Car with young couple inside on a date swallowed by Adelaide sinkhole

A young couple's car was swallowed by a sinkhole as they stopped to view the lights over Adelaide on a date last night.

The couple's Suzuki SUV was parked on a hill in Glen Osmond, in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills, when a sinkhole opened up beneath it about 11.30pm and swallowed the vehicle.  

It fell front-first into the hole and came to rest with just its rear bumper and boot above ground level.

The couple, aged in their early 20s, climbed out of the hole and suffered only minor bruising. 

A local resident told 9NEWS there were disused silver mine shafts in the area, which had previously been fenced off and may have been affected by recent heavy rain.

"That used to be a mine shaft, about 30 or 40 years ago," he said.