Did you know that there’s an underground labyrinth of tunnel networks beneath the Adelaide CBD and some of its surrounding suburbs? An abandoned subway project, wartime bunkers later repurposed by sex workers, storage rooms for Adelaide’s gold repositories: thousands of South Australians unknowingly walk over these subterranean expanses every day.
There are all sorts of myths associated with Adelaide’s secret tunnels: some contend that The Beatles used them to escape a hoard of screaming fans after their Adelaide performance in 1964; some even suggest that newly employed public servants were dragged down into the tunnels for a violent initiation ceremony.
While tales like these remain shrouded in uncertainty, there remains a wealth of information about the tunnels and what they were once used for, offering a fascinating insight into our city’s past.
To get some more knowledge, we spoke to Graeme Fanning, a tour guide for the National Trust of South Australia who’s been running tours of Adelaide’s underground tunnels for 10 years. Graeme runs tours of the tunnels in and around Adelaide’s old treasury building, now the Adina Apartment Hotel, helping bring history to life by teaching Adelaide locals and tourists about this unique part of the city’s history and its stories.
“It’s a mix of public and private tours, and although I don’t know everything there is to know, I can share what’s been unearthed or passed down through the years”.
When asked about his favourite part of the tour, Graeme mentioned the old Treasury Building’s tunnels and the historic Cabinet Room. The tunnels, which once housed gold and sensitive government documents, are still one of the most curious aspects of the tour.
“People are often fascinated by the tunnels, wondering why they were made and what they were used for”.
In the 19th century, underground areas like cellars or basements were common around the city, but the government expanded these spaces to connect various buildings. The original purpose was for storing and transporting valuable items like gold and sensitive government documents, but they were also used as secure passages for government officials, “like unpopular politicians who didn’t want to be seen in public”, Graeme says.
“There’s even speculation that some tunnels may have connected Parliament House and Government House”.
Graeme also spoke of a tunnel complex used to escort prisoners from holding cells and passageways between the old Royal Adelaide Hospital and Ayers House used by nurses in the 1960s.
What’s more, there’s knowledge of a tunnel connecting Adelaide Railway Station to Government House built to carry materials from quarries in North Adelaide to key sites like the Jubilee Exhibition Building, which was demolished in 1962 and replaced by the University of Adelaide’s Napier Building.
The King William Street Tunnel
Though it’s now filled with rubble, the tunnel beneath King William Street once ran diagonally from the Festival Centre to the northern boundary of Government House. Rediscovered in 1973, this tunnel has given rise to theories of secret meetings between politicians and the Governor, underground passages connecting Parliament House to the Adelaide Railway station, and delivery routes for businesses on North Terrace.
When it was unearthed over 50 years ago, plans were established to restore the tunnel and transform it into a pedestrian subway and tourist attraction. Originally valued at $35,000, these plans were unfortunately scrapped when projected costs later increased to somewhere between $90,000 and $140,000, about $640,000 – $1.6m in today’s currency.
The Beatles
Graeme also offered some new insight into how The Beatles used the tunnels during their Adelaide stop in 1964. It remains unproven that they used them to escape a hoard of screaming fans after their concert, but Graeme says that following their well-documented Town Hall balcony reception, the pop megastars were escorted through the Treasury tunnels to a courtyard in the Treasury typically used as a private space for government workers. Once there, they stopped for a quick breather before heading back to their hotel.
Beyond the CBD
The Beatles weren’t the only musicians to set foot in the tunnels. The Lion Hotel in North Adelaide resides over three H-shaped tunnels, two of which feature a bar, dance floor and stage. The subterranean live music venue has been frequented by rock bands in the past, and nowadays becomes the occasional home of electronic, techno, and rave sets. There’s also a third tunnel beneath The Lion that’s been closed off for safety reasons.
There are claims that a number of other locations outside the CBD have tunnels running beneath them, like ‘Roseneath’, a two-storey Georgian villa in Walkerville built in 1847, which supposedly sits above two tunnels. The one we know about links the house to cellars and semi-underground rooms, and is still used by the present owners, but a mysterious second tunnel is said to have been constructed as an escape route. This myth is yet to be busted.
World War Two
There were also a number of wartime bunkers and air-raid shelters in Adelaide that were built during WW2 as the government prepared for a perceived attack from Japan. Originally intended for government officials, it’s rumoured that plans were made to allow the public into the shelters in the event of an aerial assault. Thankfully, they never had to be used for that purpose, as Japan’s attempt to invade Australia ended unsuccessfully in 1942 after a string of bombings in some of Australia’s northern states and territories.
As a tour guide, the biggest reward for Graeme is connecting with people. “It’s about connecting people with the past,” he says. “You’d be surprised at how much history people can learn in such a short time”.
Whether it’s the gold that once passed through the Treasury Building, the famous visitors who wandered the tunnels, or the wartime shelters built to protect citizens, each story offers a unique connection to our city’s past.
You can arrange a tour with Graeme or one of the National Trust’s other fantastic tour guides via their website.
WHAT: Old Treasury & Tunnels tours with the National Trust
WHEN: Sundays at 1:00pm & 3.00pm
WHERE: Adina Treasury Hotel, 2 Flinders Street Adelaide, SA 5000
For more information or to book a tour, click here.
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