Adelaide Day

We docked at 7 am in South Australia at the Outer Harbour Dock. The ship is a large one so I imagine docking any nearer the city was not an option ! We were told a shuttle bus would run into the city but on disembarking the shuttle was not there. However a very new train station was extremely close by and we all crocodiled to the platform, paid our $10 for all day on anything ticket, and waited 12 minutes for the next train. I feel a bit of a seasoned Australian train traveller now and it has become pretty obvious that Aussies like to their trains to stop every 200-400 metres ! I was lucky and got the seat facing the very front and I kid you not, I could see the next station whilst standing in the previous one ! Astonishing ! So ajourney which would take 20 minutes on the Southern Line ( albeit when it is running and not a victim of, leaves, snow, strikes or the driver wearing the wrong colour socks....) actually took 50 minutes. The picture below is from one station and the second  red dot is the next one, bearing in mind the iPhone makes it much smaller than lifesize. Wow !

Even me, the walking hater could get there quite easily !

I am now in Adelaide having my coffee, which I am not going to photograph as it is of the Gloria Jean’s variety so the same as the place at Bayside Mall in Frankston ! I am looking at one of the beautiful wrought iron work buildings however and on chatting with the manager who tidied the table he told me to get on a tram and go to Glenelg if I wanted to see many old Australian early houses ! Glenelg indeed ! How about that ? Sadly I don’t have the time so must make do with the Adelaide buildings !

The very distinctive early buildings. 

The people are so friendly and chatty and seemingly want you to enjoy their city and country. It feels so welcoming and very cosmopolitan in a deeper way than anywhere else I have visited. The place is filled with immigrants from absolutely everywhere who have all added bits to the culture so the years old diversity is very tangible. 

It is 11.58 am and I am going to post this and then update it later after having more of a wander around this city which prides itself upon being the first convict free settlement in Australia- blimey I bet that is disputed by lots of other cities and towns along the coast ! I am only repeating what I was told !!