SRSA GRG35/58/7/208
Rundle Street looking west towards King William Street. Note the tram in the background, 1930s.
Rundle Mall’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 howphotos and video in State Records’ archive collection offer glimpses toof how people experienced the area when it was still part of Rundle Street.
Trolley buses, Christmas pageants, the 1954 Royal Visit 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.
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SRSA GRG35/342/1/22/box68/GN12808
The western side of Rundle Street facing east.
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 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 for the Royal Visit in 1954.
See more photos of Rundle Street’s old western side here.