Adelaide & South Australia - Australia 2004 - page 481

see it is by car, though a limited rail service connects Adelaide with some areas.
The Stuart Highway bisects the state from south to north; it runs from Adelaide
through the industrial center of Port Augusta (gateway to the Flinders Ranges),
and through Coober Pedy to Alice Springs in the Red Centre. The Eyre High-
way travels westward along the coastline and into Western Australia, while the
Barrier Highway enters New South Wales just before the mining city of Broken
Hill (see chapter 4). The Princes Highway takes you east to Melbourne. You
should seek travel advice from the Royal Automobile Association of South
Australia (RAA), 41 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, SA 5000 ( & 13 11 11 in
South Australia only, or 08/8202 4500; www.raa.net), if you are planning to
drive into the Outback regions. The RAA provides route maps and emergency
breakdown service.
Both Greyhound Pioneer ( & 13 20 30 in Australia) and McCafferty's ( & 13
14 99 in Australia) operate bus service within South Australia. Within the state
the largest operator is Stateliner ( & 08/8415 5555 ).
1 Adelaide
Adelaide has a reputation as a quieter place than some of the other state capi-
tals and relishes in the peace of its parklands and surrounding vineyards. In
many ways it's something of a throwback to the comfortable lifestyle of 1950s
Australia—a lifestyle that the more progressive state capitals have left behind.
Numerous parks and gardens, wide tree-lined streets, the River Torrens run-
ning through its center, sidewalk cafes, colonial architecture, and, of course, the
churches help make it a pleasant, open city, perfect for strolling or bicycling.
Though the immigrant population has added a cosmopolitan flair to the
restaurant scene, Adelaide still has a feeling of old England about it. That's not
surprising when you learn that Adelaide was the only capital settled by English
free settlers rather than convicts, and that it attracted more after World War II,
when Brits flocked here to work in the city's car and appliance factories.
But it was earlier immigrants, from Germany, who gave Adelaide and the sur-
rounding area a romantic twist. Arriving as refugees from their religious-torn
country in the 1830s, German immigrants brought with them their winemak-
ing skills and established wineries. Today, more than one-third of all Australian
wine—including some of the world's best—comes from areas mostly within an
hour's drive from Adelaide. As a result, Adelaidians of all socioeconomic groups
are more versed in wine than even the French and regularly compare vintages,
wine-growing regions, and winemaking trends.
Any time of the year is a good time to visit Adelaide, though May through
August can be chilly and January and February hot.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE By Plane Qantas ( & 13 13 13 in Australia) flies to
Adelaide from the other major state capitals. Virgin Blue ( & 13 67 89 in Aus-
tralia) flies direct from Melbourne with connections from other state capitals
and some major towns. Check their Internet site for cheap deals. Adelaide Inter-
national Airport is 5km (3 miles) west of the city center. Major car-rental com-
panies (Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Thrifty) have desks in both the international
and domestic terminals.
The Skylink ( & 08/8332 0528; www.coachaust.com.au) links the airport
with major hotels and the rail and bus stations. On weekdays, buses leave the
terminals at 30-minute intervals from 5:30am to 9:30pm, and on weekends and