Rundle Mall fountain taken down, sent to Artlab for restoration

Once it dripped with champagne. But now, the beloved Victorian-era fountain in Rundle Mall has been taken away. This is why.

Rundle Mall’s beloved historic fountain has disappeared – but don’t worry, it will be back.

The popular Victorian-era fountain which has stood outside Adelaide Arcade for decades is undergoing restoration.

Adelaide City Council has engaged restoration specialist, Artlab, to repair the fountain, one of two cast in the 1880s and given to the city by the state government in 1908.

The second, larger fountain sits in Creswell Park, outside Adelaide Oval.

Council city services director Tom McCready said the fountain had been sent to Artlab because of natural deterioration, faded painting and rust spots.

“The work involves draining the fountain’s pond, removing the cast iron elements to an offsite location for blasting and repainting, and then reassembling the fountain back in Rundle Mall in the current location,” he said.

Mr McCready said when the fountain was returned to Rundle Mall in a few months it would be “vibrant, without spots of corrosion, peeling, flaking or chalky paint”.

“The colours will closely resemble the present scheme,” he said.

The lonely base for the Rundle Mall fountain outside Adelaide Arcade. Picture: Carol Lefevre

Mr McCready said nearby businesses in Rundle Mall had been notified about the restoration project.

“All efforts will be made to reduce the impacts to businesses, residents and the public by undertaking activities at night,” he said.

The fountain has often undergone updates to its base and been repainted in colours of the Victorian era over its lifetime.

A motorcycle rider holds his helmet high after dipping it into the champagne-filled fountain at the opening of Rundle Mall on September 1, 1976.

In 1976, former Labor premier Don Dunstan filled it with champagne donated by South Australian wine company, Hardy’s, to celebrate the opening of Rundle Mall.

The fountain has been located at several spots in the mall, with its current location outside Adelaide Arcade now its permanent home.

Almost a decade ago, the fountain was set to be moved to Adelaide Oval, nearer its bigger sibling, when the mall had a $30m upgrade.

But a 15,000-strong petition run by Adelaide Arcade management in 2013 resulted in it being moved just a few metres closer to the Arcade. Its oval pool was replaced with a smaller square one.

The fountain in Rundle Mall was moved to a new base in front of the Adelaide Arcade in the Mall’s 2014 upgrade.