Adelaide: The City Of Churches
May 21,2007 00:00 by newsdesk

Adelaide, South Australia’s capital, with a population of 2 million, houses nearly 70 percent of all inhabitants of the state. The city itself was thoroughly planned and is noted for its spacious parklands and gardens. Australia’s fifth largest city is noted for its attractiveness and relaxed atmosphere, quality of life and hospitality.
The city centre, especially around East End and Central Market, is covered with shopping centres and restaurant and cafés. Finding a way to spend your day won’t be a problem, because Adelaide has plentiful options for travellers. Make sure that you leave some energy after visiting one of the many museums and seeing the famous statues and memorials. The sparkling nightlife, with an overload of bars, clubs and discos, most certainly deserves some of your attention.

Adelaide is renowned for its range of quality cafes and restaurants offering an affordable and delicious range of cuisine including Italian, Greek, Thai, Malaysian, Chinese, Argentinian, Mexican and so many more. The quality of the food is superb. Seafood such as prawns, crayfish, scallops, calamari and King George whiting is fresh and abundant. A perfect place for an indulgence weekend.

 

Adelaide hosts many festivals and events which attract local, Australian and overseas visitors. These include  arts, food and wine, multicultural and sporting events events such as the Festival of Arts, Fringe Festival, Comedy Festival, WOMADelaide, Glendi (Greek), Schuetzenfest (German traditions), Bay to Birdwood (vintage vehicles) Clipsal 500 (car race) and more.

Thirsting for something else? Explore the famous wine regions in the city’s vicinity or go to the Park Lands. The latter is an extended area surrounding Adelaide and consists of several parks and lakes where you can relax and enjoy a fabulous picnic (don’t forget to bring the Australian wine!)  The North Terrace Boulevarde is home to many cultural and educational organisations and is well worth a walking tour. Enjoy the many elegant , heritage public buildings and cultural institutions such as the Art Gallery, Library, Museum, Migration Museum and Adelaide University. Finish off at the Botanic Gardens and adjacent Bicentennial Conservatory.

South Australia is renowned for its clean, sandy beaches and wine regions. The winegrowng districts of McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley wine districts are within easy reach of Adelaide for day tours and the Coonawarra can be visited on the way to the South East or Melbourne in adjacent Victoria. South Australian wine is of world class.

For those who have not explored the outdoors yet, the Adelaide Hill Wildlife Parks might be a nice introduction to Australia’s wildlife. Still don't know what to do yet? Take the tram to Glenelg beach and think it over on the long sandy beach.


In keeping with its climate, Adelaide, capital of South Australia, has a Mediterranean ambience as it straddles the Torrens River, filled with churches, gardens, civic buildings, sidewalk cafes and a plethora of museums, galleries and festivals catering to the culturally inclined. The city was originally laid out in 1836 by Colonel Light in a square mile (three sq km) grid of wide streets with gracious colonial architecture. This has resulted in a compact inner city area, geared for easy exploring on foot, allowing the central area to be surrounded with hectares of parklands, walking trails, sports grounds and picnic areas on the banks of the river. The main boulevard is North Terrace, along which are the restored Mortlock Library, the Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australian Museum with its spectacular whale skeleton and collection of Aboriginal natural history. Aboriginal culture is also catered for at Tandanya, a multi-arts cultural centre that has galleries, performance areas and a café serving native cuisine. Visitors who have had enough of culture can take a cruise or gondola ride on the Torrens River, or ride a vintage tram to the nearby seaside town of Glenelg with its magnificent white, sandy beach, popular despite the occasional rumour of sharks.

Adelaide's Central Market is the destination for 'foodies'. Among the noisy, colourful atmosphere and wondrous smells are fruit and vegetable stores and a large selection of meat and fish along with gourmet specialities introduced by the waves of immigrants who call Adelaide their home. Also popular with visitors is the Adelaide Zoo and Cleland Wildlife Park, which features local birds and animals including koalas and kangaroos.