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An exceptional learning atmosphere

Grand old buildings and environs combined with the most modern research facilities provide an exceptional learning atmosphere in which students can achieve their best.

The University's earliest buildings were erected on a two-hectare site on North Terrace in central Adelaide. Today, a greatly-expanded North Terrace campus is part of the city's main cultural boulevard. The original, heritage-listed buildings now stand gracefully alongside some of the most modern educational and research facilities in Australia.

In 1924 another generous benefactor, Peter Waite, left his lands, house and outhouses to the University, establishing its Waite Agricultural Research Institute, the basis of the modern-day Waite Campus.

North Terrace Campus is located in the heart of the city of Adelaide, adjacent to both the business and shopping district and the parklands bordering the River Torrens. Since 2003 it has included the National Wine Centre of Australia, a short walk from the main campus through the Botanical Gardens, which provides enhanced teaching facilities for wine courses and a unique opportunity for community education and engagement.

North Terrace is the primary location of undergraduate teaching and the base for a broad range of applied and fundamental research. The campus forms part of a thriving medical research city precinct, including the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Hanson Centre for Cancer Research, Women's and Children's Hospital, Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, and the CSIRO Division of Health Sciences and Nutrition.

The University makes the most of its adjacency to cultural and educational facilities on North Terrace. It has a strong collaborative relationship with the Art Gallery of South Australia, with which it runs a joint degree in Art History, and with the South Australian Museum (the Centre for Evolutionary Biology and Biodiversity is run in partnership with the Museum).

The close proximity to the State Library, Festival Centre, Art Gallery, Zoological Gardens and the Botanical Gardens adds to the vibrant cultural life of the campus. Easily accessible, with a stimulating social and intellectual environment, the North Terrace Campus is a popular choice with students.

Roseworthy Campus, situated on nearly 1600 ha of prime South Australian farming land north of Adelaide, is an internationally renowned centre of excellence in dryland agriculture and animal production. On the campus, the University works in partnership with Primary Industry and Resources SA, South Australian Research and Development Institute, the Murray Institute of Technical & Further Education and rural industries to create an innovative information hub for the transfer of research advances and new technologies to the rural community.

One of the unique aspects of the campus is its setting amidst a commercially viable, fully functional farm. It is one of the few institutions in the world offering students practical insight into dryland farming systems as well as livestock production, and environmental and natural resource management. Roseworthy Farm provides a practical training environment for students and an outstanding resource for postgraduate research work.

Other facilities include a deer farm, pig and poultry research units, plant nursery, arboretum, modern laboratories and glasshouses. In addition, an aquatic reserve, ephemeral swamp and fauna park enable students to gain practical experience in managing aquatic and terrestrial native fauna.

Roseworthy has its own residential complex for staff and students.

Adelaide University Research Park (Thebarton Campus) is one of the premier university-owned technology/research parks in Australia. It is home to commercial tenants, research centres, more than 20 University spin-off companies and includes the highest concentration of biotechnology enterprises in Australia.

Once a factory site, the campus has been developed as a dynamic research park and is a vital link between the University and Australian business and industry. The University operates from the Research Park to promote and facilitate links with industry. It is a national leader in enterprise education and incubation.

The University manages the Graduate Entrepreneurial Program that assists students to commence business enterprises. Within its business incubator, graduates have the chance to develop their skills with some of the country's most innovative companies. Commercial and industrial tenants at the campus are encouraged to participate with the University in education programs and joint research activities.

The Waite Campus precinct is the largest agricultural complex in the southern hemisphere and boasts the most modern technology available for students and researchers.

Facilities include the Plant Research Centre, which is equipped with advanced greenhouses, laboratories, a genetic resources centre, post harvest coolrooms, and a conference centre. The Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Science Laboratory has state of the art equipment for testing grape and wine quality, while the new Angove's Still House ensures that teaching and research into spirits and fortified wines is amongst the best in the world.

The campus also contains modern laboratories for chemical, biochemical, physiological and ecological studies, there are small-scale experimental plots and a vineyard, as well as extensive computer suites and the Woolhouse Library.

A unique aspect of the Waite Campus is the collocation with the University of a number of research bodies and institutes such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Primary Industries and Resources SA, the South Australian Research and Development Institute, and the Australian Wine Research Institute. Together with the University, these partners create one of Australia's most effective research precincts.

The Waite is also the headquarters to three Australian Cooperative Research Centres, in Molecular Plant Breeding, Viticulture and Australian Weed Management. It is home to the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, which plays a key role in Australia's agricultural bioscience industry.

The University of Adelaide Library is South Australia's biggest library, and is a key resource for both staff and students. The main Library is the Barr Smith Library, located on the North Terrace campus, and named after one of the University's generous early benefactors. This provides services for approximately 85% of the University's population. There are two other specialised libraries at North Terrace: the Law Library, and the Elder Music Library. In addition, both the Waite and Roseworthy campuses have specialised branch libraries.

The University's Library holdings exceed 2,000,000 items, and the libraries receive in excess of 45,000 journal titles, with 20,000 new monograph volumes catalogued each year, and a similar number of bound volumes of journals accessioned. Collection strengths include medicine, dentistry, biological sciences, agriculture, music, nineteenth century English literature, and Australian history. There are 400,000 volumes accommodated in the Joint Library Store, shared with the Flinders University Library on the Flinders campus. The Library lends 500,000 loans annually, including 20,000 items to other Australian libraries, while 6,200 items are borrowed from other libraries to support researchers in the University. The Library is a pioneer in the application of computing in information retrieval.