I love our railway station because it has so much charm. The Adelaide Railway station originated in it’s present location of North Terrace in 1856. It’s actually a dead end as it’s the final stop or the start of the journey of most train trips depending where you’re heading. Wikipedia has a comprehensive history of this station for anyone who is interested.

This photo is actually of the rear of the station and I thought I would paste this rather than the front as it’s not the one most people would see. I may actually post one of the main entrance at a later date. What’s unique about the station is that it forms part of the Adelaide Casino, now better known as Sky City.

This next photo was taken from the inside and you can see from it a little of the rustic charm.

OK, this photo has nothing to do with the station other than it can be found on a wall just to the left of it and I couldn’t resist including it in this series as it was so full of vibrant colour.

This link will take you to Adelaide Metro’s website where you’ll find all the information you could possibly need in regards to timetables and such for buses and trains.

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A well known landmark in Adelaide’s Elder Park is the Rotunda which was built on the banks of the River Torrens 1882. I assume that it was donated by the Elder family as the base of the column has stamped “Presented By Sir Thomas Elder 1881″.

I can just imagine the nine meter high  iron rotunda housing bands playing to relaxing picnickers as they listened to the music. Today it’s used for weddings, carols by candlelight and sometimes even Symphony Under The Stars.

You can take photos of the Rotunda from many angles but I’ve chosen this one as it shows the Adelaide Convention Centre in the background.

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I’ve been to the Adelaide Festival Centre on several occasions but apart from seeing several school concerts that my kids participated in the only other time was to see a Rodney Rude concert. While the concert itself was pretty funny I wonder how funny it would have been had he taken all the swear words out of it?

Now don’t get the wrong idea, the Adelaide Festival Centre has hosted many big names and this year the nine-time-Grammy award winner Natalie Cole, will be performing in the Festival Theatre on 12 and 13 June.
Although I’ve already posted some shots of the Festival Centre as seen from the River Torrens I though I would post one as seen from the other side.

Something else that I found interesting when I took this shot was something that I at first believed to be some sort of totem pole but what turned out to be a house post that was carved by two Papua New Guinea artists in 1978. Even though it was originally conceived as a public demonstration for visitors it has become a permanent public artwork. The artists that carved this out of a South Aussie pine tree were Sali Kapusa and Arnold Koski.

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The War Memorial Monument which can be found on North Terrace is a popular spot for tourists, especially those interested in war history. Opened in 1931 to commemorate all those who served in the first world war it holds significant value every year on Anzac Day (25 April) and Remembrance Day (11 November).

I love to walk the length of North Terrace as I like to consider it as Adelaide’s cultural boulevard. This is because it’s full of heaps of great examples of early South Australian architecture including Old Fowlers Lion Factoryn now The Lion Performing Arts Center, and the Anglican Holy Trinity Church, Adelaide’s oldest church, which was built in 1838.

This is a photo of the front of the monument.

This one is of the rear.

As you walk around the memorial you will see crosses that were taken from the battlefield where the soldiers died and brought back as a memorial to their great sacrifice. This is just one of them.

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If you were to walk or drive down North Terrace in Adelaide you couldn’t help but notice the old Fowler’s Lion Factory. The feature that makes it stand out from the rest of the buildings on the street is the majestic stone statue of the lion on top of the building. The appearance of the lion is definitely  one of royalty as he stands there watching over his subjects as they  move past his watchful gaze.

David and James Fowler, the men who first established D and J Fowler (Australia) Ltd in 1854, moved their retail outlet from King William St. to  this building in 1906. It seems that destiny had other plans for this building, other than the owners original plans for it.

In the 70′s up until 1998 it was the home of The Adelaide Fringe Festival. At present it houses the nightclub Fowler’s Live, the Jam Factory which is art related and has nothing to do with jam at all, as well as other venues.

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Although Adelaide is only about 6km from Adelaide airport it still may be a good idea to organize a rental car if you haven’t anyone that’s able to pick you up at the airport. Thanks to the Internet you can now Compare Car Rentals online as this can save a whole lot of time.

Since the airport upgrade to a new dual international/domestic terminal in 2005 it has received numerous awards one of which was being named the world’s second-best international airport. I have to admit, living here my whole life, that it was a vast improvement on the old airport, and it was with some pride that I can say it was voted Australia’s Capital City Airport of the Year the 2009 Australian Aviation Industry Awards in Sydney.

This photo shows the Adelaide skyline from the airport so you can see just how close it is.

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I’m not sure when they put this together but I came across this the other day and I found it really interesting. It’s a sculpture of a huge tap and hose and the park also has what appear to be replicas of dinosaur bones.

Once again it just goes to show you how much you miss by driving around in the car. I reckon that all families should make some free time whenever possible where they can get together and explore where they live, and Adelaide offers so much, from the Zoo, to the many parklands, and when you get peckish, if you haven’t packed a lunch there’s always a cafe close by.

It provides a great photo opportunity and is a great place just to sit back and relax while watching the kids amuse themselves. You will find this unique little park off Little Twin St. in the heart of Adelaide.

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If you’re ever in Adelaide you have to visit the Adelaide Museum as it has a lot to offer especially if you are interested in Aboriginal culture. Apart from the permanent exhibitions there’s always the special exhibitions which are constantly changing.

Honestly you could easily spend the day here and once your done, or if hunger overtakes your curiosity and quest for knowledge, you can easily walk over to one of the nearby cafe’s.

Entry to the museum is free and it’s open daily between 10am and 5pm, except for Good Friday and Christmas.

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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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This is a picture of the Adelaide Convention Centre, located right in the CBD on the picturesque River Torrens. Equipped to cook up to 4000 dinners within 20 minutes it can host 3500 people at full capacity. It’s definitely the busiest convention centre in Adelaide.

Lucky for me I was able to take this picture after the Torrens Lake refilled due to some timely rains after the debacle where the weir malfunctioned letting all the water escape. Fortunately the rains were able to fill it before tourist attractions such as the Fringe and Clipsal 500 took place.

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