Touring Adelaide

Featured Image by: Lee Ann Morrell

“The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences.” ~ Into the Wild

Just a few months after arriving in Australia (just over a year ago now – my, how time flies!), David’s family came to visit us. What a pleasure that was! As much as we wanted to fully experience Australia by doing and seeing new things, life happens and we just got caught up in the rhythms of the daily routine. So, we were very grateful at the fact that David’s family visiting gave us an excuse to be tourists for a few days! I must say, I truly think that is when I really fell in love with Adelaide, and in this time of isolation and quarantine, I can’t help but wake up grateful every morning for the beauty all around me. So I thought, why not share it with you?

Adelaide is the 5^th largest city in Australia, yet it still seems to have that friendly small-town feel to it; there is so much to do, yet everyone is so laid back and easy-going.

If you’ve read any of my previous posts, you already know the option of food exploration is high on the list in Adelaide, but there are many other things that make Adelaide worth exploring:

Gorge Wildlife Park

There are a few options of wildlife parks to visit in Adelaide, but Gorge Wildlife Park is the only one we’ve been to. We really love it and have absolutely no complaints, so I have no problem recommending it ten out of ten times. The price is decent and you have the option of paying a little extra for holding the koalas and/or for food to feed the kangaroos and other roaming creatures.

You can’t come to Australia and not hold a koala or feed a kangaroo, so I say this is an absolute MUST.

It really is an incredible experience; the kangaroos are mesmerizing and the koalas really are as cute and cuddly as they look! Plus, there are emu and a whole heap of other Australian species that for some I didn’t even know existed, and others I laid eyes on for the first time. Feeding the camels is very entertaining; and, if you’re like me and don’t see the “Warning: Do not feed” the world’s most dangerous bird sign (!!!), you can even get a chance at that too! I’m not kidding, we fed this incredibly dinosaur-like looking bird, walked around to the other side of the enclosure and saw the warning sign. Oops!

The otters are SO adorable! But I think the monkeys definitely steal the show! Don’t hold your bag of food too close to the fence – they WILL snatch it from you! They’ll even let you think they’re allowing you to pour the food into their hands, but those smart little guys know you’re not emptying the bag for them, so be aware! They lure your bag in close enough to the fence to make it easier for them to quickly snatch it away. Yes, I saw this really happen! It was actually quite impressive!

The Botanical Garden

Although packed with lots of trees, you won’t be finding any monkeys here. In fact, The Botanical Garden in Adelaide is a beautifully serene and peaceful place that can be enjoyed at no cost. The crazy, but awesome, part to me is the fact that it is this undisturbed area right there in the middle of the city. All you have to do is hop on the city tram (for free), stay on till the very last stop, and walk right in to explore the Botanical Garden (for free!). Yes, there are lots of great plant species to discover, but it’s such a charmingly secluded green slab of land that I think it’s just as nice to go sit, be still and enjoy the quiet, or even take a picnic to have a lovely date – for free! (Sorry, did I mention that already?).

Victor Harbor – Granite Island

South of Adelaide is honestly a place of beautiful, travel-magazine type scenery! One place we were told to visit with David’s family was Granite Island in Victor Harbor – about an hour’s drive from Adelaide. This is also a free experience – aside from gas money of course – but the view framed by the car window is an experience in itself!

Along with the cool-looking rock formations, my favorite part about Granite Island was the man-made art exhibit along the hiking trail – Sculpture Encounters. This is an ever-growing exhibit with sculptures from Australian and international artists; some discreetly created with natural materials that disappear over time, and others that simply make you go “hmmm… interesting”.

A Persian carpet woven into a bench facing the sea recognizes the Australian Olympic athlete, Cathy Freeman, who went on to establish the Cathy Freeman Foundation – supporting indigenous students.

A statue titled “Horizon Figure” just about begs “climb on me and take a photo!” as it frames the ocean’s horizon.

An open door of a hut along the trail welcomes us inside for yet another perfectly framed photo.

And a tasty looking burger attached to a fishing hook sits on the shore, proving to me that SpongeBob is real and the Crusty Crab does exist!

Those are only a few of the intriguing statues we saw, and there are supposed to be more added every few months. I’m already looking forward to our next visit!

Wine Tasting in McLaren Vale

On our way back up to Adelaide we drove through the McLaren Vale wine region, just south of Adelaide. This area is one of my favorites to this day and I try to find any excuse I can to get myself down there; with great wine, food and scenery, that’s not too difficult to come up with!

This was actually my first “wine tasting” experience and we stopped at two vineyards of which I’d highly recommend – Wirra Wirra and Woodstock.

Woodstock has a Wildlife Sanctuary, so if you don’t get a chance to stop at a wildlife park while in Adelaide, at least you can feed the emus and kangaroos at Woodstock – apparently they love Weet-Bix (Australia’s very bland, but most popular breakfast of choice) and grapes of all things! Who knew?

Going wine-tasting can honestly be a very educational experience. All of the vineyards I’ve visited have lovely hosts who seem to enjoy answering any questions you might have and sharing the rich history behind their wineries. It’s customary to pay approximately $5 per person if you don’t purchase a bottle, but even a bottle of wine can be fairly inexpensive (Although, I suppose that all depends on how many wineries you end up visiting!). Some offer complimentary wine tasting, but that’s only because they know purchasing their wine will be hard to resist!

Whether you’re from Adelaide or have never stepped foot in Australia, I implore you! Wherever you are, whatever means you have, as soon as life goes back to normal, be a tourist for a day or two. Don’t let yourself get swept up by the mundane, every day, too-busy-to-explore schedule, which I know, right now, might sound appealing to you. Don’t get caught up watching YouTube videos of someone else living while you sit around waiting for your own opportunity. I’m sure you’ve had enough of that already! Get out and really live while you can. There’s beauty in your own backyard!

If we have learned anything from this season of time, it isn’t that man needs to be busy to survive, but rather that man was made for new experiences – experiences that make you appreciate the world around you!

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Cheers,

Joyful Jot