Adelaide

Date of Adventure 23 through 28 December 2024

Overall, Adelaide was a little disappointing to me. Maybe because I had very high expectations. In many ways it resembles a combination of California towns. I rented an AirBnB that is in the town (suburb) of Brighton. It was a half block from the beach and quite nice. The first couple of days were pretty good weather. But the later part of my stay got very windy and cool and then it started to rain. Packing the Troopy to leave on the 28 th in a blowing rain was a real drag.

Christmas Eve I took the Troopy to a mechanic for service. It was time for an oil change and a most of the other fluids. This worked out really well. I’m a little short but almost time for the 120,000 km service so that’s what they did. The shop is within walking distance of downtown Adelaide so I had plenty to do while waiting. I’m impressed by the contrast in the downtown areas of the bigger cities. Some beautiful and very modern buildings alongside some of the old historic ones.

The biggest attraction for me was the Central Market and “Chinatown” which are adjacent to each other. It was Christmas eve and they were pretty packed. I went back to the market on the Saturday before I left town and it wasn’t quite as bad. A great chance to stock up on fresh stuff for my next couple of weeks, though it won’t all last that long.

Of course it was Christmastime so there was a big “tree” in the Victoria Square. Perhaps more impressive, is the commemoration of the legal changes that came about for the Aboriginals (maybe I should call them “Indigenous People”. The square is dedicated to those changes with several descriptive signboards. They fly 3 flags: Australia, South Australia (the state), and the Indigenous Flag. There is also a lovely statue/fountain that was designed and executed by a combination of white and indigenous artists.

Christmas day, I spent doing my laundry at the laundromat and just checking out the local suburbs. Adelaide reminds me a bit of California cities. There are parts that look like San Diego and the coastline and weather seem a bit reminiscent of Santa Cruz…just a little warmer.

Now it’s off to the Flinders Ranges.