Is the Adelaide Arcade Australia’s oldest shopping arcade?

The Adelaide Arcade is South Australia’s oldest shopping arcade. And there are plenty of shops worth checking out under the Victorian vaulted roof. But the Royal Arcade in Melbourne is older.

Adelaide locals like to boast that the Adelaide Arcade is the oldest shopping arcade in Australia. Alas, a lot of things that locals like to boast aren’t true.

The Adelaide Arcade opened in 1885. That makes it impressively old by Australian standards, but it’s not as old as the Royal Arcade in Melbourne, which has been open since 1870.

Where is the Adelaide Arcade?

It might not win the title, but the Adelaide Arcade is still worth a look if you happen to be in the city centre.

It connects Rundle Street and Grenfell Street, while Gays Arcade – which is effectively the same thing – branches off towards Twin Street.

Pick your perfect Adelaide day trips

Barossa Valley tours: 1. Wine-tasting with lunch 🍷. 2. Food and wine tour. 3. Small group wine tour with exclusive VIP tastings.
Kangaroo Island in a day – including sea lions 🦭, koalas 🐨and national parks.
Adelaide Hills tours: 1. Sights plus Murray River lunch cruise combo. 2. Small group cheese, chocolate & wine tour with Hahndorf German village.
McLaren Vale tours: 1. Small group wine tour with lunch. 2. Hop-on hop-off wineries tour 🍷. 3. Food and wine indulgence tour, including the gloriously weird d’Arenberg Cube.
Victor Harbor and southern highlights tour – including the Granite Island horse-drawn tram.

Adelaide Arcade shops

This grand Victorian shopping centre has seen better days, but there are still plenty of shops worth investigating in the Adelaide Arcade. There’s a branch of Haigh’s Chocolates, while Gerard McCabe Jewellers specialises in diamond jewellery.

Elsewhere in the Adelaide Arcade and adjoining Gays Arcade, Gallery 33 sells Aboriginal-painted giftware. You can find good quality Indigenous-themed souvenirs, such as mugs, cushion covers and purses, here.

The Orchard Bookshop sells hand-picked books, the Adelaide Comics Centre is arguably the best place in the city for graphic novels and Adelaide Hatters claims to be Australia’s largest speciality hat shop. A full retailer list is on the Arcade’s website.

**15 fabulous Adelaide experiences to supercharge your visit**

DOLPHINS 🐬: Swim with wild dolphins, kayak with the resident bottlenose pod or watch them on a dolphin cruise.
FOOD AND WINE 🍷: Indulge on Adelaide food tour including Adelaide Central Market. Or try a wine discovery tour with tastings at the National Wine Centre. Or the ultimate Penfolds Magill Estate experience with full estate tour & Grange tasting.
WILDLIFE 🐨: Spot koalas on a guided Morialta nature hike. Or walk from Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty with entrance to Cleland Wildlife Park.
CRUISES ⛵: Watch the sun set on a twilight coastal cruise, get to know the city on a Torrens River cruise or take a high tea cruise aboard the Popeye.
SPORT 🏏: Dare to take on the Adelaide Oval Roofclimb or enter the fabled scoreboard on the behind-the-scenes stadium tour.
ACTION 🚵‍♂️: Descend Mount Lofty on a downhill mountain bike tour or kayak along the Torrens River.

Adelaide Arcade Museum

Perhaps the most unexpected find under the glorious Victorian vaulted roof is the small Adelaide Arcade Museum. This old-fashioned labour of love tells the tale of Adelaide’s most storied shopping centre.

For more heritage in Adelaide, check out Victoria Square, the buildings of North Terrace near Adelaide Railway Station and Adelaide Gaol.

Other things to do in Adelaide include swimming with dolphins, Torrens River cruises and a cultural walking tour.