1/12/21 About Adelaide

Now that I'm on the road and won't be back in South Australia for a while, I've had a chance to think about what it is that sets South Australia, and more specifically Adelaide, apart from the rest of Australia (which is really Queensland of course).  

There are lots of things I like about Adelaide.  Here are a few:

1. All the old stone buildings. 

 

Queensland's buildings are primarily made of wood. Queensland had some beautiful old buildings up on stilts with big beautiful wrap around verandahs. Most of them burned down or got gobbled up by termites. Stone doesn't get gobbled.

2. The planted nature strips. And the roses.

 

People plant extravagant gardens on their nature strips. People plant extravagant gardens in community land, like along railway lines. My bar for an extravagant garden is pretty low but still... Does it happen in Queensland. ?? Not that I've seen.

3. The painted Stobie poles.

 

So many Stobie poles are painted! Some are painted badly, some are painted well. Some were obviously a way to keep the kids busy one Sunday morning. Some are testament to the artist's sporting allegiances. Some are extravagantly beautiful.

4. The street art.

 

It pops up in the most unexpected places. And whenever I think I've seen it all, I find more.

5. It's flat.

 

Apart from the hills of course. But there aren't any hills unless you go to the Hills. From one end of Adelaide to the other, and side to side, it's flat. Flat is nice on my bicycle. Not only is it flat, but there are bike ways beside every rail line and major road, and for 40km along the seaside.  Flat bike ways is pretty much as good as it gets.

6. The foreshore.

 

Shh, don't tell anyone about the long white beaches, the gentle slap of clear blue water on sand, the picturesque jetties, the casual sightings of seals and dolphins, the ice cream shops... the foreshore is stunning the whole way along.  Now if it weren't for that blasted southerly wind...

7. The parklands.

 

The continuous park around the entire city, with wild bush paddocks, manicured gardens, the huge old cemetery, lakes, the police horses, ordinary horses, rose gardens.

 8.  The congestion in the public transport system:

Peak hour: Outer Harbour Line.

There are some other things about Adelaide and Adelaideans that are ... interesting:

1.  The excitement generated by two drops of rain and an 'ahem!' of thunder. As a Queenslander, what rain? What thunder? But it's sweet that they get so exercised about it all.

Torrential downpour.

 

2. "We get up to 40C in summer!"  It certainly does get to 40C in Adelaide... between  1300-1400 on the second Tuesday in December and the third Friday in January.  But it's sweet, etc...

Yeah... don't be fooled.  The water is freezing.

3. The sea is to the west.  This is  just plain wrong if you come from the east coast.  Not only is it wrong, but it means that you are perpetually all mixed up with regard to where the sun and the sea ought to be and which way you are facing.  Oh the trauma!

4.  Roadworks.  Let me just say that my in-house engineer  is in a permanent state of spluttering outrage and has to wear a blindfold when out on the roads in order to grant the rest of us a little peace and quiet.

This is not a picture of South Australian roadworks.  Who would take pictures of road works?  Not me.

5. Scorched earth nature strips.  These people are the opposite of the extravagant garden nature strip Adelaideans.  These people blast their nature strip to bare earth and ferociously hunt down and destroy any green shoot that dares raise its head.  They apply the same treatment to their front yard and then they lay fake green turf!!! I have no photos of this, I could not bear to record it.

So there you have it:  these are the things you must consider if you are contemplating spending time in Adelaide.