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
My mind just can’t process the fact that spending $35+ per night just in order to CAMP is considered a good deal pricewise in Australia, since for the past 6 months or so, spending that kind of money on lodging has been considered a major splurge for us! We thought Japan was expensive, but I’m pretty sure that you can camp in certain places (not cities, mind you) for completely free or very cheaply, though that is likely because camping isn’t wildly popular there. No wonder you guys hooked up housesitting whenever you could!
Steph (@ 20 Years Hence) recently posted…The Nighttime is the Right Time in Taipei
I know. I’m looking forward to some lower prices once we leave here. Those prices I quoted were for the high season, but not for the holiday peak season. Some sites around Christmas were going for $75 a night… for your own little piece of dirt! Unreal.