Did you know that during Royal Adelaide Show time, and other select events at Adelaide Showground, you can take a roof top solar beehive tour FREE?!
We sent Julie and her family along to check it out and by all reports it’s a super cool experience!
Where to Meet: Atrium West Show Kiosk (K7)
Tours run daily during the Royal Adelaide Show: 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm (weather permitting). Duration 40 minutes.
Tour cost: $0
*Check with other events at this venue to see if tours are on offer. Example; we recently noticed them running over the weekend of Science Alive.
There is a new exhibit that teaches about native and European honey bees and has lots of interesting facts for kids and adults, as well as art and other interesting things to look at before people even go onto the roof to look at the beehives and the solar panels.
View 10,000 sqm of rooftop solar panel installation and the beehives while taking in a birds-eye view of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds.
Each tour is capped at 20 participants, depending on demand, tour participants will be decided on a first in first accepted basis. We suggest arriving 15 minutes early as the tours do book out.
There are maybe forty or so stairs on this tour so you need to be mobile. You do not need to be harnessed in, it is completely safe and we recommend it is an excellent affordable family activity best suited for 5+ yo. The tour takes 30-40 minutes – hot tip send kids to the bathroom prior.
If you are scared of heights you might find it a bit hair raising near the edge or on the walkway above the Goyder Pavilion, as it is a see through style of walkway. Rest assured it is not Adelaide Oval or Harbour Bridge climb in the heights stakes.
The bee hives are home to some 50-70,000 bees! Wow!
You can also expect to see and learn about about the 12,700 solar panels situated on the roof. The solar panels provide about 20% of the annual power usage at the showground, but only 1% of power use for the Royal Adelaide Show itself.
For more info visit:
https://www.theshow.com.au/things-to-do/rooftop-solar-beehive-tour/ and the Xannie’s Bees website or Facebook page.