Archives for June 2013

They’re not joking about that.

During all of our driving around Australia, I trained my eyes to check out every car’s license plate. It’s much easier to play the license plate game when there are only six states and one territory to cross off. I also enjoyed reading each state’s license plate slogan. A few favorites include Queensland’s “The Smart State” and Victoria’s “On the Move” in italics… like it’s moving! South Australia’s license plate slogan reads: “The Festival State.” They are not joking.

We arrived in Adelaide just a few days before all of the many festivals kicked off. There’s Fringe, Chinese New Year, Soundwave, WOMADelaide, Adelaide Festival, Writers’ Week… just to name a few. It was remarkable. And perfect timing on our part.

Tickets to many of the festivals are fairly costly so we mainly sought out free events. There were plenty of parades, firework shows, and street parties to keep us happy. We also attended a few low cost comedy shows that were great bargains. I highly recommend visiting Adelaide during the summer festival season (Feb/March). You’ll never be bored.

Below are photos from opening night of Fringe. If you’re not familiar with Fringe festivals, check out what they are all about here.
It’s a wonder they don’t spread the festival love around the rest of the year.

xo, jill

The littlest big city.

In general, when you visit a major city camping for accommodation isn’t really an option. (Most people probably don’t even show up with their very own camping gear.) But in Adelaide, you totally can. As Mike was combing through the guidebook looking for accommodation options, he pointed out “There’s a caravan park in the middle of the city!”

Ok, it’s not actually in the middle of the city…but pretty close (5k from the center).  We camped there a few nights and then moved to a different spot on the beach (12k from the center). Both caravan parks were comfortable, surrounded by nature, and in great locations for city exploration.

The fact that you can camp so close to the center of Adelaide gives you an idea of how mellow and relaxed it is. I suppose that’s also probably why it gets teased so terribly by the rest of Australia. However, for us a camp-able city was just what we needed. We saved money on accommodation but still explored a “big city.”

Here are a few photos from an evening spent on the beach at our second camp site:
This was a black photo. Added a little fill light and voila. Vogue.

If you’re heading to Adelaide and would like to camp, may I recommend:

Levi Park Caravan Park – located in Vale Park (5k from city center), on the bus line, powered site $37
Adelaide Shores Caravan Park – located in West Beach (12k from city center), powered site $36 – $46
There’s also Adelaide Caravan Park (4k from city center) but I haven’t tried that one out.

xo, jill

Time truly flies.

Clockwise: Pub verandah in Forbes / Australia Day / Frangipanis / Surf’s up

In one week Mike and I will be getting on a plane and flying back to the USA. As much as I’ve loved my time in Australia, after ten months I feel ready to go. Of course there are plenty of places I didn’t get to explore (Western Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania), but I’m satisfied with all of the sightseeing that we’ve accomplished. We visited four states, most of the major cities, and plenty of country towns. Just the other day I met an Australian woman in her fifties (or so) who had never traveled beyond New South Wales. When you look at it like that, we’ve done pretty well. And even when you don’t look at it like that, we’ve still done well!

Only a few days left to walk along the water, eat local snacks, and spend time with friends. Better get busy!

xo, jill

“Going where the air is clear.”*

When we arrived in Adelaide, everything just felt right. People describe Adelaide as more of a country town than a city (of 1.2 million), and I think that’s a pretty good description. The streets are wide, the traffic is sparse, and the pubs are plentiful. It was like we happened upon the perfect summer environment.

We started off our time in Adelaide by celebrating my birthday. Then we camped out in the Glenelg neighborhood for a new nights and enjoyed cooling down near the beach. The beaches in Adelaide aren’t amazing compared to the rest of Australia, but they certainly get the job done on a hot day. And you can always jump off the pier if you’re craving a big splash.

Adelaide was so great we decided to stick around for four weeks. It really won us over.

xo, jill

*Ben Folds “Adelaide”