| | Overview (Source: Frommers) |
Adelaide has a reputation as a quieter place than some of the other state capitals and relishes the peace of its parklands and surrounding vineyards. In many ways it's something of a throwback to the comfortable lifestyle of 1950s Australia -- a lifestyle that the more progressive state capitals have left behind. Numerous parks and gardens, wide tree-lined streets, the River Torrens running through its center, sidewalk cafes, colonial architecture, and, of course, the churches help make the "city of churches" a pleasant, open city, perfect for strolling or bicycling. Though the immigrant population has added a cosmopolitan flair to the restaurant scene, Adelaide still has a feeling of old England about it. That's not surprising when you learn that Adelaide was the only capital settled by English free settlers rather than by convicts, and that it attracted more after World War II, when Brits flocked here to work in the city's car and appliance factories. But it was earlier immigrants, from Germany, who gave Adelaide and the surrounding area a romantic twist. Arriving as refugees fleeing religious strife in their country in the 1830s, German immigrants brought winemaking skills and established wineries. Today, more than one-third of all Australian wine -- including some of the world's best -- comes from areas within about an hour's drive from Adelaide. As a result, Adelaidians of all socioeconomic groups are more versed in wine than even the French and regularly
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| History (Source: WCities) | Top | "The reasons that led me to fix Adelaide where it is I do not expect to be generally understood or calmly judged of at present!" So said Colonel William Light on his planning of Adelaide. He faced enormous problems, not the least of which was the constant criticism of his choice of site. In the dry environment, his prime motivation was the steady water supply and fertile land provided by the River Torrens. Numerous sites had been investigated, including Kangaroo Island, where whalers had developed a settlement some time before. There is a sense of difference about Adelaide. She was planned, she didn't just "happen". Light started with a distinctive grid pattern, which covered one square mile exactly, then surrounded it with a belt of parkland , which, over 150 years later, lends an air of tranquility to the now bustling city. "South" Adelaide was to be the center for business and North Adelaide the residential area. Light named the new city after Queen Adelaide, wife of the British king at the time, William IV. Adelaide's founding was based on an ambitious social plan, conceived in an English prison by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who was serving a sentence for abducting a teenage English heiress! His theories were supported by influential and visionary businessmen, many of whom later settled in the colony. Critical of the convict system of colonization, he suggested that crown land in the colonies be sold and the proceeds used to set up a fund to assist fr
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| What To Do (Source: WCities) | Top | South Australia is known as the Festival State and its main city, Adelaide, has plenty to celebrate. A thriving arts scene, more restaurants per capita than any other state in Australia and a climate conducive to most sporting activities combine to make Adelaide an entertaining place to spend time in. Every Thursday the daily newspaper The Advertiser publishes a lift-out guide listing the week's entertainment, focusing mainly on pop and dance. Community radio stations such as 5UV Radio Adelaide offer an insight into local affairs and free street tabloids such as DB Magazine and The Adelaide Review carry details of the music and arts scenes. The South Australian Tourism Commission has a well stocked Travel Centre in King William Street, Adelaide's main thoroughfare, and offers assistance with general information about local events. Pubs and Bars The city center alone has 91 different clubs and pubs offering food and entertainment. Pubs with an Irish theme have made an impact on the city and many of them, such as PJ O'Briens and Finn McCool's, offer rollicking entertainment as an accompaniment to their fine range of ales. Adelaide's temperate climate is conducive to outdoor entertaining and many pubs have beer gardens or outdoor areas with live music on weekends. Rundle Street and North Terrace's cosmopolitan mix of Asian and European style restaurants which feature tables on the sidewalk, are the setting for Adelaide's executives to unwind
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