My Adelaide Recap

Since I’ve now left Adelaide, I thought I’d sum up some of my experiences and thoughts – plus some straight up facts.

Where?

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and is situated towards the south-east of the state, with a west facing coast. 

When?

I arrived in Adelaide on the 4th February and left on the 27th March, spending just over seven weeks in the city.

Accommodation and transport

I spent all seven weeks staying at the Adelaide Central YHA. This wasn’t the most affordable hostel in Adelaide, but I booked my first six weeks in advance with the weekly rate. Unfortunately, since staying there, the rate increased and my final week was quite steep. But, I found the hostel to have all the facilities I needed and it was the best way for me to make friends in the city.

Adelaide has trams, buses and rail. The trams can be handy for getting to certain places around the city, and are free within a certain area. There’s also a free bus that loops around the CBD. Whilst not being super well-connected, I found the public transport adequate for some day trips out of the city, but it is quite challenging to get to the hills and further places without your own vehicle.

What did I do?

I spent six weeks working for the Adelaide Fringe Festival, which was on 17th February – 19th March 2023. I managed to catch eighteen shows throughout the festival too. That’s not a number to be sniffed at, but when there are over 1200 throughout the festival, I can’t help but wish I’d gotten to more.

I was also here for Laneway Festival and Adelaide Festival, and got to see some fantastic musical acts thanks to this. 

Of course, I also enjoyed the usual touristy adventures: visiting Hahndorf, a wine-tasting in Mclaren Vale, the museums, Adelaide Botanic Gardens…

My favourite place

I really enjoyed walking through East Terrace in the evening during the Fringe Festival. Particularly at weekends, as the road was pedestrianised and people socialising and buskers took over. The whole area had an atmosphere, lit up by fairy lights and the warm glow of restaurants and bars whose doors were wide open.

My favourite food

I’ve eaten some great food in Adelaide, but I have to mention where my friends and I spent a substantial amount of time. They introduced me to Yo-chi, the self-serve frozen yoghurt shop. Day or night, Yo-chi is always a good call. You just grab a pot and add whatever flavour combinations you fancy from the machines, and then head to the toppings bar and add any fruit, biscuit, sauce, sprinkles (and more) that you like. The price of each is based on weight. We spent many afternoons and evenings sitting outside, chatting and laughing over bowls of Yo-chi. It was refreshing, delicious, and a routine that became special to us.

My favourite memory

This is difficult, because there are so many. A standout has to be the sunset swim at Brighton beach where we saw dolphins sewing in and out of the waves nearby us. The beautiful sky and the surprise of the wonderful wild creatures was so perfect. You can read more about this moment here! I’ve also written briefly about several more special memories here.

A new experience

I’ve been to a couple of live sporting events: a netball game when I was a child, the athletics in London a few years ago. But I’d never been to something with so intense a following as football. In this case, that was AFL – Aussie Rules Footy. I went to the Adelaide Oval to watch the Crows play Richmond, with an Adelaide supporter. There were over 38,000 people watching, and the atmosphere when the ball was first let loose onto the field was fascinating. The sound level dropped from excited conversation and cheers to somewhere near silence as everyone was captivated by the game. Whilst the end result wasn’t what we were hoping for, I enjoyed being part of a crowd, rooting for the same as the strangers around me. I overheard some excellent heckles and cries of support – it was a great experience to see the passion of footy fans in the environment.

Something I’ll take with me

Adelaide has been a wonderful adventure. I think it’s a beautiful city, with character. But my experience has been wholly shaped by the people I met there – who I built my temporary home with. Leaving the city behind is sad, but it is the people I will miss most. The relationships I’ve built will continue to be special to me, and I’ll keep them close. 

I’ll also hold on to the knowledge that I have the power and ability to craft my life as I want to. I can build friendships and homes in places I’ve never been before, if I want to. I’m proud of what I was part of in Adelaide, and I’m confident that however daunting it can be to go somewhere new again, to feel alone, that loneliness is temporary. 

Where to next?

I'm currently in Tasmania! This was a last minute decision... but a good one. Stay tuned!

Overall

My heart is so full. I couldn’t have had a better Adelaide era, and I am so grateful to all the people I met who made it this way.