I landed in Adelaide having only had 3 hours sleep. Feeling grumpy but excited at the same time, I waited outside the airport for my mate James to pick me up.
I met James and his brother, and a load of their friends, when I lived in Portugal and they were travel
ling around Europe.
I’d been in touch with him since I’d been in Oz, and he had offered me a place to stay in Adelaide. We drove to his lovely house in the beautiful seaside suburb Glenelg. I fell in love with the place the moment I arrived.
After we’d had breakfast and a much needed coffee I went with James’s girlfriend Alice on the short tram ride into the city.
Adelaide itself isn’t a very impressive city. It’s very small in comparison to Melbourne, with only about a quarter of the population. One nice thing about it though is the architecture, lots of old buildings and churches…. Melbourne is full of modern skyrises.
So Alice showed me around, which took all of about an hour, and then we went shopping. By lunchtime I was ready to collapse in bed.
Back at James’s I slept for most of the day, then got up, got dressed, and went to his
local pub for a few beers, which then led on to a few glasses of wine…and so on!
On the Sunday James and Alice had planned to take me to McLaren Vale which is a winery about an hour away. South Australia is known for making wine and they have loads of vineyards all over the state. In fact, my friend Justine’s family own one of the most successful wineries in Australia – it even gets a mention in the Lonely Planet guide! (I met Justine in Portugal too).
So anyway, the plan was to go to McLaren Vale for some wine tasting, but, feeling a bit fragile, we decided against it. Instead, we walked along the beach and the marina, as it was such a beautiful winters day, and ended up stopping in a nice bar at the marina pier for a hair of the dog – what a surprise! The rest of the day was a write-off; we cras
hed out on the sofa watching movies til it was time for bed.
I met James and his brother, and a load of their friends, when I lived in Portugal and they were travel
ling around Europe.I’d been in touch with him since I’d been in Oz, and he had offered me a place to stay in Adelaide. We drove to his lovely house in the beautiful seaside suburb Glenelg. I fell in love with the place the moment I arrived.
After we’d had breakfast and a much needed coffee I went with James’s girlfriend Alice on the short tram ride into the city.
Adelaide itself isn’t a very impressive city. It’s very small in comparison to Melbourne, with only about a quarter of the population. One nice thing about it though is the architecture, lots of old buildings and churches…. Melbourne is full of modern skyrises.
So Alice showed me around, which took all of about an hour, and then we went shopping. By lunchtime I was ready to collapse in bed.
Back at James’s I slept for most of the day, then got up, got dressed, and went to his
local pub for a few beers, which then led on to a few glasses of wine…and so on!On the Sunday James and Alice had planned to take me to McLaren Vale which is a winery about an hour away. South Australia is known for making wine and they have loads of vineyards all over the state. In fact, my friend Justine’s family own one of the most successful wineries in Australia – it even gets a mention in the Lonely Planet guide! (I met Justine in Portugal too).
So anyway, the plan was to go to McLaren Vale for some wine tasting, but, feeling a bit fragile, we decided against it. Instead, we walked along the beach and the marina, as it was such a beautiful winters day, and ended up stopping in a nice bar at the marina pier for a hair of the dog – what a surprise! The rest of the day was a write-off; we cras
hed out on the sofa watching movies til it was time for bed.When I woke up on Monday everyone was at work. Being yet another lovely day (I was really lucky with the weather the whole time I was in Adelaide) I walked the dog, Alfie, along the beach, a nice start to the day. Then I went to the Bay Discovery Centre in the Glenelg Town Hall. I actually went because I’d read in the Lonely Planet guide that there was an exhibit about sharks and shark attacks, which are really common in that area. But when I got there I found out that the exhibit had moved about a year ago! Still, I stayed and read about the history of Glenelg. When James was home from work I told him what I’d learnt, none of which he knew. It’s typical that when you live somewhere you don’t take the time to learn about it.
The next day, on my own again, I got the tram into the city to have a wander around the well-known Central Market, stopping in Chinatown for lunch in a budget (but very nice) Asian restaurant recommended by the Lonely Planet.
After lunch, as always with cities that I visit, was the South Australia Museum and then the Art Gallery. Neither was particularly interesting, but what can I expect from a country that doesn’t really have any history. Apart from a load of information on the Aboriginals, the museums over here don’t seem to have anything else to offer.
Back at James’s it was time to start looking for more ‘agricultural’ work somewhere in South Australia, so I could complete my 88 days. There was a fair bit I wanted to do in and around the city, but I didn’t want to carry on going out during the day and spending money without knowing when I’d next be earning again.
Looking for this sort of work is difficult, because once you have a job you still need to find a working hostel to live in. This is the hard part, as there are more backpackers than there are beds in hostels. I called 4 different ones everyday, always told they were full.
Finally, on about my fifth day of trying, I found a hostel that had one bed available, which the lady told me she could only keep for 24 hours for me. I immediately booked the first bus out of Adelaide the next morning the minute I hung up the phone.
With today being my last day by the beach, I headed down to the pier to watch the sunset. The whole time I’d been in Oz I’d been on the east coast, so this was the first time I’d get to watch the sun set over the sea (we all know I love a sunset)!
Later, was a night out at the Maid and Magpie bar in the city. It was a friend’s birthday (another person I met in Portugal), so luckily I was able to go out and catch up with every
one I knew in Adelaide before leaving so suddenly.
I was only in Adelaide/ Glenelg for a week but that was long enough. As cities go, Adelaide’s not the greatest, especially having come from Melbourne. Glenelg however, was just beautiful. But being winter, it wasn’t like I could make the most of the beach, sea etc.
The place I was heading to for work was Renmark, a small riverland town about 4 hours from Adelaide, close to the Victoria border.
I was disappointed that I hadn’t done a great deal here, but I knew that in a few months I’d be coming back via Adelaide, hopefully by the time it warms up for some quality beach-time!
The next day, on my own again, I got the tram into the city to have a wander around the well-known Central Market, stopping in Chinatown for lunch in a budget (but very nice) Asian restaurant recommended by the Lonely Planet.
After lunch, as always with cities that I visit, was the South Australia Museum and then the Art Gallery. Neither was particularly interesting, but what can I expect from a country that doesn’t really have any history. Apart from a load of information on the Aboriginals, the museums over here don’t seem to have anything else to offer.
Back at James’s it was time to start looking for more ‘agricultural’ work somewhere in South Australia, so I could complete my 88 days. There was a fair bit I wanted to do in and around the city, but I didn’t want to carry on going out during the day and spending money without knowing when I’d next be earning again.
Looking for this sort of work is difficult, because once you have a job you still need to find a working hostel to live in. This is the hard part, as there are more backpackers than there are beds in hostels. I called 4 different ones everyday, always told they were full.
Finally, on about my fifth day of trying, I found a hostel that had one bed available, which the lady told me she could only keep for 24 hours for me. I immediately booked the first bus out of Adelaide the next morning the minute I hung up the phone.
With today being my last day by the beach, I headed down to the pier to watch the sunset. The whole time I’d been in Oz I’d been on the east coast, so this was the first time I’d get to watch the sun set over the sea (we all know I love a sunset)!
Later, was a night out at the Maid and Magpie bar in the city. It was a friend’s birthday (another person I met in Portugal), so luckily I was able to go out and catch up with every
one I knew in Adelaide before leaving so suddenly.I was only in Adelaide/ Glenelg for a week but that was long enough. As cities go, Adelaide’s not the greatest, especially having come from Melbourne. Glenelg however, was just beautiful. But being winter, it wasn’t like I could make the most of the beach, sea etc.
The place I was heading to for work was Renmark, a small riverland town about 4 hours from Adelaide, close to the Victoria border.
I was disappointed that I hadn’t done a great deal here, but I knew that in a few months I’d be coming back via Adelaide, hopefully by the time it warms up for some quality beach-time!
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