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.[1] 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.[2]
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 ghosts), 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.
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Rundle Street, from which the mall takes its name, is named after John Rundle, 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 tramline 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.[3] 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.[4]
Other sculpture includes a group of life-size bronze pigs - Horatio, Truffles, Augusta and Oliver[5] - rooting around a rubbish bin. Of note is the historic Beehive Corner,completed in 1896[6]. 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.[7]
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.[8]
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 Street.
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:
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.
Department stores:
Other large tenants:
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