On the way to Rundle Mall

This is my third post on my very short trip to Australia’s fifth largest city.
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From Victoria Square, I crossed Flinders St then walked on the eastern footpath of King Williams St. I really love the layout of Adelaide city! See the city map and tell me whether you love it or not.

I’m not sure whether walking on this side of King William St was a good decision because I can’t see Adelaide Town Hall from afar. But I must say my only picture of the Town Hall (above) is among the best shots of Adelaide I’ve taken. If that’s ugly, well, I’m only an amateur photographer. Though I think it’s a good picture with leafless tree in the foreground telling you the season of the year.

I have no idea what’s the purpose of the Town Hall. This is because Brisbane’s City Hall is under renovation ever since I arrived in this country so I have no idea what’s the purpose of town/city hall. The only city hall I’ve ever passed in Indonesia is Surabaya’s City Hall which I must say has an exclusive feeling (which I believe is not the purpose of a city hall). Meanwhile, Singapore’s City Hall, I believe, is only a name of an MRT station.

Oops, did I mention Perth’s Town Hall? I almost entered that building once because they were having exhibition. Apparently that exhibition was an exhibition on chairs. Forget it! Let me make my way to Swan Bells Tower, I thought.

Adelaide’s roads are wider than Brisbane’s or Perth’s, I must say. Cities that have wide roads are believed to be old cities. Is that right? Is that a tram or a bus in the picture? If Brisbane is planning to reintroduce tram in the CBD, I don’t think Adelaide St is wide enough to accommodate trams (unless the tram line is to be extended into the Valley, there’s no other choice).

Adelaide doesn’t have many skyscrapers. And apparently the 132-metre tall Westpac House at the corner of King William and Currie St is Adelaide’s tallest. Well, at least they have a more relaxed height restriction on building than my hometown (no higher than a coconut tree). I say “Keep Adelaide unique!” You don’t need skyscrapers to show off the world that you’re a great city. You’ve proven me so! Old buildings in the City show how Adelaide people love their heritage. Just like this.

As much as I love skyscrapers, I don’t wish my hometown to be the another typical Indonesian metropolis. If Mataram or Kupang wants to go ahead with tall buildings, do as you please but not my hometown. Perhaps Denpasar should be the ‘Adelaide of Indonesia’. 😀 Population growing? Why don’t we stop the population from growing? Do we have enough food to feed them? Do we have enough land to shelter them? Do we want our Denpasar to be congested just like Indonesia’s largest city? Don’t make Jakarta’s problems ours!

And here’s Rundle Mall.

You will notice this building if you’re entering the mall from Hindley St.

More to come from Adelaide.

(In & Around) Victoria Square

This is a special series of Apa Kabar Bram posts dedicated to my short visit to Adelaide. I’m doing whatever I can to promote this wonderful city even though I was there only for a few hours.
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I walked eastward from where I last stood in my previous post. At the end of Grote St is Adelaide’s Victoria Square.

Ah, failed photo! It was blocked by the tram. A blessing in disguse? 😀 The spires in the background, is that Adelaide’s Cathedral of St Francis Xavier? By the way, you could take the tram for free all the way to North Terrace.

From there I turned left where I encountered Adelaide’s General Post Office. Was I still in Australia or was I transported to some random European city? I crossed the road towards Victoria Square. There were flags of the Aborigines and Australia, a fountain and I must say this feels more like a park rather than a square. Alright, may be my definition of square was limited to those of Brisbane’s King George Square and Melbourne’s Federation Square. Hey, didn’t King George Square use to have grass on it (before the busway station opens)?

I like the GPO’s clock tower. It tells you the time and emphasises the time difference between South Australia and other states. But I wonder during the beginning and the end of Daylight Saving, anybody was really there at 2 or 3am to put the clock forward/backward?

OK, one last shot of the tram before I continued my walk to Rundle Mall. 🙂

Adelaide Central Market

It was June 29, 2011. I had just arrived in Adelaide after a 2.5-hour flight from Brisbane. I was on a 3.5-hour transit and rather than stuck at the Adelaide Airport T1 doing things that I could probably do in my last hour in Adelaide, I decided to give the city of Adelaide a visit. It’s my first visit ever to South Australia as well.

I approached the Visitor Information Centre on the lower ground of the terminal for a map of the city. The helpful lady asked where I was going. I said ‘Central Market’. She then tried to sell me coach ticket to Adelaide’s Hilton Hotel which is just located a few walks away from the market for $10. I was interested in buying the ticket but the schedule, which was 9.15 CST, didn’t fit my short visit agenda. Why? I would lose 30 minutes waiting at the Airport. I certainly didn’t mind waiting if my transit time was longer (5 hours). So I decided to take a taxi which is a more expensive option. 😦 (If my transit time is even longer i.e. 7 hours, I would take Adelaide Metro bus J1A/J1T/J2A which is even cheaper.)

The taxi driver was an Indian guy but I don’t really like him. I’m not a racist but he didn’t tell me that there is a $2 extra charge for taxi from the Airport going anywhere around the Adelaide metropolitan area. I’m a newcomer to Adelaide! I only figured it out after I read an Adelaide City booklet which I took from the Rundle Mall Visitor Information Centre. He dropped me off at the Gouger St side of the market.

My first impression: small city but I love it!

The weather in the morning was cooler than Brisbane but I still can handle it. This part of the City somehow reminds me of Ipswich CBD. Improve the public transport system and I wouldn’t mind settling down in Adelaide.

A weird place of attraction to begin my self-guided tour? I don’t think so. Just make sure you put away your cigarette butts! 🙂

Just first step inside and I encountered a café. Classy! There’s even an LCD opposite to the coffee place. You can’t find this kind of experience at Denpasar’s Badung Market, can you?

But as I walked further, my amazement turned into disappointment. No buzz. Almost no lives. Most of the shops are closed on Wednesdays. 😦 I guess it was the wrong day to visit the market. Even the Information Centre was closed. 😦 Though Coles next door is open. What’s the point of visiting another city to see the same supermarket I could find at Myer Centre or QueensPlaza? But I can’t force those independent retailers to open as I like. May be just wasn’t my lucky day (and I had even less luck when I transitted in Perth last year).

That doesn’t mean I’ve given up on Adelaide. One day I’ll come back and revisit the market during Market Day!

Well, rather than seeing closed shops until time’s up I’d rather speed up and go to Rundle Mall. There’s a surprise change of itinerary for me later on. But to make sure I have visited one of Adelaide’s icons, I took a photo of this.

And this (taken from Grote St). Here, I felt a more metropolitan feeling of the City. Chinatown Mall is to the right of the picture above. Behind me was a bus station and an Adelaide City Council library.

What surprise awaits me in Adelaide? Stay with me for the upcoming stories. 🙂

Trip report and a summary of my short visit to Adelaide as well as my continuing journey to Bali can be seen here.

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For more information on Adelaide Central Market and its opening hours, visit adelaidecentralmarket.com.au

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P.S.: In 1.5 year staying here, I managed to visit Darwin, Perth & Adelaide as part of my interstate visits (though each only took place for a few hours, not even half day!). But I haven’t managed to visit the southern metropolis of Sydney & Melbourne yet (though I’m more interested in visiting Canberra). Why? I don’t know.

Well, at least I understand these cities better than my fellow Indonesian friends in Brisbane. 😀