Light's Vision - A City of Parks and Grids

Like Vancouver, Adelaide regularly makes The Economist's Top Ten Most Livable Cities. Much of Adelaide's success has to do with the city's layout, which was conceived by William Light. Light, a British Colonel and the first Surveyor-General of South Australia, designed this city himself. The design was unusual for its time, for it consisted of a compact city centre completely surrounded by parklands. He wanted to create a city that broke from European models of urban planning. In order to avoid the labyrinthine organisation of many medieval cities in Europe, and to avoid the creation of a cityscape dominated by brick and stone, he envisioned a low-lying, inviting, grid-based town dotted with local parks. The greenery and geography of the city were the first things to make a positive impression upon us as we arrived via the rolling Adelaide Hills during a startlingly orange sunset. This city does not possess the grandeur of Paris or the swank of Melbourne, but it is quaint and pretty.

Unlimited Oranges!

What is with my Shirt Here?

We have definitely experienced a change of pace since arriving to Adelaide. We have family here, and a place to stay, so it almost feels like a home away from home. We have our own bedrooms, we have our own bathroom, and we go over to our aunt and uncle's a few times every week for dinner. This convenient arrangement is comfortable, but our days feel torpid when compared to the backpacker lifestyle. This change is neither good nor bad, it's just different. The great thing about being here is that we get to stay with family members that we had only met a few times in our lives...when they made the long trip to Vancouver. Why did they move sooooo far away?

Windy Point Lookout

We have been busy adapting to South Australia: we have consumed several Farmers Union Iced Coffees, we shop at Foodland, we have learned all the rules to Aussie Football and are going to an SANFL this week, and we are now accustomed to hearing Rainbow Lorikeets in the morning instead of pigeons. Our cuz, Liz, has been really generous with her time as well, showing us some of the local attractions which include:

Botanical Gardens

Brighton Beach

The River Torrens

The plan was to work while we visited with relatives here in Australia, but the search isn't going too well. Employers really really dislike Working Holiday Visas because they know that employees with these visas won't be sticking around. If the dry spell continues, we may push everything back and aim to be home in November. Now...time to pound the pavement!