Six December days in Adelaide

Despite living in Australia my whole life, until last week, I had not visited the state of South Australia. Not even its capital, Adelaide—affectionately nicknamed “Radelaide”. The city has a bit of a reputation for being boring and quieter than the big cities on the east coast, and having a strange timezone that is not a complete hour(s) off other cities, but rather by half an hour. Quieter Adelaide may be—at least when compared to Sydney and Melbourne—but boring it is not. It seems that the locals would still like you to keep the great things about Adelaide a secret, and go home and tell everyone that it is boring indeed.

I had been meaning to visit the city a few years ago but that didn’t end up happening. I chose to go at this time of the year because I wanted a short break from work, but nothing too close to Christmas time. I felt like going somewhere new but still somewhat familiar, so a new city in Australia felt like the perfect option. I had five nights in Adelaide, which allowed me to get a lot done and hang out with my friend Jess, an Adelaide local whom I met online on The Fanlistings Network many, many years ago. 🥹

I somehow landed a business class seat on the way there by placing a bid. It was suggested to put somewhere up to $350 but that felt like a lot, so I put the maximum I’d be fine with paying extra, which was $100. Win! I wouldn’t say it was entirely worth the upgrade because it was only a short flight, but I did get access to the lounge, and then got an actual meal onboard, as well as priority all-the-stuff, so it was a nice way to start the trip.

🌞 Walking around town

It was such a hot day (32°C/89.6°F) but not too unbearable, because Adelaide is not as humid as Sydney. Even in 22°C (71.6°F) in Sydney, it gets very humid. I felt like the heat in Adelaide was actually somewhat pleasant. I walked around the city a bit, checking out the iconic Rundle Mall (an open mall) then had lunch at what happened to be a new Greek restaurant. It was called Agora and I had a nice meal, and they served Greek coffee too.

I found the Australian Space Discovery Centre by way of some signage outside. I had no idea what to expect, but entry was free so I had a look inside. It was actually very educational and all the interactive exhibits were well maintained and modern. Although there were many touch-screen things, there was hand sanitiser at every station, and it was hand sanitiser that didn’t suck. I say this because so much hand sanitiser is gluggy, smells bad, doesn’t dispense nicely, etc. but this stuff was decent, and had a pleasant scent. I thought the centre might be mostly aimed at children but I think adults will find it at least a little bit interesting.

🌹 Adelaide Botanic Garden

I walked around the Botanic Garden for most of the afternoon. It was a decently sized garden with lots of different areas and many places providing shade from the heat. Honestly not much more to share here, but recommend it for a lovely stroll if the weather’s good!

🌊 Port Elliot and Victor Harbour

Jess drove me to Port Elliot and Victor Harbour on Thursday, and it was about an hour out of Adelaide. Yes, we did go to the Port Elliot bakery. 😆 I rarely eat pies, but appreciate and enjoy them when they’re good, so I had a steak and pepper pie. 🥧 We saw some sights, and chatted a lot on the drive and while we peeked into shops and had some cold beverages and shared some pasta and fries. It was nice to catch up and spend time together which we just hadn’t had the opportunity to do before! 😊

🥾 Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty hike

On Friday morning I did the Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty hike. (Amusingly, the following day, Oprah had done the hike on her visit to Adelaide.) I chose the Friday morning because I really wanted to avoid potential crowds on the weekend, and I was already planning to go to some markets on the weekend. I did the hike just to the summit. The hike can be done out-and-back, and you can start at either point, but I think a walk upwards to the summit is better than walking downhill first. I took an Uber to Waterfall Gully and the carpark was already almost full at about 8:00am. There is a bus route that has a stop at the summit of Mount Lofty, which is convenient. As far as I know, there isn’t one that goes to Waterfall Gully.

The hike took me just under 70 minutes, so it was pretty quick. It’s graded as a 4—difficult—but I found it was moderate for someone of my level of fitness and my experience with hikes. I’d give it a 6/10. The path is mostly paved, which means it is easier for some people to traverse, but occasionally that can feel like a cop-out depending on the hike. It does get especially steep towards the end, but nothing too exhausting for me personally. There were a lot of benches along the way to sit and rest, so even if you aren’t extremely fit, you could still do this hike but take a little longer.

The sun was beaming down on me on some parts of the hike, so sunscreen is necessary, and a hat and sunglasses can provide extra protection as well. There is a gift shop, cafe, and toilets at the summit. There are also toilets at Waterfall Gully. It was interesting to see how flat Adelaide was from the summit. I’m glad I did the hike and I think it is a trail that is well maintained. I also walked around the Discovery trail around the summit, which takes less than ten minutes. There’s not much there other than just having a little path to walk around.

I almost got stranded at the top because no Uber wanter to pick me up from the summit. 😆 I didn’t think it was that big a deal. At least I knew there were buses as a backup, but they were not very frequent at all. I had to wait about 30 minutes before one showed up, but I tried the Uber a couple of times before my requests were cancelled. It was a good thing I finished up when I did, because I don’t think there was another bus for three hours. At that point I probably would have just walked the trail back and (hopefully) gotten an Uber, or maybe paid for a very expensive taxi. Or done another hike, like the botanical garden one that is further up the mountain. 😂 Anyway, I had a well timed transfer for the bus out of the national park to the one that goes to the city, so I was thankful it all worked out.

🏙️ A little more city strolling

The remainder of that day still involved a lot of walking as I explored Adelaide Central Market and Chinatown. After I showered back at my hotel and headed out, I got a bagel from Rosé Bagels nearby. The Central Market didn’t have much that I wanted to buy as it was mostly fresh produce and food. I still enjoyed perusing everything that was there.

I walked through Chinatown and then just walked more around the city. Then I found an incredible shop with vintage and secondhand wares!

🗝️ My Dead Grandpa: A giant vintage and secondhand shop

I spent probably a couple of hours here enjoying looking at everything. My Dead Grandpa (clever name) was a giant warehouse-like space with many areas selling goods from different sellers—the sellers weren’t present; the shop was coordinating sales for them and (I assume) renting out each space. Each space was decorated in their own way, so you could see a bit of the vibe and personality, which was very fun. I actually bought nothing in the store, but I was occupied for a very long time, and tried on a lot of things, but didn’t fancy anything.

There were mostly clothes, but also old electronics, vinyl records, DVDs and CDs, posters, and band shirts. I believe there was even a coffee kiosk whose window opened to face the street outside. It was also useful that they have a restroom customers can use, since you can definitely spend a long time here.

🛍️ A day of markets

I spent Saturday morning going to a couple of markets. There was a Christmas Market in Rundle Mall, so that kept me entertained for a short time, then Meander Market in North Adelaide, on the main street called Melbourne Street (certainly not to be confused with the city of Melbourne). Although I could get a bus, the 30 minute walk felt more appealing given the temperatures had dropped, and I didn’t mind a walk. I really liked North Adelaide and the cafes that dotted Melbourne Street. It was lovely to see a neighbourhood outside of the city. I might think about staying in a neighbourhood next time I visit.

I was resisting buying all the things, especially candles and earrings! I didn’t want to take candles home, and I had just bought a bunch of them, so I like to go through them before I get more. I did end up buying some earrings on my trip, though. I enjoyed seeing makers and creators local to South Australia. I go to a lot of markets in Sydney, and to be honest, it gets a little tiring seeing the same ones over and over at all the events I attend. So it was so nice to see what the scene was like in Adelaide. 😌

While I was in North Adelaide I had a bagel and a hojicha latte at a cafe called Fika. Yum! There seems to be some really good bagel spots in Adelaide. I will definitely be back for them. 🥲

There were free caricatures at Meander Market so I made sure to line up and get one. ✨

💎 Visiting Momentu piercing studio

I seem to be making it a tradition to visit whatever piercing studios are in the area when I am travelling. I had looked up Momentu in North Adelaide and decided to drop by between looking at stalls at Meander Market. The cool folks there turned out to be friends with piercer Eden (@stab.rat) back at home in Sydney. I was not thinking about getting a piercing, but wanted to see what jewellery they had in the shop, maybe upgrade one of my pieces… 🤭 I didn’t think I would find anything, and then I saw this triple chain that I knew would be perfect in one of my vertical helixes!

🏛️ Customary gallery and museum visit

I had several hours of spare time in the afternoon so I took the opportunity to go proper tourist and look in the art gallery and museum, not before I took a walk by the river and a break to sit. It was a pleasant walk by the water.

The art gallery kept me occupied for a generous amount of time. I’m kind of glad I looked in the gallery first, because the museum was bizarrely very dated and I came in about 40 minutes to closing time (which was 5:00pm), so I made a beeline for the minerals/rocks exhibit and then decided to work my way down. There was an announcement 15 minutes prior to closing, and there was a curt member of staff already switching lights off in the exhibits and slamming doors just moments after the announcement. He even closed the stairwell doors behind me, so I used the elevator instead. A young couple and their son wanted to see the floor I’d just been on, but I said there was someone already switching lights off and making it very clear that was our cue to leave. 😂

🌲 Hahndorf

On my last full day in Adelaide, Jess and I went to Hahndorf. It was a slow Sunday morning and I met Jess at a bus interchange. I boarded the bus from the city and as it went out of the city, went on the O-bahn Busway. The O-Bahn lets buses travel over a longer distance more quickly using a dedicated route that has a specially built track for bus and rail. I was amazed and amused at the same time.

Hahndorf was a cute place I could have spent hours in, and spend hours there we did! We started at the Otto’s bakery and I had to get a beef and pepper pie. There was a beef option for slightly cheaper, but I adore the flavour of peppercorn, and I didn’t regret my purchase. It was delicious. There were other snacks in there but I opted for a coffee and decided a pie would be enough.

We explored all the cute little shops, thinking that we’d head over to the Beerenberg jam farm later on, but we didn’t get time because the shops occupied us. Jess hadn’t spent that much time in the Hahndorf shops despite having been there a couple of times, so she didn’t mind that I wanted to walk into so many shops.

I spotted a colourful cushion in one of the clothing shops that caught my eye instantly—it was a slight pastel plaid, and there was one on every chair in every fitting room, and a chair outside. They were being sold in the shop for $59.95. My brain kept telling me I didn’t need a sixth cushion for my home, and that the ones I had crafted were a similar price but I made them… however, these cushions were also handmade and from wool. We ended up coming back to the shop later on—after having a full meal and all—and I decided I’d buy one (even though I definitely wanted more than just the one). I’d also purchased a nice pair of denim pants that fit really well and weren’t too long (I’m a short person). (They are not the ones in the photo below though.)

We stopped at Kitchen 2C for a late-ish lunch and I have to share that the salmon salad bowl I got was very good. The Asian slaw was great, the sesame seed covered avocado was nice, and I really liked that there was an even amount of slaw and brown rice. 🤤

🍣 Solo banquet at Shōbōsho

Later that evening, after much deliberation and considering how bloated I was, and the idea of just skipping dinner, I decided to take myself to a Japanese restaurant called Shobosho. They had a banquet menu that I’d been eyeing for a few days but had not yet felt was an appropriate time to try. After perusing the à la carte menu, I actually decided to get the banquet, because it would be appropriately sized for one person. If I ordered a bunch of dishes à la carte, I might end up having a lot of food but little variety. I didn’t regret my decision and all the food was great! I got quite full when it came to the bread, but bread can also be very filling. I left about half of the bread so I could still stomach the dessert which was the next and final course. 😆 Although I took some photos, they didn’t look as good as it all tasted, so you can use your imagination here.

👋🏻 Last morning and heading home

My flight home was not until 2:00pm so I spent the morning walking around Rundle Mall, then looking in the State Library at some of the things on display, and then looking in the Mortlock Chamber, which was a quiet and pleasant place to just sit in. Originally, I was just going sit in somewhere to eat, and then bum around at the airport, but I am glad that I decided to use my last morning to tick off a couple of sights.

The flight home was pretty stress free and I ended up getting an Economy X seat which granted me the exit row and priority boarding. I had put in a bid for $35 to get the seat upgrade—which I think is about the same as if I had paid for the fare for the seat upon booking—but I didn’t mind as I was happy to pay. Just a little perk to make things more comfortable. Because of the short flight and not having travelled too far from home or for too long, I feel like I had quite a perfect trip away. It was enough to see and experience new things, treat myself, and feel refreshed, without the tiredness that comes with travel.

I had an enjoyable holiday, feeling adequately refreshed, and am glad to have squeezed so many activities in. Adelaide has a good balance of entertainment and isn’t as busy as cities like Melbourne and Sydney. I like that you don’t have to travel too far out of the city to see something different—like beaches, wineries, or just a change of scenery. I didn’t hire a car, but you could get to many places easily if you have one. So, go there—or don’t. 😉