Adelaide will have you at ‘hello’. A bustling mix of art, culture, events, vibrant food and nightlife scene and a gateway to some of Australia’s best wine country, this south Australian city has something to offer to every kind of traveller. My experiences in Adelaide included a taste of almost everything that the city and its surroundings are best known for, that I have attempted to articulate in this glossary.
Art Gallery of South Australia:
Art and culture form a huge part of Adelaide’s DNA. The Art Gallery of South Australia, the most significant visual arts museum in the state, has a collection of almost 45,000 works of art, making it the second largest state art collection in Australia, after the National Gallery of Victoria. I spent the better part of an afternoon here, browsing through the invaluable art on display and some stupendous installations.
Barossa Valley:
South Australia’s award-winning wine region is both a weekday and weekend getaway for locals and tourists alike. Located about 60km from the city centre of Adelaide, Barossa Valley, with its expansive vineyards, makes for a picturesque drive. And then, of course, is the wine, with the Valley being famous for its red wine, in particular, its Shiraz. It tastes divine.
Central Market:
A chilly morning found me at the Adelaide Central Market, one of the oldest markets in Australia. After a quick breakfast in the market itself, I spent a couple of hours walking through it, lost in the sea of colours made up of fresh food, including fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, seafood, various types of cheeses, baked goods and health and beauty products, among others.
The Adelaide Central Market, with its cafes and eateries, attracts upwards of 8 million visitors every year, with many tourists signing up for its various tours like the ‘Early Risers Breakfast Tour’, ‘Delicious Lunch Tour’, ‘Adelaide Central Market Highlights’ and so on, designed by noted food expert Mark Gleeson.
D’Arenberg Cube:
No trip to Adelaide is complete without a drive down to d’Arenberg Cube. The five-storey building resembling a Rubik’s Cube is located in the wine region of McLaren Vale and was built at a whopping cost of $15 million.
I spent a morning touring the architectural wonder that features a restaurant, a wine-tasting room, a virtual fermenter, a 360-degree video room and the Alternate Realities Museum, which features numerous art installations, including a surrealist exhibition and sale featuring 25 authentic Salvador Dali bronze sculptures and graphic artworks. Top tip: just walk into the quirky men’s restroom. Yes, ladies are allowed!
Eleven:
An evening in Adelaide found me walking into Eleven for dinner. A French-inspired modern Australian restaurant, Eleven’s cuisine scores high on quality and taste. What got me even more excited is the fact that Eleven is owned by Callum Hann, a star contestant of MasterChef Australia, who hails from Barossa. The best bit? Callum was in the house that evening!
FruChocs:
A South Australian delicacy since 1948, these sweet delights consist of a cube of dried apricot and peach paste, coated in milk chocolate. Biting into one transports you to toffee heaven.
