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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The Adelaide Festival Centre lies on the banks of the River Torrens. The whole thing was built in three parts ranging from 1970-1980. They reckon that although it doesn’t look as impressive as the Sydney Opera House the acoustics are supposed to be quite superior. These are a couple of shots I took from across the River Torrens.

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Who said that there was no poetry in Adelaide? To prove them wrong I searched high and low until I found a beautiful piece of poetry right in Hurtle Square. Of all places it was placed on a pigeon drinking fountain.

Address To The Pigeons In Hurtle Square

The pigeons in the square
Are pert and debonair.
Plumped out with scattered scraps.
They cease to fear mishaps, Accost me as I walk,
With wheedling salesman’s talk.
And when I don’t provide
They jostle me aside.
Security we know
Is mortals chiefest foe,
And Shakespeare’s warning words
Embrace both men and birds.
They end who this defy
Cat’s lunch or pigeon pie.
So fly, bludging crew,
And don’t shit on my shoe.

Not bad huh, we Aussies can display the word shit in public.

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Adelaide’s Rundle Mall, home of over 600 retailers, is definitely the shopping hub of the State. These Stainless Steel Balls are centrally located and is definitely one of the preferred meeting places of young and old alike.The balls stand 4m tall and were commissioned by the Hindmarsh Building Society and donated to the City of Adelaide in 1977.

The sculptor, Bert Flugelman, decided to place them one above the other as if in a precarious balancing act and it is not unusual to see tourists having their photo taken in front of them.

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We pretty well owe a lot to one man and that man is Colonel William Light, who just happened to be the bloke who designed our beautiful city of Adelaide. Adelaide also owes his location to him. To learn more of this great man I suggest you have a look at the ‘History Of SA‘ website. This statue was originally located in Victoria Square and was moved to it’s present location on Montefiore Hill in 1938.

And in case you are wondering what he is pointing at:

One day I will have to take some night shots so that I can post them here for you guys to see.

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