Adelaide:

Adelaide :- beautiful city - magnificent old buildings - glorious gardens – many parks- very relaxed feel- friendly people – O barn – pandas-great beaches and much more.

Our caravan park was near a bus stop and also the O-barn which is a track that a bus can hook on to and can travel with great speed along and then the bus can go back on the road again at the end of the O-barn – a very quick way to get into the city. We were very pleased to find that seniors can travel free on public transport between 9 and 3 weekdays and anytime on weekends which was a great saving. We also had a bicycle track at our back door and it ran right along the river. It was flanked with some beautiful river gums and lawns and was delightful to ride along. You could ride right into the city or up into the hills for the very energetic.

The afternoon we arrived we took a bus ride into the city and all along North Terrace were the beautiful stone buildings of two universities, the museum, art gallery and library.


We took a stroll though the Botanical Gardens with its green grass and huge trees and interesting plants. I always like to go into Botanical Gardens as they are so refreshing on a hot day and it’s always nice to get close to nature.

The next day I went to the Zoo to see the pandas-Wang Wang and Funi – the only giant pandas in the southern hemisphere. It was very well presented Zoo and the pandas were really cute. They seem too amble slowly along to find the titbits of food that were put out for them.
Wang Wang lay on his back and decimated a stick of bamboo with great gusto and lots of loud chomping. They eat an enormous amount of bamboo every day and some locals help out by providing the zoo with bamboo. There is a male and female and hopefully they will breed although it may be slow process as she only comes into heat once a year!! There were lots of other interesting animals and zoos are certainly different these days as the animals provided with a good environment.

Our next outing was to the Birdwood National Motor Museum which is in the Adelaide Hills. The road out here was very twisted and windy as the Hills are very steep with deep valleys. Birdwood was settled by Germans and was originally known as Blumberg but changed its name at the beginning of World War I. We strolled down the street and found a motorbike shop which was absolutely filled with old motor bikes parts and all sorts if junk – it was almost a museum in itself.


The Motor Museum adjoins the old mill building which is a very old stone building and the museum is in the throes of refurbishing it. The Motor Museum is an amazing collection of old vehicles from all eras and of course Brian was in heaven especially seeing many of the cars he used to own.

Tom Kruze, the outback mailman who faithfully delivered the mail along the Birdsville Track in horrendous conditions for about 40 years, was honoured here. A movie “The Back of Beyond” was made in the fifties about his journey to highlight the hardships of outback life which you could view here. A group of enthusiasts found his vehicle in the desert and rebuild it and then had a re-enactment of the run with Tom(then 84)driving. What an achievement for all involved.

After a very interesting morning we went to Hahndorf which is a famous German town. It was full of German buildings, a pub selling German beer, and lots of German food and of course lots of souvenir and craft shops. It started to pour with rain so we didn’t have much time but it was very interesting.
On our way home we had a quick look at My Lofty which is a mountain lookout with 360 degree view of Adelaide, the Hills and the Port. Unfortunately it was very hazy because of the rain so we headed home.

The next day we went to Port Adelaide where there is a great Maritime Museum. Lots of original old buildings line the streets but also some modern development going. The museum was very well presented and especially geared to activeties for children which is great to see. Port Adelaide was very busy in the early days as all the wheat and wool from the Peninsulas was bought here by ketches to be put onto bigger boats. There was a life size model of a ketch in the museum. Also Matthew Flinders spent a lot of time charting the South Australian coast and went into both of the Gulfs.


We went down to the riverfront where there a replica a lighthouse that was at the mouth of the river. You could climb to the top. My energy ran out but Brian managed to make it and he could see a long way. There were was a tugboat being restored by volunteers as well as a tall ship moored at the whalf.


The next day was very hot. We went on the O-barn to try it out and we were in the city in no time. We did a bit of shopping and then Brian went back to watch the car races while I stayed in town to do more exploring. I found the river which is flanked by grassy areas but it was really too hot to walk along so I took a ride on Popeye which is a little boat that takes you on a short cruise. Lots of swans swam around looking inquisitive. The cricket was on nearby but by the results I’m glad I’m not a real cricket fan!!!

I then caught the tram out to Glenelg, which is the nearest beach, to meet a friend of Kylee’s. There were crowds of people enjoying the water but there are no waves as it is really a bay. It was great catching up and Mieka showed me around. I was pretty weary when I got home.

The next day was Brian’s birthday so we went out for brekkie and then shopping. The car races were on in the arvo so he was glued to the tellie and I went bike riding, did the washing and just relaxed.
We enjoyed our stay in Adelaide and I think it is a lovely city.