There was a man who many years ago had a vision of the City of Adelaide. I’m sure that he had wanted it to be a beautiful clean city which is why he planned all the public squares and the Adelaide Park-lands. I’m sure that there would have been those who would have laughed at his ideas saying that the squares and park-lands were just a waste of space and that he was living in a fantasy land. Lucky for us he stuck to his guns and we now have a beautifully well designed city.

Some 170 years later Martin Hamilton Smith, the leader of the Liberal party, has come up with a new vision for Adelaide. Martin’s vision for Adelaide is a riverside precinct, something that will invigorate our already beautiful city. His plan includes a Federation Square style plaza, an entertainment centre and a new sports stadium.

His main protagonist is Premier Mike Rann who calls the project a fantasy. I don’t find this at all surprising, as even if he liked the idea he would not give the opposition the satisfaction of admitting it. Mike Rann has other plans for the land, as he wants to build a state of the art hospital on the same location. A hospital that he says will cost $1.7 billion. How he can state this is beyond me as they haven’t even put the job out for tender and so it could end up costing a lot more than that, especially considering Labor’s track record of going way over budget on their projects so I wouldn’t be surprised if it actually turned out to cost double that.

According to their plans, the old Adelaide hospital will be demolished, except for  some heritage buildings that will be kept, and the land turned into park-lands again. Naturally he hasn’t factored the cost of doing that int0 the $1.7 billion dollar quote.

Mark Hamilton Smith would much prefer revamping the hospital on the original site as there are significant cost savings, something labor disputes, shock, horror. This plan is supported by a lot of people including many doctors who complain that they were never consulted by the Rann’s gang.

The main complaint that Rann has against Hamilton’s vision is the claim that it hasn’t been costed and we could not afford it. Seems to me that he is being rather negative about it and he is a little worried that the Liberal party may deliver on their promise. After all they can get a major grant from the federal government as part of the stimulus package. They also have the savings from building the hospital on the original site. I’m also sure that even in the current economic climate, if approached properly there would be many business that would jump at the chance of investing in this venture.

I’m sure that if done properly there would even be many South Australians who would love to be involved in this grand vision. Perhaps donating a certain amount of money would ensure their family name engraved into the seats of the stadium or the new entertainment centre. The options are endless.

This is something that Adelaide needs to put us on the face of the map again. We are already known for putting on the best shows, what with the Grand Prix being touted as a worlds best race, and then there is the current Adelaide Clipsal 500, not to mention the Fringe, Womald, Tour Down Under and other ventures. Perhaps something like this can keep our young here rather than having the other states pilfer our talent.

I wonder what Colonel Light would have done?

Apart from the statue of Colonel Light the photos were taken from Martin Hamilton-Smith MP’s website.

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Make my day and shout me a beer.

I had some time to kill the other day, a four hour wait whilst my Honda Civic was getting serviced, so I figured I would take my camera for a walk. It was a nice enough day so I wandered down the River Torrens towards Cafe Lago. I’ve been to Cafe Lago a couple of times and I was always impressed with it’s menu. In those days the menu had a Tuscan flavor to it which was probably one of the reasons it appealed to me so much. That and the picturesque view of the city while I dined.

To my surprise Cafe Lago was no more as it is now known as the River Cafe. I went inside to ask if I could take some pictures of the city from the outside deck area and the manager graciously gave me his permission. Once on the deck I was presented with a great shot of Adelaide’s business district. From memory it was even more stunning at night, especially if the Torrens was very calm.

I’ve never actually had a meal on the deck, but I reckon if you wanted to have a meal whilst having the City of Adelaide as a backdrop, then the deck area would have to be the perfect spot. I also noticed the soothing sound of running water from a pond somewhere on the left which would only add to the whole eating experience.

This next shot was taken from the dining area which is down a few steps from the bar area, but not to worry as a small lift was installed to help the wheelchair bound diner.

The River Cafe is only part of the dining experience as it is, as was Cafe Lago, associated with the Red Ochre Restaurant, located upstairs, which also has stunning views. I must admit that I have never really tried ‘contemporary Australian Cuisine’ and this restaurant is touted to have innovative Australian food with a native influence. Perhaps it is time that I checked both out, the River Cafe to see how it stacks up against Cafe Lago, and the Red Ochre Restaurant to finally sample some traditional Aussie cuisine.

The FlexSqueeze Theme gives my blog that professional look and as you can see is great for photo blogs. I loved it so much that I bought the developers license. It's the easiest most customizable theme I've come across. See how easy it is to change your theme's appearance! Compare it to Thesis to see how much better it is! I am so thrilled with this theme that I highly recommend you to get your FlexSqueeze theme today!

Make my day and shout me a beer.