Feb
29
Adelaide Sightseeing Guide
Filed Under Australia
St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide. Image Courtesy Wikipedia
A Brief History
The first recorded sighting of the South Australian coast was in 1627 by the Dutchman Francois Thijssen, captain of the ship Golden Zeepaert. However, it was not until 1802 that Matthew Flinders and Nicolas Baudin first surveyed the coast. The British Parliament passed the South Australian Colonization act in 1834. The colony was proclaimed in 1836 and had the distinction of being the only part of Australia to be settled by free settlers.
Geography
The terrain is mainly arid and semi arid rangelands. The most important mountains are the Mt Lofty-Flinders Ranges system, which extends north about 8oo kilometres from Cape Jervis to Lake Torrens and salt lakes. Mount Woodroofe at 1435 metres in the extreme northwest is the highest point in the state. The western part of the state is the sparsely inhabited Nullabor Plain, which is bordered by cliffs at the Great Australian Bight. The state is 978,810 square kilometres in area with a population density of 615 per square kilometre. The colloquial term for South Australians for some obscure reason is Croweaters.
The Economy
The principal exports of South Australia are wheat, wine and wool. The state is heavily dependent on exports of these commodities. More than half of Australia’s wine output is produced here. Manufacturing and mining sectors also contribute to the state’s economy. Manufacturing is centred on automotive and component manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and defence technology. Services account for two thirds of the economy. Economic growth has traditionally lagged behind the rest of Australia.
How to get there
There is an international airport in Adelaide with many flights arriving directly from international destinations. Qantas and Virgin Blue domestic flights from other Australian capital cities also arrive and depart at regular intervals. Bus travel is a less expensive way to get to Adelaide compared with flying but the trips are long and arduous. Interstate trains run to Adelaide from Alice Springs, Darwin, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. These are among some of the great train journeys in the world.
If you are looking for a cheap flight to Adelaide try Ebookers.
Adelaide
The capital city of South Australia is Adelaide named in honour of Queen Adelaide the consort of King William IV. The city has a population of 1.12 million from 1.53 million people for the total state. This represents about 7.6 percent of Australia’s population. The colony’s visionary surveyor general and designer Colonel William Light chose its location close to the River Torrens. This was only after a protracted struggle with his long time adversary Governor John Hindmarsh who wanted to build the city around a harbour. The city is surrounded by a green belt of parkland and is set against the rolling hills of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Adelaide’s reputation as “the city of churches” still lingers although a more liberal attitude has prevailed since the social reforming premiership of Don Dunstan in the 1970’s. Today this is evident with a free and relaxed lifestyle including a nudist beach, relaxed al fresco dining and 24 hour liquor licences. Not surprisingly, food and wine play a big part in the city with South Australian vintage wines in every cellar of the many delightful restaurant and bistros. The city is noted for cultural festivals and its devotion to sport.
Adelaide Hills
The delightful Adelaide Hills are in the Mount Lofty Ranges just twenty minutes drive east of Adelaide. They are close enough to commute to the city and are a popular place for Adelaide residents taking a Sunday drive. Many of the towns in the hills started as German settlements and the German influence remains strong today such as in the many Lutheran churches and German-speaking residents here. Hahndorf is an historic German town where you can see nineteenth century architecture and shop for unusual souvenirs. The Adelaide Hills are a notable wine region with over 50 wineries here. Most are opened daily for tastings and cellar sales. Also in the hills are national parks with free ranging kangaroos, wallabies and emus. You can also see dingoes, native birds and snakes in enclosed areas. You can enjoy the natural bushland scenery from the many walking and bike trails.
Barossa Valley
Along with the Hunter valley in New South Wales and the Yarra Valley in Victoria, the Barossa Valley is one of Australia’s foremost wines producing region. Just a couple of hours drive from Adelaide, the Barossa Valley has 150 years of wine making tradition with its excellent soil and climate for growing wine grapes. Particularly notable varieties from the region are Shiraz, Grenache and Reisling. Famous wineries include such famous names as Wolf Blass, Seppelts, Penfolds, Kaiser-Stuhl, Saltram, Hardy’s Leo Buring, Yalumba, St Hallet, Bethany, Krondorf, Orlando and Château Yaldarra. Wine tastings while winding your way around the valley is a great way to sample the local produce. You can also enjoy other attractions such as wine, food and arts festivals while in the region.
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is 80 kilometres from Adelaide and is Australia’s third largest island. Seven times larger in area than Singapore, the island abounds with native wildlife of all descriptions. Koalas, kangaroos, penguins, seals, goannas echidnas, platypuses, ospreys and cockatoos all abound on the island along with one million wallabies. You can also enjoy local wine cheese, oysters and lobsters before relaxing on one of many magnificent unspoiled secluded beaches. The landscape is a contrast of unspoilt wilderness, wildflowers and beautiful native eucalypts. It is truly a nature lover’s paradise.
Coober Pedy
Home to Australia’s most famous opal fields, Coober Pedy is located 846 kilometres north of Adelaide midway between Port Augusta and Alice Springs. It is surely one of the most fascinating and unique mining towns in the world. About 80 percent of the town’s population of 4,000 lives underground! There is a practical reason for this. In summer, temperatures can rise to 50º C. Living underground is a great deal cooler than living above it. This does not mean that the dwellings are in any way primitive. Many are quite luxurious inside. There are also motels, museums and even an Anglican Church underground in Coober Pedy. The town is notable for its multi-culturism. There are many people of Greek, Yugoslav and Italian origin among the more than 45 different nationalities living here. There are no large mining companies operating here. This is because mining leases can only be obtained for an area of 50 square metres and the miner must work at his lease for about twenty hours per week. Coober Pedy is an aboriginal name loosely meaning ‘white men down holes’. The golf course in Coober Pedy does not have a blade of grass. It is so dry that the ‘greens’ are oiled sand. Although it is the largest opal mining area in the world, the town relies as much on tourism as it does on opal mining.
Flinders Ranges National Park
Formation of the rugged Flinders Ranges began 800 million years ago. Situated 384 kilometres north of Adelaide, Flinders Ranges National Park stretches 430 kilometres from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna. One of the most notable landmarks is Wilpena Pound – a giant sickle shaped formation that creates a natural amphitheatre of some 80 square kilometres. Flora is comprised of species that have adapted to the semi arid environment such as mallee and black oak River Red Gums and cypress pine. In the moister areas grevilleas, Guinea flowers lilies and ferns are found. Around the springs and waterholes are many different reeds and sedges. Cave paintings in the area indicate the local Adnyamathana people have lived in the district for thousands of years. The first European explorers to the region were a party led by Matthew Flinders who visited the upper reaches of Spencer Gulf onboard The Investigator. Activities in the Flinders Ranges include bush walking, camping, bird watching and observing Aboriginal cultural artifacts.
Victor Harbour
South Australia’s most popular seaside town is situated on the southern shores of the Fleurieu Peninsula on a sweeping arc of Encounter Bay not far from Adelaide. The navigator Matthew Flinders onboard the Investigator named the bay in 1802 after he came across the French Explorer Nicholas Baudin on Le Geographie in the same area. It is interesting to note that although the two nations were at war at the time of the encounter they happily exchanged information before going on their separate ways. The town offers sandy beaches and clear turquoise waters mixed in with an early colonial atmosphere with well-preserved architecture and a relaxed ambiance. The most popular tourist attraction is a Clydesdale drawn tram that takes you across an 800-metre causeway to Granite Island home to more than 1,000 penguins. In the winter months, whales are often seen playing offshore.
Murray River Mouth
This is the point at which the mighty Murray River meets the Southern Ocean. Unlike many river mouths, there is no natural harbour here but a treacherous water mass that punches its way through sand dunes to the sea. The actual location of the mouth is changeable according to the extent of river flow and the state of the sea. The mouth is between two peninsulas. Sir Richard Peninsula on the northwest separates Goolwa Channel from the ocean. The much longer Younghusband Peninsula separates the Coorong from the ocean in the southeast. The Murray Mouth is separated from Lake Alexandrina by a series of low islands the largest one of which is Hindmarsh Island. A series of barrages join the islands separating the salt water from the fresh water. The barrages can be opened during times of high river flow. The Murray River has long been subject to excess irrigation and water supplies to various towns along the long course from the source to the mouth. This has caused a silting up of the river mouth, which has to be constantly dredged to allow a seawater flow into the Coorong’s lagoon system. Without this, the Coorong would warm up and die.
The Coorong
The Coorong is a majestic national park 156 kilometres southeast of Adelaide starting at the Murray Mouth at Hindmarsh Island and the Sir Richard Peninsula. It is home to some of the most fragile ecosystems in Australia. It is a complex 145 kilometre long stretch of lagoons, wetlands and sand dunes butting up against the waves and cold waters of the Southern Ocean. The three kilometre wide wetlands rely on a mix of salt water and fresh water for their preservation. It is a renowned bird sanctuary with many migratory species from as far away as Siberia, China and Japan. It is also home to the largest colony of Australian pelicans. The region has been home to the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal people for thousands of years. You can learn about their culture at Camp Coorong and the Coorong Wilderness Lodge. The area was made popular by the Australian movie Storm Boy that featured the Ngarrindjeri people. Visitors to the Coorong can take privately operated bird watching and eco-cruising tours.
Daytrips
Many daytrip options are available from Adelaide. Outside downtown Adelaide lies Glenelg, the place where the first pioneers in the area settled. Places to visit here include the Pioneer Memorial, the Glenelg Jetty, the Moseley Square and the South Esplanade. Being on the shores of the ocean, Glenelg has a special atmosphere.
Driving out to the Barossa Valley will bring you to the colourful vineyards involved in the making of those tasty Australian wines. The valley is only 90 minutes by road from Adelaide and many tours are organised to help tourists discover the best of this winemaking, including its small towns (Nuriootpa, Tanunda and Angaston). The Valley is also easily accessed by public bus.
Adelaide is a good springboard to the Flinders Ranges, featuring the best of the Australian outback. Kangaroo Island is a bit farther from Adelaide (two-hour by bus and then a one-hour ferry ride) and a one-day trip might be a bit too short to fully experience this beautiful location. The island consists of national parks and conservation parks but also of pleasant beaches near Penneshaw.
Another way to spend an enjoyable time around Adelaide is to drive out to the cities of Victor Harbour and Goolwa. They are located about two hours south of Adelaide, and the Cockle Train, one of the first railways in the country, plies them.
Must-see attractions
Adelaide’s main attractions include Victoria Square, with its Queen Victoria statue and the well-known Adelaide Central Market, located west of the square. Around Victoria Square many public landmark buildings are to be found, such as the Courts of Adelaide and the General Post Office.
Adelaide is loaded with churches and other religious places, such as the Cathedral Church of Saint Francis Xavier (on the eastern side of Victoria Square) and the neo-Gothic Saint Peter’s Cathedral (located in the northern part of the city).
Adelaide is also endowed with parks and gardens, especially the Bicentennial Conservatory and the Adelaide Botanical Garden. Also not to be missed are the city’s beautiful beaches such as Glenelg, Aldinga and Moana.
Best time to go
Adelaide enjoys a Mediterranean climate and the period from December to February features the warmest months. This might not be the perfect time to head to the outback but will suit beach lovers or people wanting to visit downtown Adelaide.
If you want to experience the ski options of Mount Lofty, then it is wise to head to Adelaide during the winter months (June to August).
Rainy day suggestions
Museums are a good option to spend interesting rainy days. Luckily Adelaide features many possibilities, such as the South Australian Museum and the Art Gallery of South Australia. You might find your lucky star in Adelaide Casino, located in the Old Adelaide Railway Station.
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