Adelaide City

The majority of South Australia’s population live in Adelaide, it’s capital. Adelaide, is located on the River Torrens and is a picturesque city that is surrounded by parklands. It has an abundance of cafes, restaurants and a thriving night club scene. There are a variety of activities and things to see within close proximity to the city. These include, the Adelaide Zoo, Art Gallery of South Australia, the casino, and the South Australian Wine Centre. Outside the city limits are the Adelaide hills. This area offers vistas of the surrounding market gardens, orchards and vineyards.

A short drive north is the Barossa Valley which is renowned for the wines it produces. South of Adelaide it the Fleurieu Peninsula, ideal for day trips or relaxing holidays. The Eyre Peninsula is a rugged coastline that stretches to the Western Australia Boarder.

Get Around

Metropolitan train, tram and bus services are contracted out by the State Government under the unified brand name “Adelaide Metro” and use a unified ticketing system, “Metroticket”. Single trip tickets can be purchased on-board any bus, train or tram and allow the passenger to move freely around the transport network for two hours.

The Passenger Transport InfoCentre (corner of King William & Currie Streets, Adelaide) is the place to visit for timetable and route information. Economical “multi-trip” tickets containing 10 trips are available, and you can save even more by traveling only between 9am and 3pm on an “interpeak” multi-trip ticket. Tickets and route information can also be obtained from many newsagents, delis and post offices.

The city centre is compact and can be easily covered on foot, but for the leg weary there are free buses and tram travel within the city centre is also free. The City Loop (#99C) bus runs Monday-Friday 7:40AM-6PM every 15 minutes, Friday 6PM-9:20PM every 30 minutes, Saturday 8AM-5PM very 30 minutes and Sunday (and public holidays) 10AM-5PM every 30 minutes. It has clockwise and anticlockwise routes each with about thirty stops taking in all the major cultural and commercial centres, beginning at Victoria Square and including Adelaide Railway Station. The buses feature ground-level access ramps.

There is a tram that runs from North Terrace to the popular seaside suburb of Glenelg. Stops within the city centre include Adelaide Railway Station and Victoria Square. Tram travel within the city centre is free, as is travel confined to Jetty Road in Glenelg. Otherwise the standard ticket system applies and the whole trip takes about 30 minutes. Tickets may be bought in advance or purchased from the conductor.

Be warned that bus and train frequency declines sharply after 6pm, with hourly intervals being typical in the suburbs. Some services cease operation before midnight, so check your timetables and expect to catch a taxi if required if you are out after this time. Some special ‘After Midnight’ bus services operate either half-hourly or hourly after midnight on Saturday nights.

Visitors from Japan and Western Europe should be warned that the local and interstate train services are not quite up to the speed and standards of their own train systems, purely due to the fact that there is not enough population to justify the cost of a modern, European style upgraded light rail or high speed network. The system is still quite clean and functional though, and (mostly) punctual!

Taxis are provided by several companies and can be hailed on the street or arranged by phone. There is a common rate of flagfall and a per-distance/time charge, both of which are increased at night and on weekends.

The Adelaide Metro website [adelaidemetro.com.au] contains comprehensive information about public transport in Adelaide. Accurate transit instructions, including transfers and complex cross-city travel, can be obtained using the travel planner, or using the “transit” directions in google maps.

NGO “Bicycle SA” [bikesa.asn.au] provides a range of bicycle services, including free-to-use tourist bikes, from its offices at 46 Hurtle Square. Tel +61 8 232 2644.

To See

• Historic beachside suburb of Glenelg offering a jetty, the ‘Grand’ (a quality hotel) and many restaurants and cafes. Catch one of the historic trams from in Adelaide’s CBD on weekends and holidays (or new ‘light rail’ trams other times).
• Montefiore Hill in North Adelaide (provides a spectacular view of the city, especially at night)
• Adelaide Hills, including the Mt Lofty Summit which provides spectacular views of the Adelaide plains, Adelaide metropolitan area, Adelaide CBD, Glenelg and surrounding areas. There is a restaurant at the Mt. Lofty summit, which is moderately priced and there is a souvenir shop which also offers tourist information. The summit cannot be accessed by vehicle between late evening and early morning hours, however the lookout is still accessible by foot.

Other lookouts include Windy Point along Belair Road, and Skye at the end of Kensington Road.

• Hahndorf German settlement, a short drive up the freeway, attractions include a small chocolate factory, the Beerenberg Strawberry Farm (where you can pick your own strawberries for very reasonable prices!) parks with barbeque facilities and a playground plus many small stores selling all manner of products.
• Walking North Terrace will take you past the Casino (Railway Station below), Parliament House, Government House, the State Library, Migration Museum (free entry), Art Gallery (free entry), Adelaide University, University of South Australia, Royal Adelaide Hospital, the Botanic Gardens. A worthwhile trek!
• Catch an O-Bahn bus out to the North East suburban shopping centre of Tea Tree Plaza. The O-Bahn is a 12Km long guided bus way, where special street buses run on guided tracks at up to 100Kmh and uses the unified metroticket system mentioned above.
• During mid-March, the Clipsal 500 supercar racing event is very popular, sporting massive street parties, huge concert line-ups and many fanatic Adelaidians.
• During late Feb-March, the Adelaide Fringe Festival (second largest of its type in the world) and Festival of Arts bring the city alive with music, arts, dance and culture from all over the world. Both are large and very popular events visited by people from all over the world. WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance) is another hugely popular music festival now held every year in March. People come from all over Australia and overseas to be at this very special event. Adelaide at its very best.
• Lazy walks along white sandy beaches.
• Picturesque Victor Harbor and Granite Island, just an hour or so drive south of Adelaide. Granite Island is one of the few places you can see Fairy Penguins in their natural habitat.
• The stunning Flinders Ranges begin just one and a half hours north of Adelaide.
• Whispering wall at the Barossa Reservoir.
• Conservation parks such as Cleland and Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary, Cleland is a good stop on the way down from Mt. Lofty. The park offers gas BBQ facilities (Entry fees apply).
• See the Rundle Lantern light display (Cnr Rundle St and Pultney St). From dusk to midnight every night with 750 light panels.

Museums and Galleries

• Migration Museum is located on Kintore Avenue, Adelaide (behind the State Library). [Migration Museum] Open everyday 10am-5PM, except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Art Gallery of South Australia is located on North Terrace, Adelaide (half way between Kintore Avenue and Frome Road in between the South Australian Museum and the University of Adelaide), 8 8207 7000, [artgallery.sa.gov.au]. Open everyday 10AM-5PM, except Christmas Day.
• South Australian Museum is located on North Terrace, Adelaide (next to the Art Gallery of South Australia). [samuseum.sa.gov.au] Open everyday 10am to 5pm, except Good Friday and Christmas Day.
• Port Adelaide Lighthouse
• Port Adelaide SA Train Museum
• Glenelg Museum & historic tram
• Gawler Museum, via Gawler train line
• The South Australian Maritime Museum is located at 126 Lipson Street, Port Adelaide. Contact telephone number: 08 8207 6255. Adult: $8.50 Concession: $6.50 Child: $3.50 Family: $22 (2 adults & up to 5 children)
• The National Motor Museum is located in Birdwood, less than an hour’s drive from the city centre. [history.sa.gov.au]
• The National Wine Centre in the city centre [wineaustralia.com.au]
• Adelaide Central Market, a vibrant hub of fresh food delights and one of the world’s largest undercover markets. [adelaidecentralmarket.com.au]

National parks

• Belair National Park is a national park of 835 ha, located 11KM south of Adelaide City. Due to its history as a “Recreation Park” it has many good trails for bushwalking, as well as tennis courts and grassy areas available for hire, and a good adventure playground for children. Old Government House, the colony’s first official Vice-regal summer residence, is located within the park. [environment.sa.gov.au] A vehicle entry fee applies to cars entering the park, or else its western parts can be accessed from the Belair line train, a 35 minute journey from Adelaide city. The park gates are open daily from 8am to sunset, everyday except Christmas Day.

• Cleland Conservation Park is a large National Park of 992ha, located 20 minutes from Adelaide City. Although it lacks the picnic and sports facilities of Belair, Cleland offers greater opportunities for tourists to get up close and personal with Australian native fauna. Visitors can feed and wander at their leisure among kangaroos, wallabies, Emus and waterfowl. Displays of Dingoes, reptiles, Tasmanian Devils, Wombats, Echidnas and Koalas allow easy viewing access, or stroll through the aviaries. Visitors also have the rare opportunity to be photographed holding a Koala, under supervision from Parks and Wildlife Officers. There is also an Aboriginal cultural tour.
• Morialta Conservation Parkis located 10 km north-east of the CBD, where the suburbs meet the Adelaide hills. It covers 533 ha, and contains numerous walking trails of various levels of difficulty, including trails that pass by three major waterfalls, and provide panoramic views over Adelaide itself. There is also a popular rock climbing area within the park. Note that the waterfalls only flow in the winter months, and are usually completely dry by Christmas.

• Warrawond Wildlife Sanctuary is a privately run wildlife sanctuary, strongly fenced off from the outside, allowing it to remain completely free of feral plants and animals, especially cats. Warrawong offers unguided day, and guided day and night tours for tourists. As well as allowing visitors to get up close and personal with well known animals like the Kangaroo, Warrawong also offers a unique opportunity to see a number of very rare or less well known native Australian animals, such as the Platypus, Tree Kangaroo, Quoll, Bettong, Potoroo, Pademelon, Bandicoot, Bilby and Possums.

To Do

• Check out the wineries, beaches, whale watching, fairy penguins and other attractions south of the city on the Fleurieu peninsula.
• The Adelaide Casino on North Terrace, adjoining the Festival and Convention centres. Adelaide Casino is South Australia’s only licensed Casino, and offers not just great gaming, but also three restaurants, and four bars, including the LOCO nightclub and Grandstand sports bar. Valet parking is also available.
• The Adelaide Botanic Gardens are FREE to enter and are a worthwhile visit; the gardens are quiet and relaxing even though they’re in the heart of the city. They contain many large grassed areas ideal for relaxing, and just outside the gardens are the city parklands where ball games and picnics can be held. There is a cafe in the gardens and a conservatory.
• The Bicentennial Conservatory is not free, but it is a worthwhile visit, simulating a tropical rainforest with mist falling from the roof. Be warned, it is quite humid so if you have difficulties breathing or can’t tolerate warm temperatures you should not enter.
• West Beach is ideal for family walks and swimming – it is close to both Glenelg and Henley Beach. At Henley Beach there is Henley square which hosts some 15 restaurants – an excellent dining venue. Beaches south of and including Semaphore are all excellent white sand beaches, some with public toilets and cold water showers. If you want to ‘wet a line’ there are jetties at (suburban beaches, from north to south) Grange, Semaphore, Henley Beach, Glenelg, Brighton and Port Noarlunga.
• During the summer months get down to the Adelaide Oval for a cricket match. Australia plays host to a couple of touring nations each summer and they will play a few matches at this beautiful ground which is just minutes from the city centre. Tickets for internationals tend to be snapped up quickly, but domestic matches (South Australia play their home matches in Adelaide) are frequent and equally exciting.
• The local sport is Australian Rules Football. Home games for the local teams the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power are played at AAMI Stadium in West Lakes, usually referred to by its old name of “Football Park” or “Footy Park”. Getting tickets shouldn’t be a problem – check out the AFL website [afl.com.au] for more details.
• Soccer is increasingly popular in Australia, although certainly not yet at the level of Aussie Rules or (in other states) rugby. The local team in the national A-League is Adelaide United, who play home games at Hindmarsh Stadium.
• Take a tour of the Coopers Brewery [coopers.com.au], the only remaining large family owned brewery in Australia, well known around the world for their bottle conditioned ales. Founded by Thomas Cooper in 1862, the Brewery is currently run fifth generation Tim and Glenn Cooper. All proceeds from the tours go to charity.

Accommodation

Airlie beach used to be a barebones backpacker paradise, but has now been discovered by locals and travellers alike. The increased interest in the area is understandable due to its picture postcard vistas, thus the comercialisation of the area has increased. This not a bad thing and Airlie is still worth stopping off at on your trip up or down the east coast.

Getting there and away

Cairns is located in tropical North Queensland and is a major tourist destinatio0n. This town is set up to cater to all travellers no matter what the budget.  It is supremely popular with divers who use Cairns as a base for diving the Great Barrier Reef. There are heaps of diving shops catering to travellers wishing to explore the reef.  Tours can be day trips and stretch onto weeks. Cairns is also the hub to travelling further throughout the region to Port Douglas and the Atherton table lands.  For the adventrue traveller apart form diving there is white water rafting, reef fishing, scenic flights, sky diving and bungee jumping.

The palm tree-studded Esplanade overlooking Trinity Harbour simply buzzes. The choice and quality of restaurants and cafés is amazing. You will find everything from coffee shops and ice creameries to bistros, wine bars, seafood restaurants and colourful night markets.

Cairns Central complex and the Pier Marketplace – a shopper’s heaven providing a range of international and local wares.

Rusty’s Market on Grafton Street  is a blaze of colour and activity. You’ll find tropical fruits like mangoes, jack fruit, black sapotes, rambutans and avocados as well as locally grown tea, coffee, and fresh herbs.

Top of the list for cultural experience should be Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park and Cairns Regional Art Gallery, arguably the country’s finest regional gallery. There’s always an exhibition of fine local art and often a major travelling exhibition on show.

Tjapukai is amazing, combining culture, entertainment and education. Visitors are treated to authentic dancing, demonstrations of traditional foods and medicines, and can even learn how to throw a boomerang so that it comes back! Alongside Tjapukai is the environmentally stunning Skyrail, which glides silently just metres above dense rainforest to the quaint mountain village of Kuranda. From here you can board the famous Kuranda Rail for the trip back to Cairns over the spectacular Barron Gorge.

Accommodation in Cairns is plentiful, with everything from quality backpacker lodges and self-contained apartments to beachfront B&Bs and world class resorts on offer.

Accommodation

See out Top 10 Cairns Hostels for 2009.

]]> http://www.itchy-feet.com.au/341/cairns-hostel-and-travel-guide/feed 1 http://www.itchy-feet.com.au/407/fremantle-travel-guide http://www.itchy-feet.com.au/407/fremantle-travel-guide#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:41:32 +0000 Itchy Feet Team http://www.itchy-feet.com.au/blog/?p=407 Fremantle is a port city in Western Australia, located 19 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Perth, the state capital, at the mouth of the Swan River on Australia’s western coast. Locally known as Freo, the town has a historic feel, with the Old Fremantle prison and numerous old buildings. It was the home of the America’s Cup for a short period.

Get Around

Market Street Cafes, Fremantle- © Tourism Australia- Photographer: Jeff Drewitz

You can get around most of central Fremantle for free on the CAT Bus which runs every ten minutes during daylight hours. It is orange with a large black cat on the side. Look for the CAT symbol at bus stops, and maybe even paw-prints on the footpath. The CAT Bus is wheelchair and pram accessible, including kneeling and ramps.

Alternatively, you can use your feet; most of Fremantle is fairly flat and good for walking or rent a scooter from Scootabout in Cliff Street.©

To Do

• WA Maritime Museum, Victoria Quay, (go to the end of Cliff Street, head for the waterfront and turn left’. You can’t miss it — a large white building with curved lines suggesting a hull), 08 9335 8921, [1]. Open 7 days 9.30am to 5.00pm. A wonderful collection of vessels, including the winged-keel Australia II, which won the America’s Cup. You’ll also find a full history of marine activity on the West Australian coast. $10 (children 5-15 $3, concession $5, family $22). A tour of HMAS Ovens, a retired Oberon-class submarine, is well worth the time.

• Round House, Arthur Head. Western Australia’s first permanent building. Built as a prison in the 1830′s, the Round House now serves as a small, but informative museum, that focuses on the convict lifestyle of the 1800′s. Now restored and updated with more detailed information, maps and volunteer guides (although the tour of the building is mostly self-guided). Entry is free, gold coin donations encouraged.

• Whalers’ Tunnel, located under the Round House, the Whaling Tunnel was built to provide easy access between the original Bather’s Beach port and the town of Fremantle. The tunnel has been restored in recent years, and now has detailed explanations of its construction, and local artifacts, making it a worthwhile self-guided tour.

Lonely Planet also have launched a new look website with heaps more destination information Guides, Maps & More. The great thing about the new site is that they not only offer more travel advice and information for free but also secure direct purchase of their books. I know that this is starting to sound like I am going to offer a free set of steak knives but I’m not. I just recon the books that these guy put out caters the best for backpackers, flashpackers and gappackers or anyone else who travel on a travel budget.

My next point is that if you don’t have the coin to splash out on the full book and lets face it who is going to visit all of the places covered in the book? But now you can just purchase the relevant sections from any book.  What a great way to save on packing space? You just download the relevant sections in PDF format and there is no waiting time for stuff to be sent to you.  Of course the only disadvantage is that you have to print it out, but who cares!

Of course there are other travel guides but if you are coming to Australia particularly the Lonely Planet Australia travel guide wont let you down. We rate them top notch.

If you have something to share about Lonely Planet guide books or the Lonely Planet web site leave a comment and let the travel community know.