A holiday in Adelaide is a holiday in an attractive, historic and easy-paced destination. Capital of Australia’s driest state, Adelaide is a charming, orderly city that has preserved its heritage of history and culture while heightening its claim as the Festival City. There’s always something going on in the arts and theatre and this city of a million people is justifiably proud of the European feel of its Victorian architecture.
Relaxed and understated, Adelaide hosts a range of attractions from sparkling beaches, galleries and museums, the epicentre of Australia’s wine industry and charming Lutheran townships. It’s a very easy city to get around; laid out in a grid pattern it has continued to bloom in a neat and carefree style. Many of Adelaide’s city attractions are located in the North Terrace precinct, home to all the oldest and grandest buildings of the city and, lit by gas lamps, the atmosphere of 19th-century Adelaide is perfectly captured.
Adelaide is bordered to the west by a stretch of beaches, including Glenelg, 11km south-west of the city where pine trees and beautiful stone buildings line the beach. To the east, the rolling Adelaide Hills harbour wineries, wildlife sanctuaries, walking trails and quaint townships. It is also the home of the historic Hahndorf German settlement and its art galleries, cake and souvenir shops.
The McLaren Vale region, south of the city, produces excellent wines of all kinds, but is particularly renowned for its Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc varieties. The town of Coriole, with a distinct Tuscan feel, is a great spot overlooking the vales.
Australia's premier wine region, the Barossa Valley starts about 50km north of Adelaide and continues for almost as far again. The vineyards are closely located together on both sides of the valley, creating a uniform vista of cultivated vine rows thickly carpeting the valley floor. The Barossa was shaped centuries ago by European settlers, and it was German colonists who planted the first vines. There are plenty of small towns and villages in the area that retain their German character, in their buildings and culture.
Adelaide fun facts
It’s believed that every time a pub appeared in Adelaide another church was built
More than 65% of events in the Adelaide Festival of Arts come from overseas
Adelaide city is laid out in a square mile grid
A long weekend on Hamilton Island
Thursday 27th May 2010
Travel Counsellor: Tamara Panagis
My Husband and I had the pleasure of making our way up to Hamilton Island in the last weekend of May for 4 nights with family and friends. The purpose of the trip was to soak up some warm sun that we were missing out in Brisbane and to try out the new golf course on Dent Island.
Hamilton Island is one of the largest Islands in the Whitsundays which you can access by flying direct with Virgin Blue or Jetstar. Another option would be to fly into Proserpine (just north of Mackay) and you can take a launch to the Island.
There are numerous accommodation options on the island, from the luxurious Qualia resort to the little bungalows. It really is a matter of budget as the choice of your lodging is varied. We all stayed at the Whitsunday Holiday Apartments in a self contained unit which we were very happy with. It was very large, had a separate bedroom, two way bathroom, the kitchen had everything you needed, large lounge and dining room with a big balcony to capture the beautiful view... view full story
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