Adventurous Adelaide

Adelaide’s energy, culture, food and the spirit of ‘all-things-adventurous’ invigorate the senses, writes Ankita Shreeram

River Torrens

One thing we’d often hear in Adelaide (apart from “all righty” and “no worries”) is that it’s a small city, quite unlike its busier, larger and possibly more soulless cousins like Sydney and Melbourne. Perhaps that’s why we managed to have a quick introduction to most of its gems in the environmentally-friendly and absolutely enjoyable eco-caddies. These pedicabs feature a carbon-neutral trike design that has found much favour among Adelaide’s citizens as well as tourists.

Eco caddy

Jolly joyride

It was a cool and bright spring day when we hopped on to one of these for a joyride of the city. We rode past beautiful red brick buildings and towering Gothic churches. The most famous among these is St Peter’s Cathedral, which features elements that bear a striking resemblance to the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. We rode past Victoria Square, where a 24.5-m-high Christmas tree is installed every December. At the sprawling University of South Australia (so beautiful that it made me want to be a student again), we were told about Sir John Langdon Bonython, a former member of the Australian Parliament, who laid one of the University’s founding stones on December 4, 1933.

We passed by Ayers House Museum, a historical mansion that was once a nurses’ quarters and now houses a fine dining restaurant along with displays of silverware, costumes, artworks and furniture. We rode over the Anzac Centenary Memorial Walk, meant to honour the servicemen and women of South Australia. South Australia was discovered jointly by British and French expeditions in 1801-02. A 100 years later, she would merge with the Commonwealth of Australia.

Roof climb at Oval

Before heading to Adelaide Oval for an exhilarating “roof-climb” (I really didn’t know what to expect), we took a break at the scenic footbridge over River Torrens. Tourist ferries cruised the olive green waters, leaving rhythmic ripples in their wake. Trees and grassy lawns lined the banks below and children chased plump pigeons in the idyllic setting. Some treetops still seemed touched by an autumnal blush while little ducks washed themselves in the river water. The railings of the bridge teemed with love padlocks left behind by star-struck romantics. Presently, we took our leave, for it was time to don the gear for our journey over Adelaide’s iconic stadium.

Our friendly instructor helped us with the various hooks and buckles of our climbing gear, which also included caps and strings to keep our sunglasses in place. In the end, we were handed heavy steel buckles which we would slide onto the railings of the ladders and staircases constructed over the roof of the stadium to keep us from losing our balance. The pace of the climb varied from slow to medium and we stopped whenever there was a particularly arresting view of the stadium below or the panoramic city beyond. Our guide kept us entertained with stories about the stadium, relayed via the microphones strapped to our ears. It was an experience like no other, with photo opportunities at appropriate locations and warnings where the route got too interesting, such as flooring with gaps revealing the steepest descent below.

Central Market

Slice of heaven

We also popped over to Central Market, a treasure trove of organic greens, wild meats, cheese, jams and Kangaroo Island produce. We tasted sandalwood nut kernels, sea asparagus, ice plant, karkalla, an array of cured meat including kangaroo and crocodile, delicious dips and even green tree ants (crunchy and flavourful and also used to make gin). At the Kangaroo Island store, we lost ourselves in creams and lotions that smelt like a slice of heaven. I finally walked away with a hand cream infused with ligurian honey and black orange and a sheep’s milk soap. The market also houses a variety of busy, al fresco restaurants and we enjoyed an Algerian lunch of lamb and chickpeas with a divine mint tea and a vegan brown rice with dried fruits and yoghurt at Le Souk.

The next day, we drove to Hahndorf, a charming town in Adelaide Hills, just half an hour away from Adelaide for lunch. Our first stop in this region, where stunning vistas, groves of coniferous trees and dreamy drives seemed to be the pleasing norm, was Gorge Wildlife Park. A wonderful hour of encounters with a koala called Lucy, numerous furry wallabies and kangaroos and preening peacocks followed, apart from a rainbow variety of birds and mammals including healthy camels and black swans. Holding the koala was pretty easy and cuddly (she nibbled on eucalyptus leaves throughout) but being able to feed and pet kangaroos and wallabies in open green expanses was a rare delight.

We lunched at the cheery and very German Hahndorf Inn and tried to walk off the excess calories with a stroll about town soaking in the beauty of European-style cafes and houses along the way.

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