Antipodean Antics in Adelaide (Adelaide (Australia))

Member Name: harmonyk

Product:	Adelaide (Australia)
Date:	04/08/01 (130 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sunny, Friendly, Inexpensive

Disadvantages: A long way from Sydney

Australia is a BIG country. It has BIG cities and Adelaide is no exception.

This summer I had the pleasure of being invited to stay with a very distant cousin (in-law) in her home in Adelaide. Now when I say 'in' Adelaide I should explain she lives in a suburb to the north of the city - a little place called Munno Para (on the way to Gawler - for any of you bright sparks who are familiar with the area).

I expected this suburb to be maybe a 15 - 20 minute drive from the centre of Adelaide so I was rather surprised to learn that it was a 45 - 50 minute train ride. This sort of distance on a train would mean that my relatives in Poole (Dorset) would in fact be in a suburb of my home town of Southampton (Hampshire). This thought confirmed the fact that Adelaide was a great big city!

With regard to the train rides - I found the transport systems in South Australia to be amazing value for money. At it's most expensive (non-concession day return train ticket) I was able to travel to the city - hop on a bus (some of which are free anyway) or a tram, the Oban (more later on that)or indeed another train, all day, using the same ticket. I had to validate the ticket on each journey (by way of a machine on each vehicle). This cost me the princely sum of A$5.60 (less than £2.30!) British Transport please take heed.

The Oban is another mode of transport that anyone who goes to Adelaide must have a ride on. Included on the transport ticket described above it is a bus that at certain points along its journey travels along railway like tracks. It is somewhat perplexing to notice the bus driver counting out his takings - or even reading his schedule while we are speeding along these tracks! Nevertheless an interesting experience not to be missed.

Once in the City there is an interesting mixture of old and new (as with most cities).
There is a wonderful Zoo and Botanical Gardens - well worth a visit and just along
the road is the free Art Gallery and Musuems.

I went into town one Saturday and took the free bus to Chinatown where there is a huge covered market. The whole place is alive with sellers of everything you could imagine to delight the tastebuds. Samples of cheese, meats, fruit and bread are thrown at you from every direction and one cannot resist the temptation to buy some morcels to take to one of the many parks and have for lunch. If picnics are not your thing and you prefer to hit the shops then a visit to the central shopping area of Rundall Mall and Street is a must. A wide pedestrian precinct lined with all manner of shops and little arcades to amuse and persuade you to part with your credit card and cash!

Myers is one of the biggest department store in the City. Entered by way of a huge shopping centre, it is along the lines of our own John Lewis stores in the UK. Travel down the lift or escalators to the basement and you will find the most amazing food court. Hundreds if not thousands of hungry shoppers come here to eat lunch. Sellers of every kind of hot or cold food imaginable vie for business. I chose a plate of nachos piled up with minced beef, cheese, salad guacamole and salsa it looked like a volcano about to erupt! That cost me A$6.50 (£2.50) including a drink!) The choices were endless - Italian, Chinese, Thai, salads, burgers - you name it, you could buy it - very cheaply.

If you prefer fine cuisine there are a number of good restaurants too - have a look in the Victorian arcades - and further up Rundle Street - there are no shortage of places eager to offer you their epicurian delights.

There are many places to visit via Adelaide. We took the 1920's tram from Victoria Square to Glenelg a popular seaside town. The usual touristy shops and cafes line the main road through the town until you reach the end of the tram line and the beach. Palm trees and a beautiful Victorian town hall lead you down
to the sands. It is a fairly average sandy beach with a nice esplanade to walk along. Red legged and beaked seagulls pester people for scraps of sandwiches and while we were there a street entertainer amazed onlookers with his fire-eating skills.

Another place of interest might be Port Adelaide. We hopped from one platform to another to get another train to this old maritime port. A 15 minute walk from the station brings you to the quayside. On a Sunday there is a large market in a building on the wharf or you can take a boat ride (cost us A$6.50 each) and see the very much industrial port (yawn!) the only good reason for doing this is the dolphins. There are several that live in the area and they can usually be seen cavorting alongside the ships. As you head back toward the station you might call in to the Railway Inn and partake of there hospitality - we had fish and chips. Fred - the landlord kindly provided us with complimentary coffees. Say hello to Harry and Paul while you're there - well you gotta be friendly with the locals haven't you!

There are just so many places to see in and around Adelaide it would be impossible to list them all here, Tandanya - the Aboriginal art gallery, The Barossa Valley - wine making capital of South Australia, Gorge Valley Wildlife Park where you can cuddle a koala, the list is endless. Prices are low, people are friendly, and the sun shines (well most of the time). Adelaide is an often overlooked part of Australia but i felt it had a lot to offer - I can't wait to go back.

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