Rundle Mall, Adelaide
Encyclopedia
Rundle Mall is the premiere retail area in the centre
of Adelaide
, South Australia
. It was opened as Australia
's first pedestrian street mall in September 1976 by closing Rundle Street
to traffic between King William Street
and Pulteney Street
. The street continues as Rundle Street
to the east and Hindley Street
to the west.
The area is one of the most expensive land areas in Adelaide and is considered one of the most important retail centres in the city, competing with the large shopping complexes in the suburbs such as Westfield Marion
. Retail spaces directly on the mall can lease for up to $3,700 per square metre per year.
The mall is home to the South Australian flagship stores of many large Australian retailers and a large number smaller independent and chain stores. The mall also features a number of arcades and plazas containing smaller boutiques and eateries. These include the Italianate styled Regent Arcade (also being the first retail establishment in Australia
with electrical lighting, and allegedly home to six ghost
s), Adelaide Arcade, Gays Arcade, City Cross, Southern Cross, Adelaide Central Plaza, Myer Centre and Renaissance Arcade.
There are usually several buskers
performing in the mall, licensed by the Adelaide City Council
. The mall's stores are generally open seven days a week.
, a member of the British House of Commons
and original director of the South Australia Company
. The street was named on 23 May 1837 by the Street Naming Committee
. In 1895, the first electric street lighting was installed at the intersection of Rundle Street (as it was then), King William Street and Hindley Street
. It also had a tram
line run through it when it was still part of Rundle Street. In November 1972, the then South Australian Premier, Don Dunstan
, issued the closure of the western part of Rundle Street to create Rundle Mall, due to extreme congestion caused by traffic and the increasing number of pedestrians.
There are several items of modern sculpture in the mall. The best-known is the 4m tall The Spheres by Bert Flugelman
; two large stainless steel spheres with a diameter of 2.15 metres balanced one on top of the other. They are most commonly referred to as the Mall's Balls or Rundle Mall balls. "The Mall's Balls" are a common meeting place for visitors. Erected in 1977, they were commissioned by the Hindmarsh Building Society (subsequently absorbed into the Adelaide Bank
) and donated to the City of Adelaide
to mark its 1977 centenary.
Other sculpture includes a group of life-size bronze pigs - Horatio, Truffles, Augusta and Oliver - rooting around a rubbish bin. Of note is the historic Beehive Corner,completed in 1896. It lies at the western end on the corner of Rundle Mall and King William Street and was originally owned by John Rundle. Beehive Corner is built in the Neo-gothic
style, which is generally reserved for churches. The Mall also contains a fountain (The Fountain) that is painted in Victorian
colours and was cast in the late 1800s.
In 2004, a woman was shot by a male family member, who was later apprehended. The woman was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital
, but was pronounced dead on arrival
.
.
With direct mall access:
With access via laneways or other arcades:
A number of public laneways lead off the mall, such as James Place, Charles Street, Twin Street and Gawler Place. These are home to more retail tenants.
Other large tenants:
Adelaide city centre
The Adelaide city centre is the innermost locality of Greater Adelaide, known by locals simply as "The City" or "Town". The locality is split into two key geographical distinctions: the city "square mile", bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces; and that part of the Adelaide Parklands...
of Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. It was opened as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's first pedestrian street mall in September 1976 by closing Rundle Street
Rundle Street, Adelaide
Rundle Street is a street in the East End of Adelaide, South Australia. It runs from Pulteney Street in the west to East Terrace, where it becomes Rundle Road. Its former western extent, which ran to King William Street, was closed in 1972 to form the pedestrian street of Rundle Mall...
to traffic between King William Street
King William Street, Adelaide
King William Street is the part of a major arterial road that traverses the CBD and centre of Adelaide . It was named by the Street Naming Committee on 23 May 1837 after King William IV, the then reigning monarch, who died within a month...
and Pulteney Street
Pulteney Street, Adelaide
Pulteney Street is a main road which runs north-south through the middle of the eastern half of the Adelaide city centre, in Adelaide, South Australia...
. The street continues as Rundle Street
Rundle Street, Adelaide
Rundle Street is a street in the East End of Adelaide, South Australia. It runs from Pulteney Street in the west to East Terrace, where it becomes Rundle Road. Its former western extent, which ran to King William Street, was closed in 1972 to form the pedestrian street of Rundle Mall...
to the east and Hindley Street
Hindley Street, Adelaide
Hindley Street is located in the West End of the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street and West Terrace. The street was named after British parliamentarian and social reformist, Charles Hindley....
to the west.
The area is one of the most expensive land areas in Adelaide and is considered one of the most important retail centres in the city, competing with the large shopping complexes in the suburbs such as Westfield Marion
Westfield Marion
Westfield Marion is the largest shopping complex in Adelaide, South Australia. The centre, its management and all tenant addresses are located in the suburb of Oaklands Park...
. Retail spaces directly on the mall can lease for up to $3,700 per square metre per year.
The mall is home to the South Australian flagship stores of many large Australian retailers and a large number smaller independent and chain stores. The mall also features a number of arcades and plazas containing smaller boutiques and eateries. These include the Italianate styled Regent Arcade (also being the first retail establishment in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with electrical lighting, and allegedly home to six ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s), Adelaide Arcade, Gays Arcade, City Cross, Southern Cross, Adelaide Central Plaza, Myer Centre and Renaissance Arcade.
There are usually several buskers
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
performing in the mall, licensed by the Adelaide City Council
City of Adelaide
The City of Adelaide is a local government area in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia. It covers the original Adelaide city centre settlement, , North Adelaide, and the Adelaide Park Lands which surround North Adelaide and the city centre.Established in 1840, the organisation now...
. The mall's stores are generally open seven days a week.
History
Rundle Street, from which the mall takes its name, is named after John RundleJohn Rundle
John Rundle was a British Whig politician and businessman.From 1835 to 1843, he was a Member of Parliament, representing Tavistock in the House of Commons...
, a member of the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
and original director of the South Australia Company
South Australia Company
The South Australian Company was formed in London on 9 October 1835 by George Fife Angas and other wealthy British merchants to develop a new settlement in South Australia; its purpose was to build a new colony...
. The street was named on 23 May 1837 by the Street Naming Committee
Street Naming Committee (Adelaide)
The Street Naming Committee was set up to decide the names of the streets, the squares and the river of the new settlement of Adelaide, South Australia, as it had been laid out by Colonel William Light in 1837. Light's map corresponds to the modern Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide...
. In 1895, the first electric street lighting was installed at the intersection of Rundle Street (as it was then), King William Street and Hindley Street
Hindley Street, Adelaide
Hindley Street is located in the West End of the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It runs between King William Street and West Terrace. The street was named after British parliamentarian and social reformist, Charles Hindley....
. It also had a tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
line run through it when it was still part of Rundle Street. In November 1972, the then South Australian Premier, Don Dunstan
Don Dunstan
Donald Allan "Don" Dunstan, AC, QC was a South Australian politician. He entered politics as the Member for Norwood in 1953, became state Labor leader in 1967, and was Premier of South Australia between June 1967 and April 1968, and again between June 1970 and February 1979.The son of a business...
, issued the closure of the western part of Rundle Street to create Rundle Mall, due to extreme congestion caused by traffic and the increasing number of pedestrians.
There are several items of modern sculpture in the mall. The best-known is the 4m tall The Spheres by Bert Flugelman
Bert Flugelman
Herbert 'Bert' Flugelman is a prominent Australian visual artist who has had many of his works publicly displayed. He is known for his stainless steel geometric sculptures.-Biography:...
; two large stainless steel spheres with a diameter of 2.15 metres balanced one on top of the other. They are most commonly referred to as the Mall's Balls or Rundle Mall balls. "The Mall's Balls" are a common meeting place for visitors. Erected in 1977, they were commissioned by the Hindmarsh Building Society (subsequently absorbed into the Adelaide Bank
Adelaide Bank
The Adelaide Bank was a publicly listed regional bank with its head office in the state of South Australia. Since 30 November 2007 it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank and Adelaide Bank shares are no-longer quoted on the ASX...
) and donated to the City of Adelaide
City of Adelaide
The City of Adelaide is a local government area in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia. It covers the original Adelaide city centre settlement, , North Adelaide, and the Adelaide Park Lands which surround North Adelaide and the city centre.Established in 1840, the organisation now...
to mark its 1977 centenary.
Other sculpture includes a group of life-size bronze pigs - Horatio, Truffles, Augusta and Oliver - rooting around a rubbish bin. Of note is the historic Beehive Corner,completed in 1896. It lies at the western end on the corner of Rundle Mall and King William Street and was originally owned by John Rundle. Beehive Corner is built in the Neo-gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style, which is generally reserved for churches. The Mall also contains a fountain (The Fountain) that is painted in Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
colours and was cast in the late 1800s.
In 2004, a woman was shot by a male family member, who was later apprehended. The woman was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital
Royal Adelaide Hospital
The Royal Adelaide Hospital is Adelaide's largest hospital, with 680 beds. Founded in 1840, the Royal Adelaide provides tertiary health care services for South Australia and provides secondary care clinical services to residents of Adelaide's city centre and inner suburbs.The hospital is situated...
, but was pronounced dead on arrival
Dead on arrival
Dead on arrival or D.O.A. is a term used to indicate that a patient was found to be already clinically dead upon the arrival of professional medical assistance, often in the form of first responders such as emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or police...
.
Notable sites
Many Adelaide landmarks and famous buildings are situated along Rundle Mall, including perhaps one of the most famous, a pair of sphere shaped balls known as the Malls Balls. A Victorian era fountain is situated in the centre of the mall, and the historic "Beehive Corner", erected in 1895, is located at the King William Street entrance to the Mall. Also situated along Rundle Mall are a series of bronze statues known as the Mall's Pigs. A large lighting display, the Rundle Lantern, marks the end of Rundle Mall and the beginning of Rundle StreetRundle Street, Adelaide
Rundle Street is a street in the East End of Adelaide, South Australia. It runs from Pulteney Street in the west to East Terrace, where it becomes Rundle Road. Its former western extent, which ran to King William Street, was closed in 1972 to form the pedestrian street of Rundle Mall...
.
Buildings and tenants
The majority of buildings on the Mall contain a small number of retail tenancies. There are also many larger arcades and shopping centres that lead off the Mall or blocks around it. No single company or organisation owns a significant proportion of the Mall's real estate.With direct mall access:
- Adelaide Arcade
- Adelaide Central Plaza (David Jones building) Adelaide Department store John Martin's used to be on this site.
- Citi Centre Arcade
- City Cross ArcadeCity Cross ArcadeCity Cross Arcade is a two-level shopping complex located in Adelaide South Australia with entrances to Rundle Mall, Grenfell Street, James Place and Gawler Place. The main two anchors are Harvey Norman and Amart All Sports...
, - The Myer CentreMyer Centre, AdelaideThe Myer Centre is a multi-story shopping and office complex on Rundle Mall in Adelaide. It features over 120 speciality stores as well as its main tenant Myer who occupy five floors...
- Regent Arcade
- Renaissance Arcade
- Rundle Mall Plaza (Former David Jones David Jones LimitedDavid Jones Limited , colloquially known as DJs, is a high-end Australian department store chain.David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh immigrant, and is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name. It...
building) - Rundle Place (Former Harris Scarfe site) - is currently being built. The major tenants will be a smaller scale Harris Scarfe and a Coles supermarket to compete with Woolworths as well as other retail shops.
With access via laneways or other arcades:
- Charles Street Plaza
- Da Costa Arcade
- Gays Arcade
- Rundle Arcade
- Southern Cross Arcade
- Twin Street Arcade
A number of public laneways lead off the mall, such as James Place, Charles Street, Twin Street and Gawler Place. These are home to more retail tenants.
Anchor tenants
Department stores:- David JonesDavid Jones LimitedDavid Jones Limited , colloquially known as DJs, is a high-end Australian department store chain.David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh immigrant, and is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name. It...
- MyerMyerMyer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...
- Harris ScarfeHarris ScarfeHarris Scarfe Department Stores was founded in Adelaide, South Australia in 1849. At its peak, Adelaide was home to several major South Australian department stores , of which Harris Scarfe is the sole...
- Target
Other large tenants:
- Woolworths Supermarket
- Toys 'R' Us (soon to be K-Mart in 2012)
- JB Hi-FiJB Hi-FiJB Hi-Fi is an Australian CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, video game and consumer electronics chain store.-History:JB Hi-Fi was established in Melbourne suburb of Keilor East by John Barbuto in 1974...
- Harvey NormanHarvey NormanHarvey Norman is a large Australian-based retailer of electrical, computer, furniture, entertainment and bedding goods. It is effectively a franchise and the main brand owned by Harvey Norman Holdings Limited...