Where it all began,
In September 2018, I got on a plane going to a country I’d never been, that in itself is scary but then knowing you’re going to live in a place known as the city of churches is a bit more frightening (well for a Sandton girl anyway).
If you google Adelaide you will come across many mixed reviews and I’ll never forget what the taxi driver told us upon our arrival “Adelaide is a small town trying to be a city”, at first we were 100% sure what was in store for us but slowly over time it all started to make sense.
Upon arrival in Adelaide I was in shock, I thought to myself ‘what on earth have I agreed to?’, the town is quite out-of-date to put it simply. We drove from the airport to our AirBnb, as we drove along I got more and more concerned, where on earth had I agreed to come to live.
I was so used to driving in a modern city that all of this seemed surreal. That’s the thing about Adelaide it’s quaint and there are so many outdated buildings but at the end of the day people have lived their whole lives there that they actually don’t know any different.
Living in Adelaide taught me so many things and I grew so much as a person and I couldn’t be more thankful that I made the decision to make the move.
After a while when you learn a little more about South Australia you slowly learn about the culture and what the city is about and it all becomes normal, thinking back you don’t know any different.
The buildings are old and outdated, it’s pretty much named the 20 minute city and that’s because it will take you 20 minutes to get anywhere you’re going. That was the one thing we did enjoy about living there – traffic wasn’t really a thing, pretty amazing right?
We stayed in Adelaide for 5 months before deciding to make the move to Perth. I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to have that time in Adelaide, and the reason being that before leaving South Africa I never knew what other countries had to offer and here I was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, in our 5 months there I managed to work the whole way through, I met some incredible people and I got to learn a whole lot more about myself.
Below I’ve listed a few highlights of our adventures in Adelaide:
- Mount Lofty (if you’re up for a challenge definitely go and tackle this climb, it’s not one for sissy’s though!)
- Glenelg (probably the coolest beach with the most happening) – always something going on down there! The Pier being our favourite place!
- Henley Beach – some great cocktails along the beach! Definitely a spot I’d recommend checking out!
- Then you’ve got the Barossa and McLaren Vale – in my opinion I find McLaren Vale stunning and definitely a top choice for me – but there’s mixed opinions on which one is better!
- Oh yes let’s not forget Nutrition Republic – or otherwise the best smoothie bowl you’ll ever taste (the Peruvian to be exact) – would do anything for one of these right now!
- Oh and last but not least the botanical gardens – take a picnic and make a day out of it!
Having moved back to Perth I can definitely say that Adelaide will always have a place in my heart – it was my first home away from South Africa and I’ve taken so many memories away with me.
Let’s see what our next adventure holds ✨
Yours faithfully,
Xx
JessBirdInTheWild 