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Adelaide Journals

Adelaide

A May 2001 trip to Adelaide by cr008k

Quote: Adelaide, Australia.

Adelaide

Overview

Quote:

I was able to visit Adelaide as a part of a trip to Australia when a friend was studying abroad there. We spent some time touring around Queensland and then we took a plane to Adelaide so I was able to see South Australia. Adelaide is the fifth largest city in all of Australia. What is really neat about Adelaide is that it was a planned city—it was designed by Colonol William Light and basically the city itself is a grid surrounded by parks. I have always been interested in urban planning and the idea of planned communities and whether they work or not, and I know the residents of this city originally really didn't like it, but as they saw how convenient it was and how there were such nice parks and open spaces, it eventually became sort of a model for other planned urban communities. I was really eager to explore the city and see all of this first hand and I was kind of disappointed to find out that urban sprawl has sort of changed the whole structure of the city itself, so the plan does not work exactly as it used to or was expected to. Also, most of the current residents there did not know what I was talking about at all, which was kind of a disappointment, although to be expected if you haven't spent time studying urban planning.

Other then this disappointment, which probably wouldn't bother most, the city was amazing. The weather was warm and balmy, but not hot or uncomfortable at all. Adelaide is referred to as a city of churches and this was true; there were tons of beautiful churches to visit, and even if you are not a religious person you can still appreciate the architecture and care about what went into constructing these beautiful churches. Adelaide is also on the water, which is a very enjoable experience, although the coastline here was not nearly as pretty and could not compare to some of the world famous beaches in Queensland. Still it was beautiful and scenic and definitely worth a visit.

There are three colleges in Adelaide as well—the only three in Southern Australia—so the city itself has a lot of academic and cultural events going on during the school year—and in the summer as well, to be honest.

Quick Tips:

There is a very vibrant and diverse cultural scene here and you can find delicious restaurants with almost any and every type of cuisine you are looking to dine on. Be sure to ask someone in your hotel or someone who is a native where to eat because you don't want to miss out on getting your favorite cuisine here.

Adelaide is a very cultural and artistic city as well. There are three universities here and they usually have a lot of different acamedic talks and speakers coming in, and if they do and it's not sold out, then they are open to the public, so be sure to check the schedules before you come and see if there is anything you are interested in. It can be especially interesting because a lot of government stuff happens here so you may be able to hear a speaker on the Australian government or legal system, both different from Americans and both really intersting to hear about and get a different perspective.

If you are interested, I recommend you go and hear the symphony orchestra. The concert hall is beautiful and architecturally perfect and the symphany orchestra itself is one of the best I have heard in the world. Many famous musicians and composers came out of Adelaide and it is a city that takes its music and arts seriously so you should definitely try to experience some of this culture when you are here. If you are not interested in the symphony, there are plenty of other cultural experiences that you can have here; the Royal Adelaide Fair in September is kind of an all encompassing outdoor festival/fair kind of thing which celebrates music and arts and creativity in general. There is also a music festival, a film festival, and various other festivals held throughout the year. Be sure to check and see what is going on when you are there and find something that interests you.

Visit some of the five parks that surround the city itself—they are easy to get to and really quite beautiful and demonstrate the remarkableness of the planning of the city. It's a great way to spend a peaceful afternoon.

Most important, if you are going to do only one thing while you are in this city, take one of the tours of the architectural churches of the city. They are amazing.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Metro is the only public transportation in the city. It is not great—it is cheap but it is lacking in locations and consistency. You probably will not be able to get everywhere you need to go and it will be frustrating because you will waste a lot of precious time waiting for buses when you could be seeing things.

The best thing to do would probably be to rent a car. The traffic and driving here is easier than in many of the other cities in Australia and because the city is so well laid out you will be able to get pretty much anywhere you need to go without getting terribly lost. It's easy to get around because the city is in a grid so you should be able to find your way and drive pretty easily.

You can take cabs, but this will get expensive, although you may have to call cabs in some of the less urban areas. Read Less