For as long as anyone can remember, Adelaide has been nicknamed ‘The
City of Churches’. Though the catchphrase plays on one aspect of this
genteel city, there is far more to the South Australian capital than church spires, cricket, and cucumber sandwiches. For one thing, unhurried Adelaide (with its obvious
English leanings) houses both some
wonderful museums, and residents who really know their
wines.
Adelaide was settled by the British in 1836 and named in honor of Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV. From the start the city was planned,
rather than allowed to grow haphazardly. The Surveyor-General of the colony of South Australia, Colonel William Light, was given the task of finding a site for the colony’s capital.
The
Torrens River meant a good water supply, and the fertile land on either bank was fertile and well drained. The river would separate the city of Adelaide itself from North Adelaide, while parkland would surround the settlements, and be created along the riverbanks.
Migrants were carefully screened before being allowed to sail for South Australia. Unlike elsewhere in Australia, where convicts made up a large percentage of the population, anyone with a criminal record was barred.
Many of the British settlers decided to
recreate old England, while others were keen to leave aspects of their former lives behind. Many were Presbyterians, Baptists, Congregationalists, Methodists and Unitarians, who suffered unfavorable conditions back home because their beliefs conflicted with those of the Church of England. The result was an unusual number of
churches dotted around the city.
Adelaide sidles up to an inlet of the Southern Ocean, and onto some of Australia’s most important
winery regions. It’s also terribly close to some of the most
forbidding countryside in the world - namely the Nullarbor Plain and the Great Victorian Desert. Hence the
high temperatures and dusty air you might encounter in summer.
Generally though, Adelaide is a green and
pleasant place, sporting plenty of
parks, a delightful river, and a city center laid-out in a grid with
airy squares. The official town center is Victoria Square, while the happening eat streets are Hindley Street, Gouger Street, and Rundle Street (the latter running into the shopping strip of Rundle Mall).
North Terrace, which is lined with
galleries and
museums and leads to the Botanic
Gardens, borders the city to the north. Meanwhile, just north of the city heart, on the banks of the River Torrens, is the Riverside Precinct, the home of the Festival Center and its
performing arts.
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Related Adelaide Content
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
Related Australia Content
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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