By all accounts, Adelaide was a surprising
choice for a mini – break from Perth. It doesn’t seem to be on the list of
suggested places to explore – but at less than a 3-hour flight from Perth it
proved to be a great location for a 3-night stay. My hotel was well placed in
the central business district, the added benefit of streets laid out on a grid
system meant that even with my poor sense of direction it was impossible to get
lost!
The Adelaide Tourist Office offers the
possibility of being shown around the city by a volunteer Adelaide Greeter – as
a solo traveler this was a great way of getting to know the city. Without the
guide bringing its history to life I would have had no idea that it was a
planned city dating back to 1836, with every detail having been carefully
thought of including streets that were designed to wide enough for horses and
carts! By the end of my 4-hour tour I knew my way around the main landmarks,
had ridden on a tram – been shown a coffee shop by the river, and had lunch at
Lucias – the first Pizza bar Adelaide!
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| The Cathedral |
Orientation complete I felt safely equipped to
explore further afield on the tram – having read that Glenelg Beach was one of
the ‘must see’ sunset spots near Adelaide. Amusingly my plan to get off the
tram where the locals did, backfired slightly as the people around me on the
tram were tourists – and we all followed each other. The sunset was well worth
the trip and absolutely stunning – and I enjoyed it on an almost empty beach. I
also learnt that what a palindrome is – and that Glenelg is one!
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| Glenelg at Sunset |
I took in several other sites on my visit
including the cathedral, the Oval and the Botanical Gardens. Each location had
friendly locals volunteering their time to host tourists – unsurprisingly,
chatting to many of them soon led to a Brexit conversation as they were totally
bemused as to what is happening in the UK – and I wasn’t able to shed much
light!
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| The Botanical Gardens |
Flying back early afternoon left the perfect space
for an Early Risers’ breakfast tour of Adelaide Central Market hosted by Aus
Food Tours. I had already discovered JamFace by Poh for brunch one morning
following up on a great recommendation – Poh was runner up in Australia’s MasterChef
and owns a great little café in the market. However with the tour I could look
at the market through a different lens - after a lovely breakfast, the tour brought
the history of the market to life and included numerous tastings – yoghurt,
cheese, nuts, salami, truffle salt – and green ants (!) to name but a few! A
great end to 3 nights away … and I felt that I had uncovered some of Adelaide’s
hidden charms, with a little help from the locals who were so enthusiastic to
welcome visitors and showcase their city.
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| Adelaide Central Market |
