Last year I took the plunge down under to the home of kangaroos, koala’s, beaches and what I thought would be sun all year round.
However, the bleak reality is that when I arrived Adelaide wasn’t as hot as one would expect. The winters get cold! And I mean English weather cold (something I had hoped to escape from). This upset me slightly; my hopes of making everyone at home insanely jealous with my sun kissed glow and laid back beach lifestyle had sadly vanished when I realised I needed to go shopping for a thick coat and several jumpers. Although this gave me a reason to explore Rundle Mall which was perfect for shopping, hosting a variety of shops and a plethora of street performers.
Adelaide proved there was much more to this city than its weather. For one, the best way to beat the cold is alcohol, and Adelaide being famed for its vineyards there was never a lack of it (did I mention the wine tasting is free? Perfect for student living.) So when one gets tired hiking up Mount Lofty on a Sunday morning, you can always detour to the winery and continue the weekend’s escapades there.
It was easy to embrace the sporting culture Adelaide promoted. Having attended a few Australian football games at the Oval Stadium, a magnificent arena, that is full every game without fail by hoards of enthused fans endlessly chanting for their respective teams. I can’t say I understood many of the rules but the atmosphere certainly meant it didn’t matter. Not only this, I was fortunate enough to watch the Ashes in Adelaide which meant face paint and supporting England; even though they ultimately lost.
Soon enough, temperatures begun to exceed 40°c in Adelaide and with Glenelg or Henley beach only 15 minutes away we were able to enjoy the heat after lectures or work. The summer months also meant the opportunity to travel. One benefit of Australia’s huge size is there isn’t any need to leave the country and still have the opportunity to see a variety of environments; from coastal areas to rainforests and even the desert. I was incredibly lucky to have visited most of Australia’s mainland, which I will show through pictures as my words won’t do them justice.
South Australia:
Victoria:
Queensland:
Northern Territory:
New South Wales:
