Travelling Post 32 - Adelaide

Whilst I am in Margaret River I will endeavour to catch you up on what I have been up to since Melbourne. I am not sure what may parents meant by being 'otherwise occupied' but the main reason I have not updated my blog of late is that the Internet costs a pretty penny in places I have been staying at recently, and also I have been busy travelling - and travelling and updating is not always easy.

Now back from the defensive, my travels led me from Melbourne to Adelaide. After a night of drinking in Melbourne, causing me to miss my train I arrived in Adelaide at a ridiculously early 5.10am, the morning after I wanted to be there. Arriving this earlier meant I had to wait at the bus station for 2 hours before the any hostel reception opened. After checking in I went to sleep before enjoying a picnic with friends I had met in Mildura - the girls I am living with now.

On my second day I visited the pretty port of Glenelg where I got to stand on the site where South Australia was proclaimed a Province and visited Rodney Fox's fascinating Shark Museum. Rodney Fox is a shark victim turned advocate who is now a leading world expert on sharks, particularly the infamous Great White Shark, his attacker. Whilst the museum is not big it is great value and was cram packed with information and lots and lots and lots of shark jaws, plus an interesting video on the life and work of Rodney Fox.

Above, the jaws of Jaws himself, the Great White Shark,
Below, a close up of the teeth of a Shortfin Mako Shark.

My third day was spent on wandering around town where I took in the sites of the botanical gardens (I have made it my mission to visit the botanical gardens of all the major cities I visit.) I also visited the Tandanya Indigenous Culture Centre, this was an art gallery with documentaries on the modern way of life of some of the remaining tribes. The documentary was insightful into another culture's way of life and followed a Northern Territories Aboriginal man, looking at his life throughout the 5 seasons of a year.

Before I left Adelaide, I had to visit the Zoo (another mission.) Adelaide Zoo was not as large as its Sydney or Melbourne counterparts but was still enjoyable enough with an excellent nocturnal creature exhibit. I got to see lions and other big cats being fed as well as a Sea lion feeding, plus an interesting look at the history of Zoos. What was advertised as a display on why the zoo does not hold elephants - because of space - was in fact more of a brief development of zoos throughout history. Charting how they used to be cruel habitats created for the entertainment for humans to becoming educational tools and vital to research in the fight to protect many endangered species. Sorry no pictures of animals this time.

The City of Adelaide was, as the Lonely Plant Guide described, more of a big town without a whole lot to do, especially if you have come straight from another city. That said I did like it, and it was a friendly and relaxed city, but I don't think I'd like to return unless I had a car and could tour it's surrounding regions.

Coming up in Chapter 33 - Kalgoorlie and the richest strip of land in the world.