Hotels in Glenelg, Australia

A little about Glenelg...

Glenelg is a popular beach-side suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Located on the shore of Holdfast Bay in Gulf Saint Vincent, it has become a popular tourist destination due to its beach and many attractions, home to several hotels and dozens of restaurants.

Established in 1836, it is the oldest European settlement on mainland South Australia (the oldest being Kingscote on Kangaroo Island), with the proclamation of the colony of South Australia. It was named after Lord Glenelg, a member of British Cabinet and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies.

Through Lord Glenelg the name derives from Glenelg, Highland (but previously Inverness-shire), which in the Gaelic is Gleann Eilg. Glenelg is noteworthy for being a palindrome.

Glenelg has been a popular spot for recreation and leisure for much of its history. Following the success of Luna Park, Melbourne, a similar amusement park was constructed on Glenelg's foreshore in 1930. Luna Park Glenelg was placed in voluntary liquidation in 1934, and all the rides (excluding a single carousel) were disassembled, purchased by the directors, and transported to Sydney, where they were used to create Luna Park Milsons Point. The park's managers claimed that the reasons for the closure were the inability to make money from the park as it was, and opposition to changes from Council and residents, who were afraid that "undesirables" would be attracted to the area.

Built near the former Luna Park site was Magic Mountain, which first opened in 1982. It featured water slides, mini-golf, bumper boats, dodgem cars and many other amusements and was popular with many Adelaide residents. It was also extensively criticised, called an eyesore and likened to a "giant dog turd" in the media; despite this it was heavily popular with young children and teenagers.

As part of the Holdfast Shores development, Magic Mountain was finally demolished in 2004 and replaced with The Beachouse, a modern centre with a more conservative design which still incorporates the historic carousel; it opened in mid 2006. A 25-metre single-arm ferris wheel was opened in late 2007.

Transport: The only tram line still operating in Adelaide is the Glenelg Tram, which runs from Moseley Square, along Jetty Road though Glenelg, to the Adelaide CBD. The route dates back to 1873 and is still operated on weekends and holidays by the historic H-Class trams, circa 1929.[21] Weekday service was taken over by modern Bombardier Flexity Classic trams in 2006.

Recreational boating is popular in Glenelg. To the north is the mouth of the Patawalonga River, which has been dammed to create an artificial boat harbour with a lock down to the sea.

Events and Attractions:
Jetty Road is a long ribbon of shops, entertainment facilities and other commercial activities - it is the main shopping precinct in Glenelg.
A shark museum owned and operated by conservationist and shark attack survivor Rodney Fox.
Glenelg is the finishing point of the annual City-Bay fun run held in September. The run is 12 km long.
Glenelg is home to a team in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), the Glenelg Tigers.
Glenelg is the home of the Bay Discovery Centre, a free museum about Glenelg's history.
The annual Bay Sheffield race is held at Glenelg in December.
The annual celebration of the Epiphany for the Orthodox faithful of Adelaide, accompanied by the Greek festival of the Theophany.