We will be in Adelaide for 2 days. There appear to be many interesting things to see and do and I'm having trouble narrowing it down. The museums sound good; we like to take the guided tours that these offer. We'll also be in Canberra, Melbourne, and Kangaroo Is. on this trip. My tentative plan for Adelaide is:

Thursday

9:30 a.m.: Rundle Mall Information Center, Rundle St. between King William and Pulteney Sts., hosts 45-min. free guided walks (“First Steps Tour”)

So. Australian Museum, including Aboriginal Cultures Gallery tour 11:30 – 12:15.

Art Gallery of S. Australia, free guided tour at 2 pm

Migration Museum

Friday

Central Market, opens at 7 am on Fri.

Botanic Gardens, N. Terr. – Free guided tour at 10:30 am.

Tandanya Aboriginal Cultural Insititute, free didgeridoo show at noon. Perhaps lunch in the café there.

?Ayers House

?Wine Museum

Our flight for Sydney leaves at 6:50 pm.

Please let me know if this is doable and, if not, I'd appreciate suggestions of what to drop.

Thanks!

The South Australia Museum is next to the Art Gallery, and the Migration Museum is also very close so you won't be wasting much time traveling in between these places. (I would definitely do the museum docent tours--you will get more out of the experience this way.) We loved the South Australia Museum, found it very interesting and spent hours there! (Famed Australian author and zoologist Tim Flannery is a former director of this museum.)
Rundle Street Mall is just a block away. (David Jones department store is one of our favorites, at 100 Rundle Mall.) Do you need a guided walk of the mall?
We walked from the museums to Tandanya. Tandanya is a community run center and my guess would be its budget is tiny compared to that of Australia's museums, so the Aboriginal art displays are not nearly as polished as those you will see in the museums in Canberra or Melbourne (both of which have beautiful Aboriginal art displays). But it is still well worth seeing, especially if you can catch a free didgeridoo show. Plus, they probably would really appreciate your support and interest. But it looks like you won't be able to do both Tandanya didgeridoo show and South Australia Museum Aboriginal Cultures Tour on the same day. The center itself is not that large, so it shouldn't take too long to see its exhibit(s). We did not eat in its cafe.
I enjoyed the National Wine Center, its setting, and its architecture. (But is a great pity that you that you won't be making it out to the wine country.) We walked from Tandanya to the Wine Center, which took us right past the Botanic Garden.
If I am not mistaken we visited all the above sights on the same day (of course, we didn't take any docent tours or hear a didgeridoo performance, so our schedule was more flexible.) We also managed to fit in a bit of shopping out at Glenelg (for Aboriginal art) and in North Adelaide (for wine); we got to both by public transit. Adelaide has excellent public transit, including a couple of free bus routes that make stops at downtown attractions. (I don't know if the free bus goes to the Wine Center, though.)
The Central Market is a must. It has beautiful food that will make you wish you had a kitchen in your accommodations. If you enjoy Asian food, there are many good spots for lunch around the Central Market.
We didn't visit Ayers House.
My husband and I love Australia and have visited 10 or 11 times. We both thought the people of Adelaide were the friendliest and politest of all. We thought Adelaide had the feel of a sweet small town.
Have you seen this site?
http://www.southaustralia.com/Adelaide.aspx

judilie - Diamantina has covered most things in Adelaide. I live in the city, so feel free to email me for any information.

Nice place for lunch if you are in the area is the Botanic Garden Restaurant:
Adelaide Botanic Gardens (off North Terrace)P: (08) 8223 3526 Open: Lunch seven days.Bookings recommended.

There is also a walking tour of the Central Market : Central Market Tours
Thursdays to Saturdays
Call Mark Gleeson for times and prices.
Phone: 61 (0)8 8231 5977
Web: www.centralmarkettour.com.au

haven't you got to take the tram to glenelg?

walk by the torrens and the adelaide cricket ground...check out the view from capt light's statue.

Another unique museum you might want to visit is the Adelaide Gaol which operated as a prison from 1841 to 1988. We found it fascinating.

some good ideas....guided tour of mall i would drop. would also see botanic garden (lovely!!!) without a group. it´s very nice to stroll along the river too. glenelg is worth a trip for the tram ride alone. can combine with visiting market in the early evening on your way back into the city. OR what about you chose accomodation in glenelg???

I hope your trip to Adelaide is taking place soon as we have just returned from Adelaide and the roses in the Botanic Gardens are just out of this world - absolutely beautiful.