Adelaide & South Australia - Australia 2004 - page 498

February through October, with the finals held in September and October.
Tickets must be purchased well in advance from BASS ( & 13 12 46 in South
Australia, or 08/8400 2205).
THE SHOPPING SCENE
Rundle Mall (between King Williams and Pulteney sts.) is Adelaide's main
shopping street. This pedestrian-only thoroughfare is home to the big names in
fashion.
Adelaide's Central Markets ( & 08/8203 7494 ), behind the Adelaide Hilton
Hotel between Gouger and Grote streets, make up the largest produce market
in the Southern Hemisphere. They're a good place to shop for vegetables, fruit,
meat, fish, and the like, although the markets are worth popping into even if
you're not looking for picnic fixings. The markets, held in a warehouselike struc-
ture, are open Tuesday from 7am to 5:30pm, Thursday from 9am to 5:30pm,
Friday from 7am to 9pm, and Saturday from 7am to 3pm. Market Adventures
( & 08/8336 8333, or mobile [phone]; fax/message 08/8336 4075) runs
behind-the-scenes tours of the markets every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30am
and 1:30pm, Friday at 10am and 2pm, and Saturday at 8:30am. Tours cost A$35
(US$23) for adults and A$18 (US$12) for children 3 to 11. Phone for directions.
The six-story Myer Centre, next door to the Myer department store, 22-38
Rundle Mall, has a Body Shop (on the ground floor), for beauty products; an
Australian Geographic shop (on level 3), for top-quality Australiana; and Exot-
ica (level 2), where you can find unusual futuristic gifts.
Just off Rundle Mall, at Shop no. 6 in the City Cross Arcade, is L'Unique
( & 08/8231 0030 ), a good crafts shop selling South Australian pottery, jewelry,
woodcraft, hand-blown glass, and original paintings.
Elsewhere, the renowned Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, in the
Lions Art Centre, 19 Morphett St. ( & 08/8410 0727 ), sells an excellent range
of locally made ceramics, glass, furniture, and metal items. You can also watch
the craftspeople at work here.
For the best boots in Australia, head to the R.M. Williams shop on Gawler
Place ( & 08/8232 3611 ) for the best simple boots you're likely to find, as well
as other Aussie fashion icons, including Akubra hats, moleskin pants, and Driza-
bone coats.
ADELAIDE AFTER DARK
The Adelaide Advertiser lists all performances and exhibitions in its entertain-
ment pages. The free tourist guide Today in Adelaide, available in most hotels,
also has information. Tickets for theater and other entertainment events in Ade-
laide can be purchased from BASS ticket outlets at the following locations:
Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre, King William Road; Centre Phar-
macy, 19 Central Market Arcade; Verandah Music, 182 Rundle St.; and on the

Shopping for Opals
South Australia is home to the world's largest sources of white opals. (The
more expensive black opals generally come from Lightning Ridge in New
South Wales.) There are plenty of places to buy around town, but Opal
Field Gems, 33 King William St. ( & 08/8212 5300 ), is one of the best. As
a rule, you're not going to find any bargains, so just buy what you like
(and can afford—good opals cost many thousands of dollars).

Finds