AUSTRALASIA ADELAIDE DESTINATIONS A


delaide has a very distinct place among Australia’s


big cities. It’s the one that doesn’t really strive to be more important than it is, and as a result pulls off an amiable, big-village feel. It doesn’t try to dazzle, merely to engender warm, fuzzy respect.


Handsome old buildings, large


swathes of parklands, some underrated beaches and a strong food and wine scene take the place of wow factor attractions. But Adelaide’s trump card is


what’s around it. World-class wine regions and wildlife are on the doorstep, while island escapes and eye-opening desert landscapes aren’t too much farther afield. Day trips, overnighters and three to four-night loops are very easy to mix together using Adelaide as a base.


w WHAT TO DO The city is unshakeably proud of the Adelaide Central Market, which has been going since 1870, and is still the go-to place for most of the city’s top chefs. The £30 Central Market Tour, which is run by one of the stallholders, delves into the best produce and the characters that have been there so long they’ve become local legends. This takes in all manner of tastings, including gins from Kangaroo Island, high-grade yoghurts, mettwurst from the Adelaide Hills and a barrage of South Australian cheeses. centralmarkettour.com.au The other much-loved icon is


the Adelaide Oval, where cricket and Australian Rules football are played. The picturesque old ground has undergone a massive makeover, but still manages to retain oodles of charm. This is largely because the grass bank, fig trees and old-school wooden scoreboard at the northern end have been retained. The £11 stadium tours are moderately interesting, until they head inside the scoreboard to see how it works, at which point it’s impossible not to be consumed by childlike wonder.


Adelaide’s trump card is what’s around it: world-class wine regions and wildlife are on the doorstep


One of Adelaide’s strengths is


having the great outdoors on its fringes. The hike up to the top of Mount Lofty is an institution, but Escape Goat Adventures offers a much better option. They drive you up to the top in a van, then take you on a £55 guided mountain-bike ride down through scenic canyons and along four- wheel drive tracks back into the city. On the way, the cycle convoy stops at the Cleland Wildlife Park where it’s possible to hand-feed kangaroos and hold a koala. escapegoat.com.au The even wilder Morialta


Conservation Reserve is criss- crossed with walking trails, many of which lead to waterfall viewing platforms. Pure SA runs £33 guided hikes there, which go into the geology and wildlife. The most reliable wildlife spottings, however, are out at sea. Temptation Sailing runs catamaran cruises to see the pods of bottlenose dolphins that call the waters around seaside suburb Glenelg home. There’s an option to watch them from the boat – which Premier Holidays sells from £38 – or to get in the water with them. The latter is billed as swimming, but it’s more a case of holding on to a rope at the back of the boat while the dolphins check you out. dolphinboat.com.au


w WHERE TO STAY As a general rule, it’s best to save the quirky and once-in-a- lifetime accommodation for the wine regions or Kangaroo Island; Adelaide’s hotels are generally aimed at the business market


30 June 2016 travelweekly.co.uk 49


PICTURES: SATC/ADAM BRUZZONE; DON FUCHS; JOHN MONTESI


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