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Adelaide is the capital city of the State of South Australia. Situated about halfway between Perth and Sydney, it is also known as “The City of Churches”, and is located in the driest state in the driest continent in the world. (Top that, Topper!). Adelaide has a population of around 1 million people, mostly of british and european descent. It is notable in not being a convict settlement - all of the original migrants were free settlers. Many of them came to South Australia to avoid religious persecution in their home countries. Adelaide is known for being close to some of the best wine and food growing regions in the world. Just over an hour north is the famous Barossa Valley, with the Clare Valley (famous for it’s rieslings) nearby.

Adelaide’s Government House,
home of the Governor.

About four hours south-east is the Coonawarra region, where some of the highest regarded Cabernets are produced. Adelaide also is home to the Coopers Brewery, the only family-owned major brewery left in Australia. These factors combine to produce a city that is rich in culture, but most residents don’t know how lucky they are.

Breakfast.

Hindley Street still has a bad reputation amongst a significant proportion of the South Australian population. Most of it is undeserved, but a quick walk down there at 8:15am will clue you in to why, especially if you remember that it’s much better now than it was 10 or 15 years ago. The section between Bank and Morphett Streets is the pits, and if you take the Railway Station underpass, you’ll emerge in the thick of it.

The infamous Hindley Street:
Paul Kelly even wrote
a song about her!

Turning right into Hindley Street, you’ll pass pubs that are open that early in the morning, and strip clubs that closed not too many hours before. If you are lucky, you’ll see a feral or two enter a pub, stinking of beer, and eyes glazed over as they prepare to waste the local taxpayers money on poker machines. But push through, your destination awaits, and it’s worth it. After crossing Morphett Street, you enter the Education precinct, where the University of South Australia built a new City West campus to replace the aging, and closed suburban campuses of Salisbury and Underdale. (The northern and western suburbs are still whinging about the lack of education opportunities. Catch the bus, I say.) Because of the influx of students, several cafés and other shops have opened, and our goal is one of these: Phat Coffee. Josh will be behind the counter, he makes a great coffee, and he’s there all day, from 8:00 until 5:00. During Uni holidays they close at 4pm, but getting there is worth it. Phat Coffee does more than just coffee - they also serve a magnificent Ham Cheese and Tomato Croissant. Eat in or take away, it’s worth the $7.95 for the comfort food of a tasty croissant and a perfect coffee. Breakdown: Croissant: AUD5.25 ($4.12) Flat White: AUD2.70 ($2.12) Total: AUD7.95 ($6.24)

Lunch.

North Terrace, looking east.

Just south of the City is the trendy King William Road, a narrow strip with cafés and restaurants galore. One of the old favourites is Oh! Sushi, renknowned for the train that carries it’s sushi to the customers. Adelaide only has a handful of good sushi restaurants, and Oh! Sushi, whilst inexpensive, rates well. Because of the method of consumption - grab what you want - it’s possible to spend lots or just a little at Oh! Sushi. The dishes come on coloured plates, and the colour represents the price. One favourite is the A-ge Zushi, Salmon and Cheese in a deep fried package. A couple of these to start, and then a plate of California Rolls. These all come on green plates, at AUD3.30 per plate. White plates are the cheapest - AUD2.20, so I chose something from this range. I don’t know what it was, but it had egg on it. Delightful! Of course, sushi with plenty of Wasabi is hot work, and you can’t go past a Schweppes Traditional Lemonade to cure the thirst. Breakdown: A-ge Zushi: 2 @ AUD3.30 = AUD6.60 ($5.18) California Roll: 1 @ AUD3.30 = AUD3.30 ($2.59) Other: 1 @ AUD2.20 = AUD2.20 ($1.73) Schweppes Traditional Lemonade: AUD2.90 ($2.28) Total: AUD15.00 ($11.78)

Snack.

Later, as I walked back down Hindley Street, a girl was handing out voucher for AUD1.00 coffees from a new café: I think it was called Savanah - yes, I’d spell it differently, too. So, having a bit of change in my pocket, I ducked in and had another Flat White. Not bad, and a big serve. Not that that’s always good in coffees, but this was alright. Breakdown: Flat White: AUD1.00 ($0.79)

Tea.

Adelaide has a vibrant Touch Football community. It’s a relatively small town, so everyone who plays touch knows just about everyone else. Anyway, after playing a game with the Arab Steed Pornstars, at City Touch Club, we headed into their sponsor, the Arab Steed Hotel. Owned and managed by Shayne White, the Arab Steed Hotel has been trading for years. Shayne bought the pub about a decade ago, and has turned it into a successful little business, with a great location near the south parklands, on the Corner of Hutt and Gilbert Streets. Parking out the front can be difficult, especially in the peak mealtimes, between 7 and 8:30. Don’t even think about parking on Gilbert Street, unless you go further west, as parking inspectors like to frequent the area, and unless you have a resident permit, expect the day to quickly become more expensive. There are plenty of parks further up Hutt Street, near and past the Adelaide City Council library, and beyond, as well as futher west. The ‘Steed used to make a great mushroom gravy, and it wasn’t unknown for the whole team to order Chicken Schnitzel with Mushroom Sauce (and Just Chips, in some cases!). Nowadays, the mushroom gravy ain’t that good, but there are several other great meals to try. The Veal Shanks (or Calves’ calves - thanks Alyse!) go well, but my choice is generally the Cajun Chicken Burger. Today, however, on the Specials’ board was Pork Puff Pastry Parcel, so I had “A Pork Puff Pastry Parcel, Please”, and a jug of beer. Since I bought the first round, others paid for the following rounds, and that was all I ended up paying for. Breakdown: Pork Puff Pastry Parcel: AUD10.90 ($8.55) Jug of Coopers Pale Ale: AUD12.00 ($9.41) Total: AUD22.90 ($17.96)

Whole Day Summary

I’ll be honest here: this didn’t all happen in the one day. For starters, you’ll notice that the photos have different weather, and I don’t usually have time to get down to King William Road during the day. It’s actually unlikely I’ll spend this much in one day: I often eat lunch from the school canteen, and that’s usually AUD2.50. But, on a perfect day, this is what I’d like to eat! Breakfast: AUD7.95 ($6.24) Lunch: AUD15.00 ($11.78) Snack: AUD1.00 ($0.79) Tea: AUD22.90 ($17.96) Total: AUD46.85 ($36.78) So, I came in under the requirement. Phew!