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Here I am in South Australia, home to some of the finest wineries in the World. The hostel I stayed in for 3 nights was 'homely' and it felt home from home, with it being situated on 'Wakefield road'. For the first time in 6 weeks, I was away from the extravagance and exuberance of Sydney and Melbourne, and although some didn't have too many positive things to say about Adelaide, I liked it. It just felt like a big town by English standards. The train station at 6pm was so quiet in comparison to how a City train station is in England would look at peak time. Just like in every city I have visited in Australia so far, I took a stroll around the botanic gardens, studied in the museum, and marvelled at the cricket ground. The botanic gardens are quite possibly the nicest gardens I have visited in Australia so far, and I have since been informed that the lonely planet guide book also share my view. The museum was also a free gem, it was extremely informative, and there was a section about rural South Australia and the Red Centre which made me even more eager to visit the outback. The Adelaide oval seemed extremely 'adelaidey', surrounded by lovely green gardens, and a church in the background near the Sir Don Bradman statue.
My journey through Australia so far seems to have being dictated by sport, and my trip to Adelaide was no different. The 'tour down under' bike thingy was taking place in Adelaide city and beyond. I saw the bikes of Mark Cavendish and Lance Armstrong getting repaired in an indoor cycling thingy (no not a garage before you say anything). You can tell by my wording that I'm not too knowledgeable towards the sport of Cycling, and these two names mentioned are the only cyclists I would recognise.
I met up with my Australian relations who until now, I had never seen before. They were incredibly hospitable and kind, and they showed me parts of South Australia I never thought I'd see. I had missed seeing some of the countryside, because Melbourne and Sydney were nice, but It was getting tiresome just staying in city centres all the time. I went to where the ferry departs to go Kangaroo Island, and saw it in the distance. I was offered by a few of my mates to go across there for a two day tour, but as I mention a fair bit in my blogs, there's so much in the world to see and do, it's all about picking and choosing what you would prefer to see the most. For me, I'd prefer to go into the outback and see Ayers Rock, and then do Fraser Island etc.
I visited many places around Adelaide that other tourists would never really get the chance of seeing, but I was incredibly lucky in that aspect, that the relations had showed me what was worth seeing. As we drove to seek some of the beautiful South Australian countryside, the road was blocked off temporarily to let all the 'tour down under' cyclists through, and they were then followed by a convoy of cars including ambulances and police motorbikes.
Fair enough, the City of Adelaide doesn't have an opera house, nor does it have a mega sporting complex, however I do feel it possess character and charm, and with not half as many backpackers, for the first time in 6 weeks, I feel like I am in Australia again. Having said all that though, there are a huge number of English people living in this city.
AUSTRALIA DAY 26TH JAN- I spent Australia day watching a one day Cricket match at the Adelaide oval on the grass banking. Sat next to me was a lad from Sheffield who had lived here 2 years with his wife and two daughters. Suffice to say, he had not lost any of his Yorkshire accent. He had persuaded me to leave our viewing area for half an hour and go to the pub for a 'reeet nice pint'. There weren't many English there, which was a bit of a contrast to when the Ashes was on. One thing that was the same, the Aussies still only have one chant, and a boring one at that. "OZZY OZZY OZZY, OI OI OI".... YAWWWWWN. I watched the fireworks later on, which considering the last firework display I watched was the Sydney New Years eve fireworks, I actually thought these were fairly impressive. Also forgot to mention, England won at the cricket, Happy Australia day everyone.
Following on from the day after Australia day, I went out for a meal and had the biggest steak EVER. Without a shadow of a doubt, I would have put that half a stone back on that I lost in two month of travelling. I then heard on the radio that there were three separate deaths in Adelaide throughout the night. So much for peaceful, tranquil South Australia. The rain, and now this. Australia really was trying to make me feel like I was home from home.
Next blog is Wilpena Pound.
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