Why Do People Go There?

Culture: among Australia's cities, Adelaide has long been at the forefront in terms of cultural activities after it began to emerge as the cultural capital of Australia in the 1970s under the leadership of premier Don Dunstan. Though Melbourne has surpassed it in recent years, Adelaide still has a strong cultural focus and is home to events such as the Barossa Music Festival, the Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide Film Festival, and the Fringe Festival, among others. Womadelaide, a world music event, is now annually held in the scenic surrounds of Botanic Park. All illustrate Adelaide's continued dedication to the arts, which is a major drawcard for visitors.

Cuisine: Adelaide's close proximity to three of Australia's major wine producing regions (the Barossa and Clare Valleys and McLaren Vale) has been a major contributing factor towards the city having always had an understanding and appreciation of fine food and wines. Just as one heads to Melbourne when the wardrobe starts to look a little bare and in need of sprucing up, so one heads to Adelaide - and Central Market - when the larder is in need of replenishing with goodies that tempt the tastebuds and add zest to meals. In terms of dining out, Adelaide's cafe culture is still as vibrant and strong as it has ever been.

Colonel Light's Vision

Why Do We Go There?

The pace of life in Adelaide is much slower that say Sydney or Melbourne, and so it is a great place to catch my breath while still remaining on the move. I have good friends there, which is also a good reason to want to return to a place.
Adelaide has the lowest growth of any of the mainland capital cities, which for some might be a negative. To the traveller it is a positive as any changes between one visit and the next are minimal; Adelaide remains familiar to me on each visit. This may sound unimportant, but let me illustrate my point; I have found the changes that Melbourne has gone through in recent years very unsettling, because the things I used to go there for are either no longer there any more and today the focus is on something other than what first attracted me to visit Melbourne.

Where Do We Stay?

Over the years I have stayed in a number of places in and around Adelaide but these days I usually end up in Glenelg. It has a clean, pleasant shopping area with a good selection of reasonably priced places to eat, a varied choice of accommodation, is beachside and 30 minutes from the city by tram. Adelaide International Motel on Anzac Highway has been my motel of choice in recent times when I am not staying with friends.

Adelaide city and Adelaide Oval

What Do We like To Do There?

I am the main cook at home these days so I always make sure I make at least one visit to Central Market in Gouger Street when in Adelaide. Here I stock up on teas, coffees and smallgoods, and if I am flying home to Sydney rather than driving, I purchase some particular cuts of fresh meat that I haven't found to be available anywhere else.
I love Port Adelaide for its old buildings and for the excellent transport museums there. Having a love for both cars and food, I also also try and include a drive through the Adelaide hills to see the car museum at Birdwood and to tickle my tastebuds with the gourmet delights on offer at Hahndorf.

Adelaide At A Glance: the capital city of South Australia, Adelaide is a place of natural beauty and simple elegance. It city centre has wide flat streets, and is surrounded on all sides by parklands. The urban landscape is highlighted with many elegant colonial buildings, museums, churches and galleries.

Victoria Square

Adelaide is situated on the Fleurieu Peninsula overlooking the Gulf St. Vincent, bordered by the low lying Mount Lofty Ranges to the east giving the suburbs a roughly north-south rectangular layout. The population is 1,072,585 (census 2001). In terms of population, it is the fifth largest of the Australian capital cities.
Adelaide was established in 1836 as the centre of a planned colony of free immigrants, promising freedom from religious persecution and civil liberties and as such does not share the convict history of other Australian cities, like Sydney and Hobart. Coincidental to that fact, the name Adelaide comes from the German words meaning "Noble Birth". Adelaide has a metropolitan population of just over 1 million, making it Australia's fifth largest city.
Adelaide is often referred to as the 'City Of Churches', although this is a reflection more on Adelaide's past than its present. Rumour has it that for every church that was built in Adelaide, a public house was also built to serve the less pious.
From its earliest, Adelaide attracted immigrants from many countries, particularly German migrants escaping religious persecution. They brought with them the vine cuttings that founded the acclaimed wineries of the Barossa Valley. After World War II, Italians, Greeks, Dutch, Polish, and possibly every other European nationality came to make a new start. An influx of Asian immigrants following the Vietnam War added to the mix. These cultures have blended to form a rich and diverse cuisine and vibrant restaurant culture.
Much of the area around Adelaide was once used for wine grape production, so that wine growing districts (such as the Barossa Valley, for which Adelaide and South Australia are well known) remain within a short drive of the city outskirts.
Adelaide's cultural life flourished in the 1970s under the leadership of premier Don Dunstan, removing some of the more puritanical restrictions on cultural activities then prevalent around Australia. Now the city is home to events such as the Barossa Music Festival, the Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide Film Festival, and the Fringe Festival, among others. Womadelaide, a world music event, is now annually held in the scenic surrounds of Botanic Park, emphasising Adelaide's dedication to the arts which has prevailed since the days of Don Dunstan. Adelaide now has a very vibrant and flourishing cafe culture, mainly in the east end of the city.