North Terrace
For 134 years the University of Adelaide has been at the heart of South Australian
life, shaping education, research, culture, politics and economics. We have equipped
our graduate students to become leaders in their chosen field by providing an
environment where they are encouraged to develop independence of thought, creativity
and confidence.
The University of Adelaide is the oldest university in South Australia, and
the third oldest nationally. Its first campus on North Terrace has a long tradition
of excellence that built the University's reputation as one of
Australia's premier research and academic institutions. Adelaide is consistently listed among the world's top universities, currently ranked number 62 in the UK's THES-QS World University Rankings.
The University's three-year building development program - Our Space Your Space provides information on building projects taking place, including all lift upgrades on the North Terrace Campus.
'Explore the past - discover the future' on our Campus Tours.
Unique History
North Terrace is the earliest permanent home of the University. Development
of the campus began when the South Australian Parliament granted five acres (2
hectares) to the University of Adelaide established in 1874.
The Mitchell
Building accommodated the entire University when it opened in 1882, although
the University's academic life had begun in a city building six years earlier.
The heritage-listed building features the restored foyer with its
ornate pillars, elegant staircase, stained
glass windows and vaulted cedar ceilings. Fine stonework is a feature of the
Mitchell Building, a landmark building on Adelaide's North Terrace boulevard.
The building is named after the philosopher Sir William Mitchell, who was Vice-Chancellor
from 1916 to 1942, and Chancellor from 1942 to 1948. A statue of Sir Walter Watson Hughes, who with Sir Thomas Elder provided funds
to establish the University, is located at the front of the building.
Elder
Hall, opened in 1900 by Lord Tennyson (who was Governor of South Australia), houses the Elder Conservatorium of Music and is a popular
venue for concerts and public lectures. A statue of Sir Thomas Elder is outside
Elder Hall. Elder Hall lunchtimes are a concert series held every Friday during
semester and at other times.
Bonython Hall,
completed in 1936, seats 1000 and is used for University graduation ceremonies,
conventions and major public events. The hall is named after Sir John Langdon Bonython, chairman of Roseworthy Agricultural College from 1895 to 1902 and a member of the University of Adelaide Council from 1916 to 1939. He made many important public benefactions, notably to endow a chair of law at the University of Adelaide in 1926, and towards Bonython Hall from 1930 to 1934.
Outside the North Terrace gates stands
a statue of Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas
Mawson, who was appointed Professor of Geology and Mineralogy in 1921. The Tate Museum
is open to the public (Mawson Laboratories, open 9:00am-5:00pm Monday to Friday). Artefacts
from Sir Douglas Mawson's expeditions are among the items displayed.
The Barr
Smith Library is named in honour of the Barr Smith family, which was prominent
in South Australian business and pastoralist activity over many years, and made
many gifts and bequests to the University of Adelaide. The original building of
the library, opened in 1932, is now the Barr Smith Reading
Room with heritage status. The Barr Smith Library occupies a central position
on campus and is the largest branch of the University
of Adelaide Library, which also includes the Law
Library (Sir John Salmond Library), Elder
Music Library, Waite
Library and Roseworthy
Campus Library. The University Library holds more than two million books and
journals (in excess of 45,000 titles), forming one of the largest and best-known
research collections in Australia.
Union Hall, built in the
1950s, and the Scott Theatre
are major public theatre venues. The Schulz
Building is the tallest building on the western side of the campus close to
Kintore Avenue.
Union House and the University Cloisters, a World War I Memorial,
provide an important centre for student activities. Union House is the
home of many student services including a Computer Resource Centre,
Wills Student Lounge and the Sports Hub Fitness Centre. Union House
also contains a number of food and beverage outlets including Mayo
Café, Union Bookshop Café, the UniBar and Rumours Café - a
licensed café offering excellent views over the parklands. Members of
the public are welcome at these outlets. Union House offers
various meeting and function rooms available for hire to the
University and general public. These include the Little Theatre and
the Equinox Function Room.
Art and architecture are interesting features of North Terrace. A Henry Moore
bronze sculpture, Reclining Connected Forms, located in the Walter Young Garden near the
Napier Building, is one of eight significant sculptures on campus.
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