Skip to content

New figures released on World Health Day show that since 2017, Cancer Council SA’s Lodges have provided more than 150,000 nights of supported accommodation to regional and remote South Australians travelling to Adelaide for cancer treatment.

The Lodges, located on Greenhill Road and Dequetteville Terrace, have been providing supported accommodation to regional South Australians for the past 25 years.

The lodges have become a lifeline for many who need to travel to Adelaide for treatment, with research from Professor David Roder AM from the University of South Australia showing that South Australians are more likely to die within five years of a cancer diagnosis the further they live from the city.

With World Health Day promoting equitable access to health and wellbeing, Cancer Council SA Chief Executive Kerry Rowlands said the lodges play a key role in ensuring regional South Australians have access lifesaving treatment, whenever they need it.

“We know that travelling to Adelaide for cancer treatment can place a huge pressure on individuals and their families, many of whom have to spend long periods away from home, at a time when they need loved ones the most.”

“Our Lodges create a home away from home, offering meals, transport, social work and recreation facilities to ensure that no South Australian has to face their diagnosis alone.”

“We are committed to ensuring that every regional South Australian impacted by cancer has the support they need to access life-saving treatment today, and into the future.”

Cancer Council SA is currently building the next generation in cancer care with their new, integrated cancer building at 202 Greenhill Road Eastwood.

The building will give the organisation’s supported accommodation facilities a much-needed facelift, with 120 rooms of brand-new accommodation offered alongside Cancer Council SA’s research, prevention and support services.

“We are incredibly proud of the role that we play in supporting regional South Australians to access life-saving cancer treatment and know that our new building will continue this proud legacy, while also integrating all our vital services and supports in one, central location,” Ms Rowlands said.

In the last year alone, Cancer Council SA provided over 27,400 nights of accommodation to regional South Australians, including more than 7,300 nights of accommodation to those travelling from the South Australian Outback region. *

South Australians like Kym Callaghan from Port Lincoln, who stayed at Greenhill Lodge for a month in May 2021 while undergoing prostate cancer treatment.

“It’s not just the shock of the diagnosis, it’s also not knowing how long you’ll be away from home. When you live 800kms away, you can’t just slip home for the weekend. Greenhill Lodge has everything, you can cook in the kitchen, get takeaway, get the bus to treatment. Without it I’d have been lost.”

Ms Rowlands said that supporting South Australians like Kym is at the heart of Cancer Council SA’s mission.

“For the past 90 years, Cancer Council SA has worked passionately to give every South Australian every chance to survive a cancer diagnosis.”

“Our new building will allow us to create a home for every South Australian, regardless of where they are from, or where they are in their cancer experience. And more importantly, it will get us closer to our vision of a cancer free future,” she said.

Cancer Council SA currently offers supported accommodation at our two lodges at Flinders and Greenhill Road. The organisation’s new building at 202 Greenhill Road, which is currently under construction, will combine both lodges into a single, integrated cancer building.

The building is the first of its kind in the state and is set to be completed in August this year.

For more information on the project, or to find out how you can donate and show your support, visit 202greenhill.com.au.

*The South Australian Outback includes the Eyre Peninsula and South West and Outback – North and East.

Notes to editor:

Centrally located at the old Cancer Council site on 202 Greenhill Road, the purpose-built facility will be the state’s home for all South Australians impacted by cancer, giving every South Australian every chance. The building will include:

  • Provision of 120 rooms of supportive accommodation to regional South Australians travelling to Adelaide for cancer treatment, designed to accommodate people with a variety of cancer needs and disability access options.
  • Cancer Council’s SA’s Information and Support Services, including Cancer Council 13 11 20, to support South Australians across every stage of their cancer experience.
  • A supportive and welcoming place for all South Australians impacted by cancer to access free counselling from trained professionals.
  • Support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by empowering them to cut their cancer risk through the Aboriginal Screening Project and Quitskills Program.
  • Cancer Council’s evidence-based prevention programs and strategies to empower South Australians to cut their cancer risk.
  • A supportive and energising environment to enable Cancer Council SA to speak out on behalf of the community on cancer issues.
  • Cancer Council SA’s Behavioural Research Team, which leads the way in applied cancer research and evaluation, while also overseeing the management of Cancer Council’s Beat Cancer Project.

Note: Throughout the construction period, Cancer Council SA’s existing lodges at Flinders and Greenhill Road will remain operational to ensure that regional and remote South Australians have somewhere to stay while in Adelaide for cancer treatment.