| Adelaide
City |
| ADELAIDE
is always thought of as a gracious city and an easy place to live; despite
a population of around one million and a slick veneer of sophistication,
it still has the feel of an overgrown country town. It’s a pretty place,
laid out on either side of the Torrens River, ringed with a green
belt of parks and set against the rolling hills of the Mount Lofty
Ranges. During the hot, dry summer the parklands are kept green by
irrigation from the waters of the Murray River on which the city depends;
there’s always a sense that the rawness of the Outback is waiting to
take over. |
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| The
traditional way of life of the Kuarna people, the original
occupants of the Adelaide Plains, had been destroyed within twenty years
of the landing of Governor John Hindmarsh at Holdfast Bay in 1836. The
Surveyor General for the colony, Colonel William Light, had visionary
plans for the new city. After a long struggle with Hindmarsh, who wanted
to build on a harbour, Light got his wish for a city on the western side
of “the enchanted hills”, with a strong connection to the river. In
1823, Light had fondly written of the Sicilian city of Catania: “The two
principal streets cross each other at right angles in the square in the
direction of north and south and east and west. They are wide and spacious
and about a mile long”, and this became the basis for the plan of
Adelaide. Postwar immigration provided the final element missing from his
plan – the human one: Italians now make up the biggest non-Anglo
cultural group, and the café society they introduced adds spirit to the
city.
In the Mediterranean-style hot, dry summers,
alfresco eating and drinking are commonplace and lend the city a vaguely
European air, with its wide, well-planned streets and squares transformed
with a squint of the eye into boulevards. One of the chief delights of
Adelaide is the interest its inhabitants take in food and wine,
with restaurants and cafés as culturally varied as Sydney’s and
Melbourne’s but much cheaper, and South Australian wine monopolizing
every cellar. Unlike a European city, though, the centre is virtually
deserted in the evening and on Sunday – except for a couple of lively
thoroughfares. However, culture is held in high esteem, and the city comes
to life every year with a festival: the Adelaide Festival of Arts
(held on even years) or Womadelaide (odd years).
Outwardly conservative, Adelaide nonetheless has
the advantage of South Australia’s liberal traditions, with a nudist
beach, relaxed drug laws and 24-hour hotel licences. It’s the free and
easy lifestyle within an ordered framework that’s so appealing;
Adelaide may not be an obvious destination in itself, but it’s a great
place for a relaxed break on your way up to the Northern Territory or
across to Western Australia, with only daunting Outback and great
distances ahead.
The Citycentre |
| Adelaide’s
city centre, south of the river, is a strict grid surrounded by parkland:
at the very centre of the grid is Victoria Square, and each city
quarter has its own smaller square. North Terrace is the cultural
precinct with all the major museums, the two universities and the state
library. Hindley Street is the liveliest in town, and the focus of
the city’s nightlife, while Rundle Mall, its continuation, is the
main shopping area, and Rundle Street, further east, the arty café
strip. The other important area lies west of Victoria Square: between
Grote and Gouger streets is the lively Central Market and the small
Chinatown. The Torrens River flows to the north of North
Terrace, with the Botanic Gardens and the Zoo on its south bank. Three
main roads cross the river to the distinctive colonial architecture and
café culture of North Adelaide, with O’Connell Street the
main drag on this side.
As you wander Adelaide’s streets, you’re
struck by the bourgeois solidity of the structures – a solidity enhanced
by the fact that virtually every building, public or domestic, is stone:
sandstone, bluestone, South Australian freestone or slate. The city’s
well-preserved Victorian architecture is not the over-the-top style
built from money made quickly in the 1850s goldrush, as it is in
Melbourne. Rather Adelaide, which suffered numerous economic setbacks
before establishing a steady mining industry, built up its wealth slowly,
and the buildings have a reassuring permanence. There’s really only one
place to start your tour, and that’s tree-lined North Terrace, a
long heritage streetscape perfect for exploring on foot.
Rundle Street Area |
| The
main shopping area in the central business district is Rundle Mall,
where several arcades branch off a busy pedestrian mall. It manages to be
bustling yet relaxed at the same time, enhanced by trees, benches,
alfresco cafés, fruit and flower stalls, and usually a busker or two to
draw a crowd.
Behind its Victorian facade, the futuristic Myer
Centre has eight levels, glass lifts and a huge atrium. There’s an
extraordinary amusement park, Dazzleland, on the top two floors,
and shops include the city’s two best department stores, Myer and David
Jones, the latter with a fabulous food department. While you’re here,
take a look at the decorative Adelaide Arcade and the Regent
Theatre. By night, Rundle Mall is eerily deserted, a strange contrast to
Hindley and Rundle streets on either side, which really come to life after
dark.
Rundle Street was once the traditional
home of Adelaide’s wholesale fruit and vegetable market, and later its
lively, down-at-heel feel was appropriated by the alternative and arty,
and by university students from the nearby campuses on North Terrace. It
is now the focus of up-and-coming Adelaide, full of outdoor cafés and
restaurants, with the two best pubs in town (The Austral and The
Exeter), some slick bars, trendy hairdressers, clothes stores, and
record shops; designer homeware stores too are creeping in.
The East End Market here (Fri–Sun
9am–6pm) is a covered bazaar with two hundred stalls selling New Age
trinkets and mass-produced commercial stuff. The main area has a
cosmopolitan food court and an excellent market selling fresh produce, but
it’s all a bit sanitized. Sundays are busiest, when the place is packed
with families, and Chinese masseurs are out in force. Opposite the East
End Market, the disused Adelaide Fruit and Produce Exchange (1903)
is worth a peek. Built of red brick with curved archways and yellow
plaster friezes above of fruit, vegetables and wheat, it’s a classically
Edwardian building.
Behind the facade, rather unimaginative luxury
apartments have been built, and these, along with the the two new movie
complexes on the street – including an IMAX giant-screen cinema – are
gradually homogenizing the area.
Attractions & Sights |
- Zoological Gardens
Located in shady parklands a few minutes walk from
Adelaide's city centre is one of Australia's most historic and
interesting zoos. The zoo is beautifully landscaped with grassy moated
enclosures, walk-through aviaries full of trees and a superb reptile
house. The Adelaide Zoo is involved in conservation, education and
research. There is a special emphasis on breeding rare species like the
red panda and Persian leopard and on exhibiting seldom seen Australian
animals including the yellow-footed rock wallaby, a native of the
Flinders Ranges. Feeding times: Seals: Daily 11.45am and 3.45pm.
Big cats: Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun & Public Holidays 3.15pm. Penguins:
Daily 2.45pm. Pelicans: Daily 2.30pm. Frome Road, Adelaide;
OPENING HOURS: Daily including Christmas Day from 9.30am to 5pm.
Conducted tours Sundays and Public Holidays only. 11.30am and 2pm. Open
late certain evenings during January and February.
- Art Gallery of South Australia
The Art Gallery was officially opened in 1881. The
entire collection is divided into four areas: prints and drawings,
Australian decorative arts, European and Asian decorative arts, painting
and sculpture. Highlights of the collection include Australian art from
the 18th century (with an emphasis on the art of South Australians) and
European and British art from the 16th century to the present day. North Terrace, Adelaide;
OPENING HOURS: Daily 10 am to 5pm. Closed Christmas Day & Good
Friday. Free guided tours at 11am & 1pm weekdays and 11am & 3pm
weekends. Lunchtime talks on most Tuesdays at 12.45pm.
- Tate Museum
This museum houses an international collection of
rocks, minerals and fossils and a stratigraphical collection of South
Australia. Also displayed is memorabilia from the Antarctic expeditions
of Sir Douglas Mawson. Dept of Geology & Geophysics, Ground
Floor, Mawson Laboratory, University of Adelaide, Cnr Frome Rd and
Victoria Drv, Adelaide; OPENING HOURS: Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm.
- South Australian Museum
This museum is a treasure-trove of fascinating
objects. It is recognised internationally for its Australian Aboriginal
collections and many of its cultural history collections which include
Ngurunderi, an Aboriginal Dreaming and the Egyptian Room. The museum has
its own shop and information centre. North Terrace, Adelaide
OPENING HOURS: Daily 10 am to 5pm. Anzac Day (25 April) 1 pm to 5pm.
Closed Christmas Day & Good Friday.
- South Australian Police Museum
The Police Museum is housed in the beautifully
restored former mounted police barracks built in 1851. In the museum you
will find interesting displays on policing history. The Armoury Building
built in 1856 is adjacent to the museum and in its early days contained
military stores, ammunition and related police and military equipment. Kintore Avenue, Adelaide;
OPENING HOURS: Sat, Sun & Public Holidays 1 pm to 5pm. Closed
Christmas Day & Good Friday.
- South Australia's Theatre Museum
The Performing Arts Collection of South Australia
is living history, representing the rich heritage of the performing arts
in this state. The collection holds over 40,000 acquisitions including
programs, posters, photographs, puppets, masks, video tapes and much
more from all fields of the arts including ballet, opera, drama, circus,
vaudeville and radio. Southern Plaza Basement, Adelaide Festival
Centre, King William Road, Adelaide.
OPENING HOURS: Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm (by appointment for
students/researchers) .
- Migration Museum
South Australia's history comes to life at the
Migration Museum, housed in the restored remnants of Adelaide's old
Destitute Asylum. Here you can learn the story of South Australia's
migrants: who they were, why they came, their skills, culture and
visions for the future.
- State History Centre
Old Parliament House, built in 1855, has been
superbly restored and operates an award-winning museum. It was the first
permanent site of the South Australian Parliament and now proyides an
ideal introduction to the state's history, with displays and an audio
visual program. North Terrace, Adelaide;
OPENING HOURS: Mon to Fri & Public Holidays 10am to 5pm. Sat &
Sun 12noon to 5pm. Closed Christmas Day & Good Friday.
- Old Treasury Building Museum
Portions of the old Treasury Building date back to
1839. On display is a unique collection of exploration, surveying,
drafting and computing instruments and artefacts. The major theme of the
display is the history of land settlement and development of South
Australia since 1836. Cnr King William and Flinders streets, Adelaide;
OPENING HOURS: Mon to Fri 10 am to4pm. Guided tours by arrangement.
- Black Hill Conservation Park
Only a short distance from the city centre, Black
Hill Conservation Park has something for everyone. The park features
walking trails, picnic tables, self guided walks, scenic views and
bushland. Addison Avenue, Athelstone;
OPENING HOURS: Daily 8.30am to 5pm Park will be closed on declared total
fire ban days.
Festivals & Events |
- THE CITY OF ADELAIDE CARNIVAL SPRING
REGATTA - LEISURE DAY IN THE PARK The City of Adelaide Carnival Sprint Regatta and Leisure Day in the
Park are both annual events. This year the two events have combined for the first time to provide a
2-day free family event for all ages. The Regatta features boat races
including, singles, pairs, doubles, quads, fours and the popular
eights taking place throughout each day at 3-minute intervals on the
Torrens Lake Kate Slatter Sprint Regatta Course. Novelty rowing events
including dragon boats, navy challenges and other water-based events
will be held both days. Leisure Day in the Park is a unique event incorporating more than 150
recreational, leisure, sport, outdoor, environment, fitness and arts
organisations. WHEN: 30-31 October WHERE: Adelaide, South Australia;
LOCATION: Torrens Lake and adjacent parklands -
Elder Park and Pinky Flat; TIME: 10:00 am -10:00pm Saturday and 10:00am - 4:00pm Sunday;
COST: Free
- The Come Out Youth Arts Festival (March -
April) The Come Out Youth Arts Festival has grown from a
limited program of workshops and performances for young people as a part
of the 1974 Adelaide Festival of Arts, to an independent biennial
festival for, by and with Young people which embraces the entire state.
It is a major event in the arts calendar of South Australia considered
one of the three foremost youth arts festivals in the world. Events
during this festival are held in Adelaide and South Australian country
regions.
- Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival (April)
Racing was first held at Oakbank in 1876. Today,
as in past years, huge crowds flock to this famous picnic race meeting
set in the picturesque Adelaide Hills. Oakbank, the largest picnic race
meeting in the southern hemisphere, attracts worldwide interest and
boasts such events as the Onkaparinga Cup and the Great Eastern
Steeplechase.
- Adelaide Rose Festival (April)
Another biennial event is the Rose Festival,
presented by the Rose Society of South Australia and the City of
Adelaide. The festival features display, shows, field days and open
gardens to honour the beauty of the rose.
- Adelaide Cup (May)
South Australia's major horse racing event is held
at Morphettville Racecourse, Adelaide, in May each year. A highlight in
the yearly racing calendar for race goers and punters, Adelaide Cup is
celebrated as a public holiday.
- Royal Adelaide Show (September)
Every year in September the Wayville Showgrounds
come alive with the Royal Adelaide Show. In its early days the show was
a way of bringing a slice of country life to the city and this aim is
still achieved today. There are many attractions including livestock and
produce, rides and sideshows, arena events and much more.
- Hills Affare, A Fun Food & Wine Weekend
(September) Hills wineries and Hills restaurants combine to
present a weekend of delicious food, quality wines and fun.
- Bay to Birdwood (September)
Australia's premier historic motoring event for
pre- 1950 vehicles, held in every even numbered year.
- Schutzenfest (Januari)
Schutzenfest, meaning 'shooting festival'.
originated in the provinces of Germany, where almost every town had its
celebrations and the King Shooter received an award. It was a time of
feasting and fun. This historic event is organised by the South
Australian German Association continues the traditions every January
with its own Schutzenfest. Visitors are treated to German style food and
beverages, music and entertainment.
- Adelaide Festival Fringe (Februari - March)
The alternative to the 'official' festival
attracts a dazzling array of Australian and international performers and
visual artiststo Adelaide for four weeks of non-stop activities. The
many performances, events and exhibitions range from crazy and bizarre
to serious and experimental
- Adelaide Festival (March)
The Adelaide Festival, a three week biennial
festival, is held in March of each even numbered year and has grown into
Australia's major cultural event. The program includes music, drama,
ballet, opera, dance, art exhibitions and light entertainment.
For more regional
information on Adelaide, go to: |
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