Making the most of our trip without kids - advice please

[Guest Xhako]

Hiya

I'm looking for some (more) advice...

HB and I are visiting next week, we are staying for a week and we really want to experience day to day life rather than being tourists.

Please could you recommend places to see and things to do that YOU do regularly rather than what tourists do?

Cheap is good! We are very much into pub / takeaway / football results on a saturday afternoon as we are very lazy indeed and middle aged (38/41) so nothing too energetic thanks.

OH can't drive and is insisting on using local public transport (!)

If we come to live, its just us two and the dog so we have no need of 'family' activities.

Much appreciated

[Guest PaulandVicky]

Ermmmm...,,you can come to work with us?? They like overtime without pay, so your welcome to do our overtime (he he)....

 

There are no traditional 'pubs' - they are known to be hotels...plenty of those around with pokey machines...(not the same as uk I'm afraid))

 

if you can get some bikes they have a lot of bike routes, beaches here are nice and a lot have some eating and drinking places....and of course pokey and gambling (TVs everywhere - good advert for comet - although didn't help) he he. Grange square is one local popular place. Glenelg is another. Mount lofty is somewhere to drive to at the weekend which is Farley close with cleland nature park (kangaroo feeding and kaowla holding). Barossa valley is beautiful, fair drive so if you want a 'taste' of wineries then penfolds is close to the city. Lots of museums and galleries around central and outskirts.

 

there is plenty more to do. Google adelaide and it will bring you to SA main website which explains where all is. I would however recommend a car. Public transport isn't as good as uk city's, (not enough buses and regularaity - not good ) although the train is handy for getting north and south (but you need a car when getting on/off for the in-between places to visit),.....

 

hope this helps... And hope you are not too jet lagged not to take it all in with only one week stay

 

all the best and happy hols

[NicF]

Have you got your accomodation booked yet and if so where are you staying? If not then I'd suggest finding somewhere close to the city, or if you want the beach then somewhere around Glenelg. It is possible to get around by public transport but the bus system is better if you are closer to the city (more options with buses coming in from all over). Glenelg is a good option because there is a tram that goes direct to the city. Most public transport seems to go from/to or via the city.

 

As for things to do I would suggest doing the kind of things you might do on the weekends. Try shopping in the local stores, head in to the city and check out the central market, the botanic gardens and Rundel Mall, cook meals and do your washing. Get out and about in the area you are staying in, check out the local amenities. There are plenty of things to do but unless you plan to travel somewhere for a day out every weekend then this isn't really a true reflection of living here.

[jomark]

check out you local surfclub on a friday night, most seaside suburbs have one and they all open on a friday night for meals...pop down and introduce yourselves :0)

[jomark]

although the train is handy for getting north and south (but you need a car when getting on/off for the in-between places to visit),.....

 

dont forget there are no trains going south at the moment :0( .......have a look at this site http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/ if you buy a day trip ticket for around $9 you can travel on any public transport (train, tram and bus) for the full day...

[Diane]

You could however hop on the OBahn and have an expore of Tea Tree Plaza - the O-Bahn is a track on which normal road busses run, so they drive on the road from the middle of the city, then go onto tracks out to the North East suburbs. Tea Tree Plaza is one of the main shopping malls in Adelaide - an undercover shopping precinct with shops, restaurants, cinema, a food court etc.

 

If you have a car you could check out either the drive-in movies at Gepps Cross (last drive-in left in Adelaide) or go to one of the open air summer film showings in somewhere like Botanic Park (http://www.moonlight.com.au/adelaide/)

 

Mount Lofty as mentioned above is well worth a visit - it helps you get your bearings on the layout of the city and suburbs - take your suburb map with you and you can locate areas from up there. Also definitely spend a morning at Central Market in the city, grab a coffee at Zumas or Lucias and do a bit of people watching when your legs get tired!

 

Nightlife and socialising tends to be fairly low-key but if you're not staying in Glenelg, spend an evening in one of the bars or restaurants in high street there (Jetty Road) then take a stroll along the seafront on a summer evening, or grab cocktails at the Stamford Grand and watch everyone else wondering by - they also do a very nice high tea on a Sunday afternoon.

 

Take a drive out to a winery or two - or book yourself on a days winery tour by minibus (I've done a Groovy Grape one which was good - a good mix of people of different ages which gives you a chance to get a different perspective) and on a Sunday head down to Port Adelaide, browse the undercover flea market there, take a dolphin cruise on the river (and marvel at why dolphins would choose to live there in such numbers) and check out the Port Dock Brewery pub if you like beers.

 

Take yourself off to Morialta Park, or Belair Park, or the Torrens Linear Park for a stroll and chat to people you meet there. Find out if there are any sporting events on that you may be interested in - it's football season so Adelaide United might be playing, or there's basketball, cricket, and of course the Tour Down Under about to start.

 

Spend an evening in the city - find a cafe/restaurant in Rundle Street and enjoy the summer evening atmosphere.

 

Here's an events calendar for Adelaide http://www.southaustralia.com/media/documents/events/south-australian-event-calendar-2013.pdf

[Guest Xhako]

oooh lovely, thanks so much for the advice, we're staying near Rundle Mall so plenty to do there and a good starting point for the tram.