A Specialist GP arranges your test over a quick phone call — they review your symptoms and risk, then send your pathology referral by SMS — a full STI screen covering chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B. No Medicare? Prefer no call? Order it online for $39 instead.
Book a bulk-billed phone consult — or order a $39 referral
Get tested at any pathology lab in Adelaide or regional SA — simply walk in
Results by SMS in 2-3 days — free telehealth if positive
Walk into any pathology clinic across Adelaide with your Clinic365 referral. No appointment needed.
Australian Clinical Labs and other major pathology networks run collection centres across Adelaide and the surrounding region. Find your nearest on the map above or our STI testing locations page.
STI Testing in Adelaide
No symptoms? The online STI test suits routine screening. If you have any symptoms — discharge, sores, pain, unusual bleeding, or a rash — book a Specialist GP phone consult instead, so they can take a history, choose the right tests, and arrange treatment if you need it.
Testing too soon after sex can miss an infection. Each test has a window period before it turns positive: chlamydia and gonorrhoea about 2 weeks, syphilis up to 6 weeks, HIV 4 to 6 weeks, and hepatitis B from 6 weeks.
The standard screen covers five infections. A routine screen tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B from one blood test and a urine sample. Optional add-ons: herpes, Mgen, trichomonas, BV, and thrush. If you have had oral or anal sex, add a throat or anal swab — a urine sample alone misses throat and rectal infections.
How often should you test? If you are sexually active, a yearly STI screen is a sensible baseline. Test more often — around every three months — if you have new or multiple partners, after a condom breaks, or if a partner tests positive. And test whenever symptoms appear, whatever your last result was.
Pathology coverage across Adelaide and regional SA. Adelaide is a compact metro about 25 km across, with collection centres concentrated in the CBD, North Adelaide, Norwood, Glenelg, Marion, and Elizabeth, reaching through the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, and Barossa Valley. The referral also works across regional SA — Limestone Coast, Riverland, Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas, and the Far North — and at Aboriginal community-controlled health services where available. SA recorded over 5,500 chlamydia and 1,400 gonorrhoea notifications in 2023; the SA STI Action Plan focuses on people aged 15 to 29, men who have sex with men, and First Nations communities. Adelaide has active PrEP and DoxyPEP use through Australia-wide telehealth pathways.
Medicare and pathology costs. The pathology for a standard five-infection screen is covered by Medicare and most private health insurers, so there is usually nothing to pay at the collection centre. Without Medicare, additional lab fees may apply — check with the lab you attend.
If a result is positive, treatment is arranged on the same call. A Specialist GP calls you to talk it through and arranges treatment — the treatment consult is included at no additional cost. Partner notification is supported via the Let Them Know SMS tool. Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, and HIV are reported anonymously to SA Health for surveillance; this is handled for you and does not appear on your personal records.
A possible HIV exposure is urgent. HIV post-exposure prevention (PEP) must start within 72 hours of exposure to work, so it cannot wait for a routine appointment. Our Emergency PEP service can arrange same-day treatment and a pathology referral within hours; if you cannot reach us in time, go to your nearest hospital emergency department.
Walk into any pathology clinic across Adelaide with your Clinic365 SMS referral — CBD, North Adelaide, Norwood, Glenelg, Marion, Modbury, Salisbury, Elizabeth, and the Adelaide Hills (Stirling, Mount Barker). No appointment needed at most locations. Most are open Monday to Saturday in metro areas.
Yes. The major pathology networks extend across regional SA — your referral works in the Limestone Coast, Riverland, Yorke Peninsula, Eyre Peninsula, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, Barossa Valley, and the Far North. Patients in remote areas can use Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) collection points where available.
Yes. Results go directly to you by SMS. We do not notify your regular GP, employer, or insurer. At the pathology clinic, STI tests are processed like any other blood test — staff don’t know which tests are ordered. Notifiable STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV) are reported anonymously to SA Health under the South Australian Public Health Act 2011 for surveillance and contact tracing — this is anonymous from your perspective and doesn’t appear on your records.
A Specialist GP calls you by telehealth to discuss the result and arrange treatment. Treatment is arranged on the call. The GP also walks you through partner notification using the Let Them Know SMS tool.
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea: 2 weeks. Syphilis: 6 weeks. HIV: 4–6 weeks. Hepatitis B: 6 weeks to 6 months. Testing too early may give a false negative — your Specialist GP can advise on retesting if needed.
HIV post-exposure prevention (PEP) is time-critical — it must start within 72 hours of exposure. SA Health hospital emergency departments can provide free PEP. Our Emergency PEP service can arrange same-day treatment and a pathology referral within hours.
