Adelaide

After another long drive thru the featureless desert of New South Wales we finally reentered civilization in the Barossa Valley  just north of Adelaide. It was quite a dramatic change. One minute we were in the middle of the barren wastes and the next we were surrounded by vineyards and pretty little villages nestled in green valleys.

Adelaide never gets its just due in my opinion.  While other large Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne hog most of the attention, the fact is that Adelaide is just as pretty as either. Doesn't have the magnificent harbor that makes Sydney so unique but it does have a laid back charm all its own.The state of South Australia (Adelaide is its capital) was the only Australian colony that didn't begin as a prison. It was instead established in 1831 with land grants from the crown as a prospective home for free settlers...both from the other Australian colonies and England. It's a University town, with several institutions of higher learning in the City, so there's always a bit of a buzz here. They fancy themselves as the "Festival Capital" of Australia and I wouldn't quibble with that description. It really is a neat place...and one of my favorites.

Adelaide was a planned community and as such doesn't have the haphazard layout of the other big cities. Instead, the planners organized it in neat little grids with parkland all around, so if you ever get tired of the city you always have the option of stepping out of it whenever you want - the nearest park is probably only 2 blocks away. And what parks they are...like scenes of England all along the river Torrens which cuts its way thru the city and divides it into North Adelaide and South Adelaide. This stretch of river walk goes for 25 miles, from downtown Adelaid all the way to the sea at Glenelg.

The facade of our apartment along North Terrace Road is typical of the Victorian sandstone architecture that make the city such a delight. We were right across the street from the botanical gardens, and right next door to Ayers House - the Adelaide home of the same gent for whom Ayer's Rock near Alice Springs is named.

We happened to be in the city for ANZAC Day (Australia & New Zealand Army Corps) - their version of Memorial Day and Veteran's Day combined. The parade began just up the street from us so we walked down to take it in, and were glad we did. These things are typically huge in Australia, where national pride runs high. The original ANZACs were the colonial troops who went to Europe to fight for King and Country in WWI. Their big trial by fire - and the battle that began their legend - was Gallipoli in 1915...an absolute disaster for the Brits, whose troops (mostly the ANZACs) got hammered by the Turks before withdrawing in glorious defeat. They've since fought for the British Commonwealth in every subsequent action from WWII, to Korea, to Vietnam, to the Gulf war. The parade lasted an hour and a half and included representatives from every veterans group within a 500 mile radius, and they had these parades in every Australian city of any consequence. And the thing is - everyone turns out for them. The crowds were enormous. Very heartwarming.

As with any good parade there were lots of bands playing martial music to help the marchers stay in step. One unique thing about this one was the number of Scottish Pipers taking part - must have been at least 8 or 10 all together. Believe me, you haven't lived until you've heard "Walzing Matilda" played on the bagpipes. Actually brought a tear to the eye.

After the parade we wandered down the street to the Botanical Gardens - a garden within a park next to the river. Beautiful.

St. Peter's Anglican Cathedral.

And another look at the river walk just behind the University of Adelaide...also just up the street from us.

  

And finally a short film clip of the Pipers marching. We weren't quick enough on the trigger to record them playing Walzing Matilda but instead caught them playing "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag", one of many WWI era tunes they belted out along the route of march.

We leave today for Sydney, where we'll be for a couple of nights before catching our return flight back home on the 30th...which is actually the same day we'll be arriving back in Vancouver thanks to the magic of crossing the International Dateline.  I think we arrive at the airport in Portland before we take off from Sydney come to think of it.

Really sorry to see this trip end. We've had the chance to truly savor the country on this trip thanks to the luxury of having plenty of time to explore some destinations that are way off the usual tourist track. Australia continues to rank near the top of my favorite places on earth, and the Australian people are without a doubt the nicest on the planet. I've been smitten by this place since my first visit to Tasmania in 1976 aboard the Enterprise, and hope to be able to return here periodically for as long as I live.

Homeward bound now.