The aim of this study was to identify characteristics that predispose older residents of Adelaide to falling. Information collected in the baseline phase of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing was used to draw cross-sectional comparisons between participants who reported having fallen on at least one occasion in the previous 12 months and those participants who reported not having fallen. The baseline cohort consisted of 1947 participants aged 70 years or more, of whom 550 (28 per cent) reported having fallen at least once in the previous year. Independent risk factors for falling were: age; having left school at an early age; a worsening of vision in recent years; and histories of Parkinson's disease, fractured hip, glaucoma, stroke (including transient ischaemic attack), corns or bunions, or arthritis. The findings regarding medical histories suggest some possible opportunities for reducing the risk of falls in the elderly by managing the symptoms and risk factors of underlying conditions such as stroke and loss of vision.