it’s being reinvented as a hip refuge for creatives. The city sits on a bend in the Port Adelaide River, while the port’s remaining working docks are located further north upriver. Port Adelaide’s former industrial waterfront is lined with apartments, refurbished wharves, and the markets at Fishermen’s Wharf. It’s at these undercover markets where you can browse for vintage fashion and antiques on Sundays. Away from the water, you’ll find a compact heritage precinct of buildings dating back to Australia’s colonial beginnings. Beyond that, old brick warehouses take up whole blocks, and historic pubs compete with trendy new bars and restaurants. The city of Port Adelaide extends to the coast, taking in the seaside suburbs of Semaphore, with its expanses of open spaces, dunes, and beaches, and North Haven near the mouth of the river.

Adelaide is the driest Australian capital city. You’ll still get some rain in summer, from December to February, but expect hot, sunny days with mild nights. The family-friendly Semaphore Street Fair is held at Semaphore Beach on the last Sunday in November, while Adelaide city hosts a series of festivals from mid-February. The festival season starts with the eclectic and sometimes anarchic Adelaide Fringe arts festival, followed by the renowned Adelaide Festival, which kicks off in early March, and the world music festival WOMAdelaide, which runs over four days in March.

From mid-autumn, you’ll have cool days and chilly nights leading into a cold, wetter winter. Dolphins are most likely to come into the inner harbour around Port Adelaide during the cooler months, although you may encounter some at other times of the year.

The street art

Port Adelaide is one of the country’s outdoor art hot spots, with more than 60 murals painted on buildings and walls across the city. There’s a concentration of street art in the northwestern corner of the city, around the Hart’s Mill building, as well as on Nile Street and St Vincent Street.

Dive into the history

The inner harbour is home to several fascinating museums, including the South Australian Maritime Museum, the National Railway Museum, and the South Australian Aviation Museum, as well as the City of Adelaide, the world’s oldest surviving example of a clipper ship.

Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary

A protected marine park, the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary extends from the gulf to the north of Port Adelaide downriver to the city centre. Take a tour or paddle up the river in a kayak for a chance to encounter some of the 30 resident and hundreds of visiting bottlenose dolphins, as well as sea lions, fur seals, and shorebirds.