Adelaide. A city known internationally as either the “serial killer capital of the world” or a city not known at all. Gold Coast dwellers laugh behind their concrete jungles of Melbourne and Sydney, classing Adelaide as more of a “large backwards town” where even the pint measurement has to be awkward and different. I would love to see what they make of Durham, a self-proclaimed city purely thanks to its Cathedral. But Adelaideans simply surrender to these slanders, smugly enjoying the slower pace of life, more traditional city layout dissected by the River Torrens, and the stress-free travel where everything can be reached in 20 minutes. To them, it is proudly considered a city of churches, founded in 1836 as the only freely settled province in Australia and designed by Colonel William Light to enclose the CBD entirely by a ring of parks. This symbiotic relationship between city and countryside is what makes Adelaide so liveable and contributes to the wealth of cultures and age-groups it hosts.

 

For the ambitious millennials, besides job opportunities, the CBD provides quirky cafes boasting every sort of coffee press and alternative milk, a colourful Hindley Street nightlife, and exquisite tucked-away Asian eateries. Families may opt to reside by one of the many parks, the North-East being popular for schools, sports facilities, and Norwood Parade which nurtures a safe bubble of excitement for kids as they first take to the streets. Those who prefer to stay rooted in nature remain stubbornly in the Adelaide Hills where kangaroos and koalas replace foxes and rats. Here they can maintain their remote living where a long hard week is rewarded with a crisp Sauvingnon Blanc from the local Adelaide vineyards, and a typical Sunday morning begins with a scenic hike from their backdoor. Then there are the free-spirited surfers and trendy go-getters who have a perpetual need to be by the constant slur of the ocean. Glenelg, Brighton, and Henley are just three key beachside areas where independent coffee vans follow the keen cyclers and morning beach runners with dogs along the boardwalk. Where evening bars echo with laughter late into the summer nights and kids enjoy local fish and chips on the beach as dolphins casually swim past, as they do.

 

Even the perfect flatness of the city and abundant cycle-lanes has permitted the burst of a breezy cycle culture, and the Central Adelaide Market exudes exceptional produce from over 250 traders of all cuisines and refill shops targeted towards zero-waste. For a quick bowl of authentic penne al pesto di basilico hit up Lucia’s on the central western side, or Saudade for freshly baked warm Portuguese custard tarts. Pretty sure that’s what we are all craving most days, right? Open till late on Friday nights this covered food hub continues to hum with a mosaic of generations coming together to enjoy good company over even better food. For those that are drooling for yet another custard tart, return the next morning to experience a frenzied rush for the best fresh fruit and vegetables, Dough’s warm sourdough bread, Cappo’s freshly caught fish, authentic German mettwurst, O’Connell’s Shorthorn and Angus Adelaide beef from the hills, Kangaroo Island eggs and creamy milks, Le Souk’s hummus and falafel, a variety of French cheeses and terrine, and more.  

 

It is the rich history of different waves of migrants that has enabled such a swell of different high-quality produce that exceeds the normal imports most countries receive. From the late 1830s up until World War I, large numbers of Germans migrated from what was then Prussia, populating the Barossa Valley and introducing German bakeries and artwork, religious freedom, and agricultural practices including the cultivation of the infamous Riesling wine. Just 25 minutes from the city centre and nestled between Adelaide wineries, Hahndorf remains Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement. Visit for a laid-back day full of German delights and delicacies where time ceases to age the picturesque quaint streets you stroll.

 

Since then, Adelaide has continued to entice a broader spectrum of cultures, attracting Greeks, Italians, Dutch, and post-1970s, predominantly immigrants from South-Asian countries. This has all contributed to the vibrant intertwining of cultures and international cuisine that Adelaide has to offer, providing opportunity for everyone. Coming from London, a metropolis renowned for expressionless commuters wrapped up in an isolated trance as they rush from place to place, to me Adelaide offers a refreshing balance of young and old, a taste of the nuanced pleasures of the past with a modern twist, and where the broken, tainted seams of cultural oppression found elsewhere are nowhere to be seen. Put simply, Adelaide might not jump out at you as Melbourne and Sydney metropolises do, but with a little searching you learn to appreciate its uniqueness and heaps* of attractions quietly hidden in this corner of South Australia.

 

*Heaps- a term I have come to learn is very commonly used and highly regarded by Australians alike