Adelaide

Adelaide was the only Australian colony that started with free settlers, not convicts. Settlement was originally made on Kangaroo Island, then it moved to Glenelg and then to its present location. It’s thanks to surveyor Colonel William Light that Adelaide is a planned City. In 1836, Colonel Light designed the city along a clearly defined grid pattern with two major centres - Adelaide, the shopping and commercial hub and North Adelaide, with its trendy bars and cafes.

Interspersed with gardened squares and surrounded by an abundance of Parklands, Adelaide has more than any other city in Australia. It has a country town friendliness with an urban / European feel. The Adelaide Festival of Arts and the Fringe Festival bring the city a world-class extravaganza of cultural delights. These and other festivals, events and concerts dotted throughout the year, give Adelaide its title as the “Festival City”.

The colony attracted many German settlers, who headed to the Adelaide Hills and the Barossa Valley and are responsible for the success of these famous wine-growing districts. Adelaide was the first capital city in Australia to get a direct telegraph link with Europe - this became operational in 1872. They got this privilege at what was undoubtedly great expense as they had to lay a land line all the way through the centre of Australia through countryside which had only once been previously covered (by that dude who obviously totally enjoyed getting off the beaten track by the name of John McDougall Stuart) - but they thought it was worth it to prove that South Australia was flashier than Victoria or New South Wales. Beyond the city limits, a dizzying assortment of wineries, historic townships and unspoilt beaches lie less than an hour away.

[Edit] Things to do

• Popeye Motor Launches

The very first of the Pop-eye Fleet set sail in 1935, carrying 25 passengers for a short outing along the River Torrens. It was such a success that between 1948 and 1950, three new boats were commissioned to be built. These three boats are still in use today and trips along the River Torrens to the Adelaide Zoo are enjoyed by overseas, interstate and local visitors of all ages.

• Balfours Frog Cake

The Frog Cake is the ‘Balfours Mascot’ and has been used in promoting the culture of the State. Introduced during the 1920s, when tearooms were the height of fashion in Adelaide, the Frog Cake was originally made with green fondant, the chocolate and pink versions were introduced later. Frog Cake lovers have also created a demand for the Red Father Christmas Frog Cake and the Easter Yellow Chick Frog available during these festive seasons.

• Stobey Pole

In 1924, South Australian James Stobie invented a steel and concrete pole to carry electricity and telephone lines, due to SA’s lack of suitable timber. Stobie Poles have other advantages too - they’re termite proof and have a life span of around 50 years. All Stobie Poles end at the SA border, with most other States preferring wooden telegraph poles.

• Pie Floater

It looks like a bowl of green mushy gruel with a lump of something solid sitting in it. On closer inspection this absolutely strange looking mush turns out to be a hearty pea soup, with a meat pie turned upside down. Delicious? Many South Australians and lesser numbers of their visitors think so. It’s South Australia’s own culinary specialty, the ‘pie floater’. The hearty meal is traditionally eaten at kerb side from a ‘pie cart’, the most famous being ‘Cowleys’, which still stands alongside the GPO in Victoria Square. These pie carts became a meeting place where cabbies, police, night watchmen and other workers rubbed shoulders with theatre patrons in formal evening wear, musicians, politicians and businessmen. Today the pie cart remains one of our most favourite of eateries and the pie floater’s curb-side consumption by people from all walks of life for more than 130 years makes it an authentic and uniquely South Australian culinary tradition.

[Edit] Stuff to check out near Adelaide:

Victor Harbour is the largest town on the Fleurieu Peninsula and is popular with the Adelaide locals, many of whom have weekenders there. It is located on the shores of Encounter Bay, which got its name from a meeting between Flinders and Baudin back in 1802. It has a notorious past as a whaling town, first established in 1837. Whaling operations lasted until 1864. Victor Harbour is a great place to spend a few days. While you’re there check out the Bluff, Granite Island, which is connected by a causeway. You can get to the top by chairlift or walk. There’s also whale watching during winter months and cable hang-gliding.