Victoria Square, Adelaide: History, buildings & walking tours

Victoria Square, Adelaide, is home to the Town Hall, St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral and a giant statue of Queen Victoria. You can learn an awful lot about Adelaide’s past on a Victoria Square walking tour.

What is Victoria Square, Adelaide?

Victoria Square, Adelaide, is the centrepiece of the South Australian capital. This huge square covers eight acres and was a key focal point of Sir William Light’s city plan.

Fancy a walking tour around Victoria Square? Then book here…

Queen Victoria statue in Victoria Square, Adelaide

Several heritage buildings surround the square, and in the centre stands a giant statue of Queen Victoria. It was made from copper mined around Wallaroo and Moonta on the Yorke Peninsula.

Victoria Square, Adelaide, also plays host to a statue of John McDouall Stuart, the first man to cross Australia from south to north.

**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.

Victoria Square buildings

Key buildings around Victoria Square include St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral constructed in the Gothic Revival style, and the Torrens Building, a Palladian charmer which once played home to several South Australian government offices.

There’s also the Magistrates’ Court and Supreme Court and the Adelaide Town Hall.

One former government building, however, has undergone a new lease of life. The former Treasury Building, a wonderful warren of a place, is now the Adina Apartment Hotel (reviewed here).

Top Adelaide hotel recommendations

For the beach: Oaks Glenelg Plaza Pier Suites. For families: Big4 West Beach. Most fun: Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets. For setting: Oval Hotel. For heritage: Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury.

Victoria Square walking tour

A Victoria Square walking tour is a good way of learning both about the various buildings of Victoria Square and Adelaide’s history in general.

Down To Earth Tours runs two hour walking tours around Victoria Square, brimming with historical information and stories, at 10.00 every day. Tickets for these Victoria Square tours can be booked online.

Other Adelaide walking tours focus on North Terrace, the ghosts of Adelaide Gaol and North Adelaide’s mansions. More energetic Adelaide activities include swimming with dolphins from Glenelg and climbing the roof of the Adelaide Oval.

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.