Welcome to Adelaide! A very nice and green Australian city, surrounded by parks, with beautiful buildings, full of churches (it is also called the city of the churches). Adelaide is located between the hills and the sea, which is why it has very nice weather.
I liked it very much and enjoyed walking along the big avenues and around the parks. I visited an interesting museum, with a splendid collection of Australian art.
The shopping is around Rundle Mall, a pedestrian street. You can find things to buy that are very similar to those in Brisbane. Read about the shopping in Brisbane. You will find same things in Adelaide. Rundle street, the artistic area, together with Melbourne and O’Connell streets in North Adelaide are known for their cafés, bistros and restaurants.
The location of the city in the beginning brought a lot of controversy. John Hindmarsh ordered Colonel Light to found the city at the mouth of the recently explored River Murray, which the authorities thought would lead them to discover the interior of Australia. Colonel Light had very little time before the colonists arrived and had to choose the place to start building the city in a very short time. He explored the mouth of the Murray River, which was frequently obstructed, and the dangerous coast. He decided to construct the city around 95km from the mouth of The Murray, North on the Gulf of Saint Vincent on an internal hill. Hindmarsh was very upset with Light, but the city grew and prospered, while the towns on the coast did not.
On Montefiore Hill there is a bronze statue in commemoration of Colonel Light. From this hill you can enjoy a fantastic view of the city, the parks and the twin towers of the church of St. Peter’s Cathedral, in neo gothic style, the Torrens River and the skyline of the city (known as Light ‘s vision).
It is very easy and relaxing to get around Adelaide. North Terrace is the cultural heart of town, with its nice museums and colonial buildings, surrounded by beautiful trees and parks. Adelaide has a Mediterranean climate, with very good food and wines.
It is a very conservative city and is divided in two by the Torrens River. The two parts are connected by the elegant Adelaide Bridge. The larger bridge is in the commercial area. There is another in North Adelaide, a residential zone in a very pretty neighbourhood surrounded by green. Some of the most beautiful houses in town are in this area, together with stone cottages, nice bars and some of the better restaurants in town. It is very close to the centre, just cross the bridge.
There is Hindley street, in the small red light area, and Gouger street, where there is the famous Central Market, a very good place to have a nice coffee in the morning, as we did, husbanito and me, together with our local friends Hamish and his wife Pangy, excellent hosts who took us around on our first visit to this very nice city. The market is full of fresh food, delicatessens and local products very nicely presented. You can have very good breakfast and lunch there. The fruit, vegetables and the Australian fish are excellent. As I said before my favourite fish is the Barramundi. The meat is also excellent. All the products are very fresh and inviting. There is also a great variety of cheeses, especially goat’s cheese. In the market you can also find Australian souvenirs and Uggs boots.
Gouger street has lot of different restaurants.
On Sundays on Rundle street there is a market from 9 am to approximately 4 pm, where you can find a variety of Australian crafts, leather and other interesting things.
In Adelaide take your time to visit the Festival Center. It is a small version of the Sydney Opera House. Go to la Pinacoteca and the Parliament House. There were 50 years of discussions before construction started. The Old Parliament houses today the Australian Democracy Museum. There is the State Library, where you can find a lot of information of old times, The South Australian Museum and The Art Gallery of South Australia, which has a fantastic collection of Australian Art. In the Migration Museum you can see and hear the stories of lots of people that came to live in this incredible country. There is Ayers House, the house of the seven times Premier of South Australia, Henry Ayers. Government House has very beautiful ornamental gardens. The building, in neo classic style, is the residence of the Governor of South Australia. Also near the residence you find the exclusive Adelaide Club men’s club ,where husbanito had lunch with a friend. It is very traditional.
Visit the Botanic Gardens and the zoo. Very nice also is the railway station, which has become the Skycity Casino, after being restored, for those of you that like to gamble. Here you can find the Intercontinental hotel, one of the better hotels of the city, with very good service.
If you have time buy nice food for a picnic in the Central Market and go to Elder Park.
From the city, when it is hot in summer you can take an old restored tram from Victoria square and go to Glenelg, approximately 10 km from Adelaide, on the coast. If you want some exercise you can cycle there down a very good cycle path. It used to be where people from the city went for vacations. It has a British atmosphere. It is where the first colonists of South Australia arrived in 1836. If you visit the port you can see a reproduction of H.M.S Buffalo the ship that arrived with the first colonists. Now it is a very popular fish restaurant. Being the nearest beach to Adelaide, it gets very crowded during the weekends. Visit the Maritime Museum and walk around the shops, bars and restaurants.
By car you can go to the Adelaide Hills. We really enjoyed being driven around the area by our friends. There are many beautiful places on the hills. It is very green and has pleasant towns. I saw some beautiful houses as well as some kangaroos. I recommend that you to rent a car and visit this area. The Hills are only 20 minutes from Adelaide. And the temperature in summer is fresher than in the city, which is why people from Adelaide have houses there. With the freeway you can get there quickly. If you want to have information on the area, get the Adelaide Hills Classic Country drive, there you can find where to go, towns to visit, where to eat, wine tasting places and a lot of useful information.
We were so lucky to be taking around by local friends which made our visit and stay very special. There are several historical towns, such as Hahndorf, the first German settlement in the South Australia Area. It was populated by Germans escaping from their country because of religious problems. The town is full of souvenir shops and German style bars, restaurants, houses. You can have a German lunch or dinner. It is nice to walk along the main street.
You can also visit the Cleland Wildlife Park, a beautiful natural park where you can give feed kangaroos and pet koalas and wallabies. The hills are very good for trekking: there are a lot of trails to walk.
Wine areas near Adelaide
The famous Barossa Valley, the most famous wine area in the south of Australia and is the principal wine area of the South Australia and where you will find the largest exporters of wine in Australia such as Penfolds, Peter Lehman, Orlando, Yulamba, Seppelts, Wolf Blass and Henschke.
The area was occupied by Lutherans escaping from Prussia. The only time when immigrants did not from Britain. These people brought with them their knowledge of wine production. Barossa is around 70 km from Adelaide and the town of Tanunda is the most touristic town there. Cheese lovers can follow the Barossa Cheese and wine trail.
Visit also the lovely town of Angaston. Most of the wineries have free wine tasting, but if you want to try the best wines they are not free. You can visit Chateau Yaldara.
Have a gourmet meal at Maggie Beer ‘s farm shop where you can taste local products. Also famous is Coonawarra, which produces some of the best red wines. The best of them is the Eldorado Terra Rossa of Coonawarra. In the area you can also visit Naracoorte Caves Park.
Southern Vales is the oldest wine area of the state, famous for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. The famous known ones are Chapel Hill, Hardy’s Reynella, Haslegrove and Wirra Wirra.
Clare Valley: the best time to visit the area is during the Sea and Wine Festival in the month of June. There is a special bus that makes a tour of the different wineries. The best place to stay during the visit of the wine area is in MacLaren Vale, full of nice shops, art galleries, crafts shops, bars and restaurants, and lots of B&B.
Adelaide Hills is famous for its Chardonnay, such as Karl Seppelts Grandi Cru Estate and Petaluma.
In the South of Australia there are hundreds of festivals, check when you are planning to visit the area to see if during your stay you can participate to one or more of them.
Victor Harbor is the week end place for the residents of Adelaide, because the temperature is several degrees cooler than the city, by car you cross the wine area of McLaren Vale. Víctor Harbour is located in Encounter Bay. The town was founded in 1837 as a whale fishing Port. If you come during the months from June to October, you can see the incredible whales, that return every year. You can also see the Penguin Colony near Granite Island. You can tour the town on a tram pulled by horses.
Visit also Goolwa, that has nice beaches, visit the Goolwa museum. Also the area of the lower Murray River is very nice to explore.
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island Is only 16 km from the coast of South Australia. The island is a natural paradise, full of plants and wild animals and has not been spoiled. It is also full of national parks, the most important is Flinders Chase National Park, that has a spectacular rocky coast and eucalyptus forests.
You are quite likely to find wild koalas roaming free. There are many more of them than the local human inhabitants of the island: around 30,000!
The koalas were not originally on the island. They were brought here because they were in danger of extinction in around 1923. They reproduced very well, but then they destroyed the secular eucalyptus trees – they can only eat the leaves from few types of eucalyptus. They thus became a big problem. They tried to control the natality, but without success. They took some animals to other places. Anyway, they are still a problem. Their numbers keep growing. You can see them in the Flinders National Park and around the Cygnet River. It is not easy to see them in the eucalyptus trees, since they camouflage very well. However, look very carefully and you will see them.
You can feel the tranquility and a rural type of life here still. Although in recent years the construction of some luxury resorts has somewhat changed the atmosphere. On the Island there are 24 national parks. To access to the national Parks, you need a pass. You can buy the Island Parks Pass when you arrive on the island. Check the various benefits that you have when you buy the pass. If you want to see the wild life of the island, the best way is to do a safari, either organized or go around by yourself.
First visit Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park and then the Seal Bay Conservation Park, where you can see the impressive sea lions. Visit the beaches of Vivonne Bay with the sand dunes and then go to Kelly Hill Conservation Park and grottoes, discovered during the nineteen-eighties, where you can see kangaroos, wallabies, dolphins, seals, sea lions, penguins, whales and sharks and lots of species of birds. You can walk for hours around the parks enjoying the nature and watching the animals.
On this Island a lot of honey, goat’s cheese, fresh water shrimp and organic chickens are produced.
The island has a population of around 4,500 people and was colonised in 1806 by prisoners who had escaped from American whaling boats. They camped near the American River, constructed a boat and started the killing and extermination of the seal community. They also used to attack the local aboriginal population. They did terrible things until the colonial authorities sent in their militia and imprisoned near all the population of the island.
You have access to the Island by ferry or by plane. Check the type of hotel or accommodation that is most suited to you. There are all types from camping to luxury resorts for every pocket and taste.
There are several combinations of tours to do in the area:
- 3 days Adelaide and Barossa;
- 3 days Adelaide and Kangaroo island;
- 4 days Adelaide, Barossa and Kangaroo Island;
- 5 days, food, wine and Natural wonders of South Australia;
- 7 day Flinders Ranges and Barossa Experience; and
- 8 days Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and Murray River.
I would recommend renting a car to see Australia. This way you will have time to drive around and appreciate this great country. Good bye and see you soon! Enjoy Australia as we did. It is an incredible country!
I want to thank National Geographic Traveler – Australia for its help during our trip to Australia, giving us lots of very good information, tips and recommendations on places to visit and especially for the beautiful pictures.