13 reasons why you would enjoy an Adelaide holiday

Adelaide Oval. Image credit: Angus Oliver

Sydney might be home for the moment, but for the first 25 years of my life I lived in Adelaide.

Any time this nugget of information comes up in conversation with a non-South Australian, it’s a pretty similar response. They tell me they’ve never been to Adelaide and look at me apologetically, scared they’ve hurt my feelings. Yet, feelings very much intact, I look at them apologetically, because they clearly have no clue what a great city they’re missing out on.

It honestly baffles me why Adelaide isn’t given more travel cred. It’s like the really nice guy who ticks so many boyfriend boxes but remains perpetually single. South Australia’s capital ticks a lot of damn boxes (just not the marketing job box).

In fact, I have 13 very solid reasons why Adelaide should be your next holiday destination:

1. Adelaide’s small bar scene is legit

After the introduction of new laws in 2013, Adelaide has seen an explosion of small bars, and the line-up honestly deserves a standing ovation. There’s 100-odd wine bars, whisky bars, themed bars – you name it. And just when you think the scene is a solid A, a new cool cat boozer opens its doors.

Favourite niche drinkeries in Adelaide’s ‘west end’ include Pink Moon Saloon, Maybe Mae and Clever Little Tailor. While, over in the east of the city centre, you can’t go wrong with Mr Goodbar, BRKLYN and Hellbound.

Mr Goodbar. Image credit: SATC

2. The restaurants in Adelaide are a damn treat

With super fresh produce flowing in from the rich food-growing areas around South Australia, dining out in Adelaide is a real culinary experience.

Enjoy Blue Swimmer crab from the Yorke Peninsula, organic eggs from the Clare Valley, Wagyu beef from the South-East, smoked bacon from the Adelaide Hills, cheese from the Barossa Valley and just a whole lot of locally-grown veggies, fruits and herbs.

My Adelaide restaurant recommendations: Shobosho, Peel St, Osteria Oggi, Andre’s Cucina, Sean’s Kitchen, Sunny’s Pizza and Gondola Gondola. Yep, that’s a solid starting point.

Oh and did I mention you can get a decent feed and have change from $100? That’s unheard of in Sydney!

Shobosho. Image credit: Food & Wine Collective

3. Adelaide is a ’20-minute city’

Well, that’s the catchcry – you can get anywhere in Adelaide in 20 minutes. I think that might be a little bit of a stretch, but there’s definitely some truth in the fact that Adelaide is easy to get around. The city isn’t gridlocked with traffic (ahem, Sydney; ahem, Melbourne), so you can actually get places and get on with your holiday.

Rundle Mall. Image credit: Adelaide City Council

4. Wine, wineries and wine regions so close to the city

You absolutely cannot visit Adelaide without visiting at least one wine region – preferably five. That would be like visiting New York and not having a hot dog from a street vendor or going to Paris and not laying eyes on the Eiffel Tower.

I might be biased but South Australian wine is top shelf, and there’s not one but FIVE wine regions within a two-hour drive of Adelaide. Ah, amazing! We all know the Barossa – the big boy in town – but there’s also McLaren Vale, the Clare Valley, the Adelaide Hills and Langhorne Creek. All five wine regions are relaxed, heart-breakingly beautiful and produce some killer wines.

Nope, there’s no 3.5-hour schlep to wine country here. You can be cruising Rundle Mall and 20 minutes later quaffing wine in the heart of the Adelaide Hills. Hmmm… maybe that does make it a 20-minute city…

Uraidla, Adelaide Hills. Image credit: Ben Goode

5. A winery in the shape of a Rubik’s Cube

While there’s a mind-boggling 200 cellar doors on Adelaide’s doorstep, only one is like absolutely no where else on earth. The new five-level d’Arenberg Cube in McLaren Vale will blow your mind.

With a sensory room, piped music that responds to vineyard weather conditions and ‘wine fog’, as well as a fancy restaurant, wine classroom and cellar door, the d’Arenberg Cube is best described as Willy Wonka’s Wine Factory.

d’Arenberg Cube. Image credit: Ian Routledge

6. Australia’s oldest German settlement

Tucked into the Adelaide Hills, 30 minutes from the city, is the ultra cute, heritage town of Hahndorf. Founded in 1839, it’s still full of German flavour, and where you go if you want to eat schnitzel, bratwurst and pork hock, and wash it down with a stein of German beer. Lederhosen are optional.

Aside from that, Hahndorf is also a great place to try locally-produced chocolate, cheese and wine. Yep, it’s a horrible place.

Hahndorf Inn. Image credit: Jonathan Kissock – JK Imaging Pty Ltd

7. Nature’s on your doorstep

Why battle with the tourist crowds of the Great Barrier Reef, the Blue Mountains or Bondi Beach when you can have Mother Nature all to your greedy self? From the ocean to the outback, South Australia has some of the country’s most beautiful natural treasures, and they’re easily accessible from Adelaide.

Enjoy the empty white sand beaches of the Eyre Peninsula, make friends with all kinds of wildlife on Kangaroo Island and see a natural amphitheatre of outback mountains in the Flinders Ranges.

Wilpena Pound, Flinders Ranges. Image credit: SATC

8. Adelaide’s not just about churches

“The city of churches.” God, I hate that phrase. No, Adelaide’s not overrun with a billion churches. No, church spires do not dominate the skyline. It’s not even the most religious or religiously diverse city in Australia (anymore). So why is this phrase even still used?

Ok, maybe there’s one. Image credit: SATC

9. Beaches that are better than Bondi

Adelaide’s city beaches are honestly unreal. They’re quiet (compared to my battles at Bronte), pristine and just insanely beautiful.

Port Noarlunga Beach is great for snorkelling. Moana and Aldinga Beach are perfect if you want to drive onto the sand. Brighton Beach is lovely for a relaxed beach read and swim. And Henley Beach is ideal if you have a new Zimmerman swimsuit you want to show off.

As for Glenelg, you don’t go to Glenelg to swim. You go to Glenelg for a chilled brunch, a spot of boutique shopping or some loose nightlife that involves skittle bombs.

Brighton Beach. Image credit: City of Holdfast Bay and Toucan

10. The magical, leafy Adelaide Hills

I just love the Adelaide Hills. It’s such an awfully pretty place that’s full of good wine, good food and good views. And all only a short 30-minute scoot up the South Eastern Freeway.

Mount Lofty House. Image credit: Isaac Forman

11. You can walk or bike just about anywhere

Adelaide city is as flat as a plain flour pancake, so you can easily walk or bike around. Start at the Adelaide Zoo, walk through the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and then duck through the city streets to the ever-popular Adelaide Central Market.

Here you can grab a cheap feed of piping hot dumplings from China Town, or buy some cheese, salami and fresh bread for an impromptu picnic by the River Torrens.

Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Image credit: SATC

12. ‘Mad March’ in Adelaide

Between mid-February and mid-March each year, Adelaide lets its hair down and gives it a good flick back and forth. You’ve got the Adelaide Fringe, WOMADelaide, Clipsal 500 and the Adelaide Festival of Arts all turning the city into a soup bowl of energy. There’s pop-up bars, impromptu street acts and just a heckuva good time to be had.

Adelaide Fringe. Image credit: SATC

13. Adelaide is full of surprises

Lonely Planet named South Australia as one of the world’s top 10 regions to visit in 2017, and I can see why. Adelaide is shaking the shackles of its past, proving it’s not the dowdy city that some seem to think.

The city is dead-set experiencing a culinary and cultural renaissance, and the time to visit is now.

River Torrens. Image credit: Michael Waterhouse Photography

What are you waiting for? Book your Adelaide accommodation

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