South Australia is the fifth and last state we visited in
Australia. I was predisposed to like South Australia, because whenever we
mentioned that this was the climax of our trip, we got the same question: “Why?”
No one thought much of our plan to visit Adelaide. When we said we have friends
there, most people (but not all) stopped their disparaging remarks. They also
kept saying that Adelaide is a city of churches, as if this is a bad thing. As I originate from a part of the States (the
South) that is unpopular with many people, and that they don’t want to visit
having never been there, I could imagine how a South Australian might feel.
Here are some facts I’d be proud of, if I were from South
Australia: The first British settlement (at what is now Glenelg) was free, not
convict—unique in Australia. Of course, someone was already there: the Kaurna.
Despite a fraught history, South Australia was the first state to “grant”
Aboriginal people title to their land. It was one of the first places in the
world where women could vote, and they could stand for parliament as early as
1894. South Australia was also the first state in Australia to outlaw racial
and gender discrimination, and to decriminalize homosexuality.
I walked along Rundle Street and along pedestrianized Rundle
Mall, looking through at the beautiful old arcades running between there and
Grenfell Street. In the evening we made our way over to Hindley Street, the
red-light district. Right in the middle of Thai massage parlors and people
smoking water pipes is Jerusalem Sheshkebab House, a hole in the wall serving hummus,
falafel, baklava and Jerusalem coffee. It is the sort of place that has been
there forever and doesn’t charge very much. The music was kind of like a Middle
Eastern Betty Boop cartoon, as T. pointed out. You cannot go wrong with
pictures of Jerusalem on the wall and a dive atmosphere—and shesh kebabs, of
course.
At Glenelg, there’s a Bay Discovery Centre where you can
learn about the Kaurna people and the early history of British settlement.
There was also, more cheerily, beach volleyball. We had breakfast at “Australia’s
best café” (they do love to claim things like this). Bushwalking hadn’t seemed
like the best idea what with all the smoke and fires we’d been hearing about,
so we opted for another day on the beach. After lunch in Chinatown and a walk
around the Central Market. Victoria Square was all given over to a bicycle expo
because the Tour Down Under was going on—the tram stopped for some of the
cyclists to go through.
And so I swam in yet another ocean—the Southern Ocean
(actually Gulf St. Vincent, but that’s what it empties into). Nothing between
me and the South Pole, but it sure didn’t feel as cold as the Tasman Sea! Had
the most delicious pasta arrabiata at Pellegrini’s Pizzeria Café and, of
course, met up with said friends, some of whom I actually met through a church,
for goodness’s sake. More accurately, through a wine tour that was raising
money for a new church organ, but who’s counting?
That wine tour was also in January but in Canada, through
the snowy Niagara ice wine region. What a contrast with the Barossa Valley in
South Australia, where we spent our last day. Founded by Germans fleeing
religious persecution (hence all the churches), towns like Tanunda held a lot
of charm. We got to taste a lot of wines (or ports, in T’s case), most notably
at an 1850s cellar door in an old stable that made sparkling shiraz. I think
that may be a uniquely Australian wine. We had a lovely tasting lunch
overlooking one vineyard, then whiled away the afternoon on the deck
overlooking another. That was a more structured tasting, where I unfortunately
found that the $100 bottle was to my taste. Bearing in mind this is Australia,
where $100 doesn’t go very far!
One last walk along the sand, one last dip of feet into the
Southern Ocean, one final barbecue. A wonderful way to finish our stay in
Adelaide and Australia in general—with friends.
So what have I learned from my trip (three-quarters of the
way so far) around the world? First, that we overpacked. The Discreet Traveler
used to be pretty good about this—I’ve backpacked, literally, around Ireland
and Germany in my time—but that adage about “pack what you think you’ll need,
then take half of that” really is true. Seriously. If you think you might read
two books, pack one and exchange it for another one later. Wear the same shirt
or find more opportunities to do laundry. Believe me, it will work out. It is
literally true that you only need half.
Australia is amazing. It has the oldest history on earth—the
Australian Aborigines have lived there for fifty thousand years (or always,
depending on how you tell history). The waters off Australia have amazing
species like the manatee-like dugong and six of the world’s seven species of
sea turtle, all endangered. Australia is very far away from pretty much
everywhere else, and it is expensive, but it is also a very friendly country. And
because Australians travel all over the world, you are never far from a
friendly Australian. South Australia was in fact a great way to cap off our
visit, because what makes a city, state, or country is not its politics or
geography or climate. It’s the presence of friends.
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