Adelaide’s Grass Courts

Adelaide has kept a strong suburban lawn tennis culture. Its clubs play a summer grass season that generally runs from October to May, close the lawns for winter, and keep traditional Saturday competitions and social doubles going on the grass. This trail links five of them: Memorial Drive by the River Torrens, Walkerville at Gilberton, Kensington Gardens in the east, and Millswood and Reade Park in the inner south.

Memorial Drive is the historic centre. The club began in 1914 as the South Australian Lawn Tennis Club, moved to its riverside site in 1923, and hosted the Australian Championships twelve times between 1926 and 1967, along with Davis Cup ties including Australia's wins over the United States in 1952 and 1956. The suburban clubs carry their own long histories: Kensington Gardens was established in 1919, Walkerville marked its centenary in 2018, Millswood dates from 1922, and Reade Park has been in the planned garden suburb of Colonel Light Gardens since 1925.

The trail suits club players who want to play on well kept grass in a relaxed setting, and it is unusually practical for visitors. Reade Park, Kensington Gardens and Millswood all publish visitor arrangements, with modest fees and an open door to social tennis; Walkerville hires its four lawns; and Memorial Drive offers day rate court hire through the adjoining Next Gen club. Spectators can time a visit to the Adelaide International, played each January at Memorial Drive on hard courts.

Start in the east at Kensington Gardens, swing north to Walkerville and Memorial Drive, then head south to Millswood and Reade Park. Weekday mornings and Saturday afternoons are when most social tennis happens, so build play around those sessions and contact each club a few days ahead.