One Day at a Time

Exploring Adelaide

I'm an Australian and I grew up and (apart from short sojourns to the Northern Territory and Tasmania) have spent all my life in Queensland, most of it in the far north- and south-west. In my world summer is wet and hot; winter is cold and dry; distance to the next town is measured in hours of driving; the sea is very long way to the East and I don't see it for years at a time.

Life is full of changes. One of those involved giving up my job and planning a move from Queensland to South Australia. The sad story of the bicycle tour that didn't happen became an adventure that was different from the one we planned.

Gratuitous photo: entering the Northern Territory, having passed through the border checkpoint. We met a bicycle tourist not far from here.

As a road trip, it was a blast. As a bicycle tour... not so much.

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Now I'm a temporary resident of Adelaide, South Australia. Adelaide sits at the bottom of Australia, facing west with nothing but the Southern Ocean between it and Antarctica. Together with my husband I'm looking after a blind dog and caring for someone else's house while they stitch their own Covid-disrupted plans back together. In Adelaide summer is hot (so they tell me, haven't noticed it yet) and dry; winter is cold and wet (haven't felt it yet, don't want to either); everyone thinks an hour is a long way to drive; and the sea is 4km away to the West, which has upended my entire sense of geography.

There are upsides to all of this. My bicycle, battered by rough rail trails in Queensland and my attempts at maintenance, is fixed and ready to go. Adelaide is flat (mostly) and has a public transport system that, used judiciously, should allow me to always pedal with a tail wind. The dog is used to being alone at home all day and will not miss me should I be out (as long as I'm home in time to take him for his evening walk, which constrains me to day rides only). I have found a new hero in the form of Helen from The Uncool Cycling Club whose blog gives me tips on lots of places to ride a bike in Adelaide. Only one question remains: how many places can I explore in Adelaide before the owner of the house and the dog returns?

Let's go!

Seeing as we're all in suspense as to where to go first: I bring you a suspended pelican.

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Scott AndersonFantastic, surreal photo! And great journal, so far. We’ve long wanted to see Adelaide and around, and now’s our chance.
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3 years ago