South Australia is the festival state. Ones to check out include the Adelaide Fringe Festival and WOMAD (a world music fest) both in February/March time. July is the month for Pubfest and in October, Adelaide comes alive for the Carnival Spring Regatta which takes place along the banks of the Torrens.
Adelaide: known as the City of churches, Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia. Because of its large student population, the place is affordable. It has many festivals. Rundle Street is the place to go for a good cappuccino and a bite to eat. Along this bustling street you can also wind back the clock and stock up on your retro gear. It is the city's main social centre. If you like architecture, check out North Terrace which has several impressive buildings. There are also cycling paths along the picturesque River Torrens which flows through the city.
Glenelg: also referred to as The Bay, this seaside town is a good place to come for a swim and an ice cream. Vintage trams creak through the streets and the promenade is a good place to have a stroll and soak up the atmosphere. This coastal town is the beach hangout just outside of Adelaide. Full of funky bars, restaurants and beautiful people, this is a great place to hang out (especially on weekends and hot summer nights).
Barossa Valley: Barossa Valley is Australia's best known wine region and is home to 60 wineries. 55km from Adelaide gets you into Australia's premium grape growing district. Historic Lutheran churches and old cottages are dotted around the region. Hire a car, a bike or go for a walk along the many trails here. Biking is a good way to visit wineries as many are situated close together. With a few tipples under your belt head to Whispering Wall, a concrete dam whose acoustics allow you to have conversations with your mates from 150m away.
Adelaide Hills: A half-hour drive from Adelaide will see you winding your way through its lush hills and valleys. The Adelaide Hills are situated in the Mt Lofty Ranges. You can be forgiven for thinking that you have stepped into the Mediterranean when you make the journey into the Adelaide Hills. The place is awash with olive groves and vineyards. By the roadside, carts of local fresh produce tempts you to stop the car and dip into your pocket. Numerous walking trails can be found here and sunset is a good time to go on a guided wildlife walk.
Kangaroo Island: A nature lovers paradise. Situated 13km off South Australia's coast, you will find a menagerie of birds, endemic animals and marine life here. There are no feral species (apart from a few mangy tourists) so the island's pristine integrity has been preserved with almost a third of the island set aside as conversation or national parks. Kingscote is the main settlement on the island. This is a quiet seaside town where you can see penguins, take a walk or relax in a tidal pool near the jetty. Vivonne By is a good spot for experienced surfers to don their wetsuits. Talk to the locals about the best places as some areas are dangerous. The Sea Bay Conservation Park can be found heading down to Admiral's Arch where you can see New Zealand fur seals. If you have ever wanted to see a platypus in the wild, Flinders Chase National Park may be the place. They are notoriously difficult to spot so keep your eyes peeled. More easily spotted are kangaroos and Cape Barren geese.
Nullarbor Desert: This is a vast stretch of desert to the northwest of Adelaide. Translated from Latin, the word Nullarbor literally means no trees. And this is an apt description for the 3800km of this surreal landscape where nothing truly is everything. This is probably one of the most quintessential Australian experience you can have and it will certainly go down well in the pub afterwards when you can claim that you have crossed the Nullarbor. If you don't fancy driving then take the Trans-Australian Railway from Kalgoorlie to Port Augusta. Along the way is the world's longest stretch of dead-straight railway track measuring in at 478km. The actual track is over three times as long. Apart from the odd bush and a sprinkling of caves, the Nullarbor is known for the meteorites that crash to Earth here.
Flinders Ranges: this impressive rock formation runs 400km across the arid Outback. It is a place of vibrant colour, ancient gorges, towering gum trees and steep ridges. The Ranges are a great place to immerse yourself in the vastness of the Australian desert and also to strap on your hiking boots. At 500km wide by 250km across, the impressive Flinders Ranges are amongst the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Situated in the middle of barren outback, their peaks rise majestically and at certain times of the day their hues change colour.
Wilpena Pound: this natural amphitheatre looks like a crater has crashed into the desert. Aboriginal Dreamtime myth tells of two gigantic snakes that devoured a tribe and were so full from their gluttony that they curled up and died. Their bodies formed the rocky circle of Wilpena Pound with one head being St Marys Peak, the tallest point in the area. Aerial flights provide a unique perspective of this phenomenal area.
Coober Pedy: Welcome to Australia's only underground town. Because it is so damn hot in this part of the world (daytime summer temperatures can reach a scorching 50C), the locals have built underground dugouts to seek refuge. Why live here if it is so hot? The answer is opals, the area is a rich source. Are you feeling lucky? If so, bring your mining gear and get digging and perhaps you will be one of the fortunate few to excavate a million-dollar opal find. If not, then there is plenty in town to keep you occupied. The Old Timers mine is a mine from 1916 that was rediscovered by chance when a family decided to extend their underground home. Get lost in a labyrinth of tunnels which still have opals embedded into their walls. Around half the population live in underground houses. Some residents allow you inside to have a nose around their warrens. The Coober Pedy Opal Fields golf club is a golf course like no other. Forget grass, the playing surface here is the desert. Probably the only course in the world where making divots is a good thing, you may unearth an opal! Following a 70km loop road from Coober Pedy, you will come across the Breakaways where the desert changes colour before your eyes. The colour of the earth depends on the time of day you visit. The Dingo Fence is one the longest constructions on the planet (built to keep out the dingoes) and measures a whopping 5320km.
Port Lincoln & Eyre peninsula: located at the southern tip of the peninsula is Port Lincoln, one of Australia's richest towns and famous for its cage Great White shark diving. Learn more about the tuna fishing industry. Although slippery-pole climbing may sound as though it belong in a strip club, there are many aspects to catching one of the ocean's quickest fish that you are probably aware of. Watch experts keg roll, build boats and toss tuna if you are in the area over Australia Day weekend (late January). Also of interest is the seahorse farm. This town is all about water. Surf, charter a boat or yacht and whale watch. Away from the waves check out the many historic buildings situated around this picturesque place.
No comments:
Post a Comment