Adelaide is a beautiful city and one I always love to visit, so it was great to spend a few days there last week for a conference event.
Known as the ‘City of Churches’, Adelaide is one of the Australia’s most wonderful cities, full of stunning buildings, superb culture, great food and wine, lots of things to see and do and is also known as a bit of a sporting capital! Much of the central city area is set on the banks of the River Torrens, which is a lovely area to walk along – you won’t believe you’re in the middle of a city – , enjoy a picnic in the Botanical Gardens or take a ride on the river in a traditional gondola.
Rundle Mall is the main shopping area and you can also take in the nearby Art Gallery of South Australia, the Adelaide Zoo (known for being home to Giant Pandas) and Adelaide Festival Centre at the same time. Museums and other cultural activities are plentiful… you won’t have time to get bored!
The café/restaurant scene is great in Adelaide and the food is multi-cultural and varied. Nightlife and entertainment is also abundant and why not try you hand at the Casino?
Adelaide is also home to a number of trendy and fashionable suburbs too – Norwood and Hyde Park are popular shopping and dining areas and the city is compact enough to get around easily. The streets are wide and welcoming and there are great shops to explore and lots of bars and restaurants to sample the local fare.
But what would a trip to Adelaide be without a visit to the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Glenelg, Victor Harbour or the Adelaide Hills? Mount Lofty is definitely worth a trip to take in the spectacular city views, particularly at night and Hahndorf is a gorgeous German themed village that is a great experience and worth a day trip.
The wine regions are fantastic – the Barossa Valley is home to Maggie Beer’s Farm, Angas Park Fruits and a host of amazing wineries including the delightful Brockenchack. Clare Valley is not as well known but is also popular and loved by all whom visit. And the wines are truly divine!
And of course there is Kangaroo Island – if you have time to extend a couple of nights on Kangaroo Island (Australia’s third largest island) is a must! People rave about the nature and wildlife, and also the pristine beaches. A great place for nature and animal lovers! And do try and stay for a couple of night’s as there is so much to see and do, a day trip isn’t really long enough.
So when you are thinking about your next Australian holiday – seriously give Adelaide some thought, you won’t be disappointed that’s for sure!