A = Adelaide, South Australia

ADELAIDE - Australia

Background and history ...

Adelaide - the capital city of the state of South Australia, located on the River Torrens. It's coastline lies on the St Vincent Gulf.

Founded in 1836 as a province within Australia for free British settlers (as opposed to convicts!), and named in honour of Queen Adelaide, the city was planned by Colonel William Light with a sensible grid layout. There are wide boulevards and public squares and the city is completely surrounded by parklands. Colonel Light got his recipe right. 

My Adelaide story ...

My first visit to Adelaide was in 2019 and it took me by surprise. It's a city that had been described to me as dull and predictable. Despite that, I was expecting an enjoyably pleasant stay. In reality, I was blown away by what is a well-planned, attractive and vibrant city and, when I'd had a decent taste of all the city offers, I decided that it's a city that is anything but dull. It's a city that makes sense. I wasn't expecting to be wowed in the way that I was. 

In summer it gets hot. Boiling hot. In winter it gets cold. Icy cold. I was there in autumn (April) - the weather was 100% perfect. 

I stayed at The Playford Hotel, a very enchanting Art Nouveau property that evokes grace and nostalgia. It's well located and has a wonderful lobby/bar area which is perfect for a cocktail and light bite. I was bemused to walk around the corner from the hotel on my first night and discover Blyth Street (my surname), a small side street that seemed innocuous at first. However, my stomach was happy that I discovered a wonderful Thai restaurant offering a modern fusion menu right there on the street of my own name. The prawn curry was exceptional. 

My room was comfortable and spacious, but without a view - well, unless you call looking across a back alley onto an apartment block whose bathrooms have vaguely frosted windows. OMG I was horrified to open my curtains early on the first morning and, in the dim autumnal morning light, look straight into the bathroom of a woman showering and getting ready for work. The vision was vaguely fuzzy but her light was on and that frosty window didn't do much to obscure an innocent voyeuristic moment. I looked away and felt utter horror for the poor woman. Thankfully we'll never meet. The next morning I opened my curtains and averted my eyes, but not before catching a glimpse of ablutions going on. 

I mentioned this awkward morning moment to another guest. OMG she assured me that seeing a woman showering was positively tame - she'd had to endure seeing a man in action in his loo. Good grief! I had to wonder what was worse - glimpsing things our morning eyes didn't need to see, or being an oblivious local resident doing morning ablutions on full show to half the guests of the next door upmarket hotel. How long had this been going on? Is it still going on? Moral of the story - frosted glass doesn't always work as well as it should - often it's to do with the angles and lighting. Beware! It's quite good that most hotel bathrooms are internal and windowless!

The Playford is a short walk to Rundle Mall and Rundle Street, the hub of the city, and access from here to everywhere is easy. Adelaide is rich with cultural offerings. It's awash with impressive modern architecture, alongside distinctive heritage buildings. Diverse city vistas from various perspectives. Urban streets with houses that are rather beautiful. Streets with beautiful urban art. Peaceful pedestrianised precincts. A relaxed buzz of people getting about their business. 

The Art Gallery is special. Outside the striking colonnaded building is a shiny "egg" sculpture in which the gallery and the city are reflected. And yourself if you stand in the right place. Clever. 

Inside the lovely building, modernity and history skip happily alongside each other in cultured harmony, and the indigenous section is breathtaking. Soothing colours, eclectic corners, perfectly curated artefacts ... I loved this gallery and if you're in Adelaide make a point of visiting. 

Mt Lofty lies to the east of the city and the summit offers glorious views out to the coast. You get to see the city's grid formation from up high, and the surrounding greenery. It's a view that reinforces the sensible planning of this very charming city. 

To the south-east, in the Adelaide Hills, lies the historic town of Hahndorf. With an ancient indigenous history, before European settlement, it's now a neat and leafy township that is Australia's oldest surviving German settlement. The original village was a carefully designed cluster of small farmsteads with the Lutheran Church as a focal point. Today, the main street, with its stunning canopy of chestnut, cork, elm and plane trees, evokes the town's Lutheran roots. In April the autumn colours are luscious and the Germanic feel is imbued in every inch of the place. Well worth a visit. 

No visit to South Australia is complete without a visit to a vineyard or three! The Barossa Valley is home to many. I visited Jacobs Creek for wine-tasting followed by lunch - it was a truly outstanding meal. The pumpkin gnocchi was amazing. 

I can honestly say that I fell more than a little in love with Adelaide, and I hope to return some day to discover more. I'll certainly revisit that wonderful art gallery. 

There's more to South Australia than you think ... and I'll be sharing more about different parts of it in future posts.