Adelaide 2022

Lately, a lot of people have been asking me "What do you do in Adelaide?". I've been to Adelaide twice in the last two years and I've just booked my tickets for another trip soon. I figured maybe it is the right time to start recollecting my memories as I plan my upcoming visit and share my experience with y'all. When compared to the likes of Sydney or Melbourne, Adelaide is much smaller geographically. It is, however, densely filled with things to do. To me, it has the ideal mix of the buzzing city-life, the calm and peace of nature and the quiet neighbourhoods - all within a short drive and with very little traffic! The city is architected in a grid of streets which makes it MUCH easier to navigate.

Huge shoutout to my friend, Lionel, who showed me around Adelaide when I visited for the first time in 2021. I have shared the recommendations with all many friends and family and I personally still re-visit most of them every time I am in Adelaide.

My general recommendation is to go to Adelaide for a holiday. But, I will start this post with a slightly different experience I had. My friend, Adi and I did a workation from Adelaide in 2022 and it was awesome! To the point that I would love to do something similar again. We split our 10-day visit into 4 days of work and 6 days of holiday. For the days that we stayed home, we began our day with caffeine and worked during the day, spent lunch-time venting about corporate culture and a walking at the beach under clear skies and the bright sun. We ended the evenings with a sunset at the beach, riding electric scooters to the nearest pub and then cooking excessive amounts of rice for dinner (intentionally, ofcourse). The highlight of this trip was realising that we are essentially a budget version of "Hamish and Andy", sometimes with better sense of humour 😉.

But, you did not come here to hear about all that. So on the days that we were not working, we rented a car and we went to places.

Barossa Valley

Rule #1 of writing a blog about Adelaide is to begin with Barossa Valley - one of the the best wine regions in Australia. In fact, it's home to the world's oldest continuously producing shiraz, grenache, mataro, cabernet sauvignon and semillon vines. In my two visits to Adelaide, I have been to over 10 different wineries in the region (only 10 out of 150, yes). If you only have one day, you must visit the iconic Jacob's Creek and Seppeltsfield cellar doors. Boasting a large selection of wines alongside a rich history and legacy of winemaking, these two cellar doors have so much more to offer than just wines. On premise, knife-making, nurseries, tennis courts to name just a few! I personally like to mix it up with some small-ish local family-owned wineries every time I go to a wine region. In 2022, I visited Peter Lehmann - a fifth generation winemaker. The cellar door was built in 1880 and the original stone buildings are still welcoming guests for wine!

We also tried some craft beer at Greenock Brewers in a cosy setting by the fireplace where we were also joined by some cute puppies. On the way back, we stopped at Pirate Life Brewing in Port Adelaide. With 24 beers on tap, it is difficult to remember how many we tried but I do remember liking almost everything we got! There is plenty of sitting outdoors and indoors, firepits to allow enjoying a cold beer in the cool climate and some arcade games :)

My friend, Manmeet, who at the time was in Perth, decided to join us in Adelaide on a short notice when she heard about all the fun. So, 24 hours later, we repeated the whole experience 🍻

If and when you visit to Adelaide, my advice would be to plan ahead - check opening times, book ahead where possible and explore more than just the wines.

Also in Barossa, is the Whispering Wall. Part of the dam wall located in the Barossa Reservoir Reserve, this wall is known for its unique acoustic effects. Words whispered at one side can be clearly heard at the other, more than 100 metres away. Talking to my friends on the other side of the wall in almost realtime was a mindblowing experience. It is quite fascinating to me how every place that I visit has something quirky like this wall. It sparks a feeling of childish curiosity and joy in me.

Friends, food and fun times

The social aspect of travelling plays an important role for me to cherish any place in its entirety. To that point, I chose to travel with friends from Sydney but I also reached out to my friends in Adelaide.

I always enjoy spending time with Willbur, an author, an inspiration and a close friend. Willbur and I have come closer over the last few years but our families have known each other for more than a decade. It is amazing to see each other grow, speak about our values, spend time with our families and well, crack open a cold one. This time, we went to Plant 4 Bowden - old Clipsal building which now serves as an industrial backdrop for a weekly rotation of maker markets, special events, celebrations and weddings. We enjoyed a few craft beers and a variety of cuisines at the markets before the market turned into a dance floor.

Lionel invited Adi and I to his house for dinner and we had some very interesting conversations. Of memory though, is always the iconic selection of punch lines that Lionel has up his sleeve. I can (and have) spend an entire week with Lionel and be entertained the whole time.

Ravi and I used to work together and we have made an effort to keep in touch, at least when we have a chance to meet in person. So when I visited Adelaide, we had a dinner in the city and caught up on all the awesome AI research that he is working on and the boring corporate work that I am doing 😁.

The people are what made this trip wholesome and I cannot wait to see them all again soon!

Museums and Galleries and University of Adelaide

I am not an art connoisseur by any means. But, what else does an engineer do when they travel, right? All jokes aside, Adelaide does have a lot of museums and galleries, all within walking distance of each other. This was the perfect excuse for us to visit Art Gallery of South Australia and the South Australia Museum right next to it. Amongst the usual paintings and sculptures that I unfortonuately do not recollect much of, there were a lot of animals - something fun and unusual for my sightings.

One museum that was of much closer to home and mildly scary was the MOD - Australia's leading future-focused museum, provoking new ideas at the intersection of science, art and innovation. At MOD, we saw a variety of data and algorithm-based exhibits that I can only do a bad job of inaccurately describing. What I will say is that I was humoured, educated and left curious at the end of the experience.

We were close to the Univerity of Adelaide and I'd heard about the open campus layout before so we decided to take a stroll 💁. We walked into an event at the UniBar and it was hard not to vibe with the energy - the live music and the selection of tap beers was good enough that we chose to stay there for a bit. A few drinks in, we managed to lose some games of foosball against some students (they had home turf advantage).

The City - Botanical Gardens, Adelaide Oval, Cocktails and Central Market

Although I am not an art critic, I am definitely a traveller, a sports geek and a foodie. In the time that I have spent in Adelaide so far, I've walked and scootered around the city multiple times and tried many different bars and restaurants and I definitely have favourites.

On a bright sunny day, I love to roam the beautifully scented Botanical Gardens and look at the spectrum of colourful flowers. I could easily spend 2-3 hours there before going over to the Adelaide Central Market - one of the oldest markets in Australia, Adelaide Central Market has a large range of fresh food, including fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, seafood, cheeses, baked goods, small goods, and health foods, along with several cafés and eateries. After walking in the markets and buying some chocolate and books, I'd definitely get lunch at one of the street stalls in Chinatown. The one I tried last time was Chinatown Cafe and it was reasonably priced and utterly delicious!

Adi and I are both keen cricket fans so we had to visit Adelaide Oval. Unfortunately, we were not allowed in because of an AFL event but we used the time to walk around the green area outside and scooter back into the city to have a drink at the SoL SkyCity Rooftop and some funky cocktails at the Therapy Cocktail Bar.

On an unplanned agenda item, we also visited the Tasting Australia where we had a few drinks and tried a few different cuisines. The festival had a lot of people, large queues for food and the food itself was not out of this world but we enjoyed the overall setting and vibe. It was something you want to explicitly carve out time for but I can see going there if I am in the city already.

To end the night, we got some dessert and headed back to the accomodation.

Glenelg

Glenelg Beach is Adelaide's most popular city beach. I love the buzzing vibe and the great atmosphere of the wide beach. I have seen some of the most stunning sunsets at Glenelg. Glenelg has a rich heritage, bustling shops, sidewalk cafés and loads of entertainment. You can easily get to Glenelg using the city tram or by car.

Glenelg is an active suburb where you can find locals walking their dogs, playing beach volleyball, having icecream, exercising or just winding down from a busy day sitting at the pier.

To me, Glenelg is the perfect combination of a majestic beach (like Miami or Sunshine Coast), cute cafes (like Coogee or Bondi), and beautiful sunsets (like Glenelg!).

For the nerds, if you did not notice, Glenelg is a palindrome.

McLaren Vale

Until 2022, I had Barossa a couple of times but never visited the other very popular wine region of South Australia - McLaren Vale. So on of the days, we planned a day trip to Port Elliot and Granite Island with a stop at McLaren Vale on the way.

We visited d'Ardenberg Cube which is an .... interesting place - "Each of the five levels have been carefully designed to entice and excite the senses, including features such as a wine sensory room, a virtual fermenter, a 360degree video room, and many other tactile experiences. Visitors are encouraged to explore the Alternate Realities Museum, located on the ground floor, and view the many art installations on display." To set the right expectation, I'd consider this a museum more than a winery.

From there, we headed to Port Elliot Bakery for some amazing pies! As promised by the Adelaide locals, there was a long but fast moving queue outside the bakery and an aroma of baked goods inside. We ordered a variety of pies and we enjoyed every last bite of all of them. The cold drizzle outside was a perfectly fitting for the hot pies.

As the weather started to clear, we continue to drive towards Granite Island, Victor Harbour without knowing much about the place. On getting there, we parked our car and walked the causeway from the mainland. At the island, we did the 2.9 km Kaiki Walking Trail where we saw unusual granite formations, crashing waves, and stunning panoramic views from elevated platforms.

It was a beautiful day and we took a lot of photos. After a few hours of relaxation on the island, we drove back to Pirate Life Brewing for some beers before heading back to our accomodation.

Adelaide Hills, Hahndorf, Beerenberg

Hahndorf is Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement and still has a strong German flavour most evident in the smallgoods outlets, bakeries, pubs, restaurants and cafes that line the bustling main street. It is located in Adelaide Hills, just 25 mins from Adelaide. In Hahndorf, you can browse an incredible range of shops; from toys, antiques, books, clothing, shoes, minerals, cuckoo clocks, hand-crafted leather wares, natural beauty products and gift ware, right through to butchers, bakers and candle makers! Hahndorf really is a shopper's paradise - just park the car and wander up and down the main street.

For lunch, my favourite is The Haus (thanks Lionel). I love their huge portions of chicken schnitzel and 500ml or 1L jugs of German tap beers!

Just up the road from Hahndorf, is Beerenberg Farm. Here, you can pick strawberries and marvel at their incredible range of jams, sauces, relishes and condiments year round at the Farm Shop. Having tried and bought some of their jams and marmalades, I can vouch for the delicious flavours and the high quality!

If you're spending more than a day or if you have time at the end of the day, I'd also recommend trying Prancing Pony Brewery and/or the Mt Lofty Botanic Garden.

Windy Point Lookout is how I would end all my evenings if I could. An amazing view of the enitre Adelaide city and a fine dining experience if you may.