SRSA GRG35/58/7/208 Rundle Street looking west towards King William Street. Note the tram in the background, 1930s.

SRSA GRG35/58/7/208

Rundle Street looking west towards King William Street. Note the tram in the background, 1930s.

Rundle Mall (external site) (external site) (external site)’s opening in Adelaide on September 1, 1976, changed how people shopped and moved about the city.

As Rundle Mall celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026, explore how photos and video in State Records’ archive collection (external site) (external site) (external site) offer glimpses of how people experienced the area when it was still part of Rundle Street.

Trolley buses, Christmas pageants, the 1954 Royal Visit (external site) (external site) (external site) of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and cars are among the sights and events captured in the collection.

Scroll down to see a selection of these materials, plus visit our Flickr page for more here (external site) (external site) (external site).

Exhibition at 60 King William Street, Adelaide

See more archival material up close in a special exhibition at 60 King William Street, Adelaide.

It is open from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, until Friday, October 16, 2026.

Read more

SRSA GRG35/342/1/22/box68/GN12808 The western side of Rundle Street facing east.

SRSA GRG35/342/1/22/box68/GN12808

The western side of Rundle Street facing east.

SRSA GRG35/342/1/22/box68/GN12808 The western side of Rundle Street facing east; a sign of James Place can be seen near the “Savery’s” signage on the right-hand side of these images above.

SRSA GRG35/342/1/22/box68/GN12808 (close up)

The western side of Rundle Street facing east; a sign of James Place can be seen near the “Savery’s” signage on the right-hand side of these images above.

SRSA GRG24/140/36/72 Image 23 A Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are chauffeured along Rundle Street, turning left into King William Street, during the 1954 Royal Visit.

SRSA GRG24/140/36/72 Image 23 A

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are chauffeured along Rundle Street, turning left into King William Street, during the 1954 Royal Visit.

SRSA GRG35/58/7/210, SRSA GRG24/140/72 Image 96a

SRSA GRG35/58/7/210, SRSA GRG24/140/72 Image 96a

Above left: Rundle Street looking east from near King William Street, early 1930s. York Theatre can be seen centre right. Above right: Decorations of Rundle Street (external site) (external site) (external site) for the Royal Visit in 1954.

See more photos of Rundle Street’s old western side here (external site) (external site) (external site).