Adelaide, On a Plane
Today, I will leave the opening of the post to the great Ben Folds, who wrote a song about Adelaide entitled, surprisingly, Adelaide.
Adelaide City Hall
Adelaide
On a plane
Far from the united states
Of LA
Dropping in from outer space
Takes a day
Now I see the Bogans
At the motor race
Here you know the world could turn
Or crash and burn
And you would never know it
Going where the air is clear
There’s better beer in AdelaideCharlie L. Smith’s forty
Someone spiked my rice
The rest, history
Now I am a fixture downRundle Mall
Watching as the locals pass
Silver balls
I can see their eyes are round
They’re pointed down
They scan the spanning sidewalks
Learning that there is no hurry
Fuss or worry
AdelaideIt’s raining
In Adelaide
A face is waiting in a window
A voice says
Why Adelaide
You could live anywhere and I say
Because I want to
Because I want to
I really really want toAnd you know the earth could turn
Or crash and burn
And you would never know it
Really got to make it to the finish line
Get the record done on time
Pack the bags
And catch a flight
And you can kiss my ass goodbye
I’m in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, usually elicits the following response when you tell Aussies you’re going to visit there:
“Why?”
Bridge over the River Torrens
Indeed, Adelaide is a bit out of the way, and while it’s a big city (around 1.2 million people) it still seems to think it’s a small town. Still, I found Adelaide to be a wonderful little city, even though my visit was very, very short.
Metropolitan Hotel
I only spent two full days in Adelaide, which for this portion of the visit was actually adequate. I started off on the first day at the Information Centre on Flinders Street Mall, where I took in the free orientation tour of the CBD. I was rather disappointed with the tour, as our guide did a lot of standing and pointing. We would walk to a central location, and he would point in a direction and say “You can see this and that and the other thing down this way” and then we’d move to another location and do much the same. Mind you, he did say outright that this was an “orientation tour” and not what I would call a proper tour, so I guess I was forewarned. Still, while practical, it wasn’t very interesting.
Adelaide Town Hall
The first thing I noticed is that Adelaide is quite Victorian in constructions – I don’t think I’ve seen that many actual Victorian buildings in such close quarters.
Adelaide GPO (General Post Office)
Within a 5-minute walk of Victoria Square, there are literally dozens of beautiful buildings to see. I was very impressed at the level of conservation of old buildings, and as my Tour guide pointed out, the city has always had a high regard for heritage buildings. You can see it as you walk around, because even new developments maintain a regard for the cityscape. Very nice.
Supreme Court of South Australia
An interesting feature of Adelaide is that it was also completely planned, and so the CBD is surrounded by parks – I learned recently that, apparently, the size of the parks were determined by the distance a cannonball could fly from the edge of the city. As such, the parks are quite wide and extensive. Along the river, they are particularly pretty, and I spent an afternoon walking along the river and through the botanical gardens. The river divided Adelaide from North Adelaide, and is home to many parks and attractions, as well as the Festival Centre, an interesting building home to galleries, a concert hall, and a theatre.
Adelaide Festival Centre
In March, Adelaide is invaded by performers and audiences for the Adelaide Fringe, which is what Adelaide is most known for outside of the state. The Fringe is in March, so I sadly will miss it, but in reading about it, it’s quite the spectacle.
Festival Centre Forecourt
Along North Terrace can be found the cultural hub of Adelaide. Within a very short walk, one can find the Convention Centre, the old Central Station, now a casino (another heritage building as casino… I sense a theme in this country), Parliament House, the State Library, the State Museum, and the State Gallery. It’s a very smart idea, putting all of these things in one area, and it allows for one to get easily from attraction to attraction.
State Library of South Australia
Detail from the Entrance of the State Library
The State Library is two heritage buildings bridged by a new glass wing, and along with a cafe and free wifi, it provides one with a lovely place to rest. In the East wing, there is an exhibition of artifacts that tell the story of South Australia, and it’s a wonderful exhibit full of interesting historic, cultural and political artifacts.
South Australia State Library
The best part of the exhibit, however, is the library itself. My immediate thought on walking into the room was “Now THIS is a library.” The wood is dark and rich, the ceilings are lofty, and the books are plentiful. What a stunning room. I am well aware that the trend in architecture is for large, open, airy spaces, but there is something to be said for the elegant gravitas of an old-school, beautiful reading room. I could have stayed there for days.
The South Australia Museum is adjacent to the State Library, and I must say that, of all of the State Museums I’ve visited, this one impressed me most. Every State Museum has a section dedicated to Aboriginal history and culture, but this one’s was by far the most comprehensive, and it really kept one’s attention. There is also a stellar exhibit on the peoples of the Western Pacific, specifically focussed on Papua-New Guinea and other Polynesian islands. I was in a bit of a rush, but the 90 minutes I spent in the museum was well worth it, and I don’t know if more time was necessary, except for perhaps taking the time to watch every video in the room.
Scale model of a long house from Papua-New Guinea
The South Australia State Parliament is a beautiful building with an interesting past. originally commissioned in the late 1800s, it was not completed to its present state until the 1930s, and indeed, it remains unfinished – the dome originally planned for the Parliament House is as yet unbuilt.
Lower House, South Australia Parliament House
The tour of Parliament House was nice. Our tour guide, while knowledgeable, was soft-spoken to the point of near-shyness. he did, however, give a good tour, although I found he glossed over the intermediary parts of the building in favour of the upper and lower houses.
The Lower House, which was the first completed, is very typical of the period – very ornate, beautiful carvings and wood and stone, and surprisingly small – only 47 MPs sit in the lower house.
Upper House
The Upper House, which was completed in the 1930s, was very different – its decor is for more understated, and very definitely art deco and minimalist. Surprisingly to me, the Upper House has only 22 members.
Adelaide Central Market
Another feature of the CBD is the Central Market, which is your very typical public market, with frutis and veg, butchers, fish mongers and the like. I did enjoy the variety of stuff that could be found (had a fantastic from a bakery) but I found it somewhat overpriced overall. Still, a good place to find good food, which is always a bonus.
Adelaide was my first foray into CouchSurfing in a formal sense. I signed up a while ago on the CouchSurfing website, and until this, I hadn’t used it. But seeing as I had absolutely no contacts in the area, and I wanted to save some cash, I dove in. I stayed with the most lovely couple, Hugh and Phil, in North Adelaide. What a delight! They were wonderful people, and kept me well-fed, well-walked and well-entertained. After dinner both nights, we went for a walk around the area, and they spoke of the area and what there was to see and do. We conversed on a wide variety of subjects, and they were so interesting to talk with about life in Australia and their travel experiences. I also got treated to a pageant about the Bunyip – such a treat. It was such a good experience, I immediately went out and started looking for couchsurfing opportunities in Alice Springs and Darwin.
I also stayed a night at the YHA Hostel in the CBD, which was a good experience. My room had a balcony overlooking the street (and the construction across the way), which during the day was wonderful for sitting out and reading, but which proved to be a pain at night as the hostel is on a street with a few bars, so I woke up time to time to hear a fight or an argument or unc-cha-unc-cha music.
In Conclusion…
I will be passing through Adelaide in January on my way to Alice Springs, so I’m interested to see what I will find to do – I imagine a day will be spent in Glenelg (the first palindrome town I’ve ever encountered) which I understand is a beautiful little village with a fantastic beach, and otherwise, who knows? all I know is I enjoyed the laid-back vibe of the place, and I look forward to going back to see what else I can find.
Special Thanks
HUGE Special thanks and love go out, of course, to Hugh and Phil. Thanks so much for making me feel welcome in your home.
To view my photo album from Adelaide, click on the title.
Rocky on the Road 