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Autumn
In Adelaide
By: Yen Ling Chen, Kedah, Malaysia
2006 Travel and Transitions travel story contest participant
Adelaide is endowed with
Mediterranean climate and the weather
was particularly warm this autumn.
In mid May, roses at the Botanical
Gardens were still blooming resplendently.
It was only by month end
did leaves crowning the trees in
the parks turned gold giving indication
that summer was long over.
I rode on public buses -
something I have not done for
a long time back home in Malaysia,
commuting between my temporary residence
at the suburb of High Gate and
the University of Adelaide at North
Terrace in the heart of the
city. After 25 years of hectic corporate
life working as an accountant, I decided
to take that ‘big break’.
I would sit back and be a
good listener for 1 semester. I
should also enjoy autumn, my favourite
time of the year in this part
of the globe.
I have always harboured
this interest in anthropology. So,
I thought I would do a non
award course while basking in a
well deserved holiday. Doing assignments
and taking examinations were options
and I needed only to attend 3
hours of lectures and tutorials each
week. Was I being radical? Many
people thought I was. I resigned
from a senior post and a reasonably
well paid job. But honestly, I
was not too concerned and was
quite proud of myself for finally
making that move.
Adelaide was enchanting with its
wonderful parks, impressive heritage buildings,
well mannered people, relaxed atmosphere
and convenient accessibility. It was
founded by Colonel William Light -
son of Sir Francis Light and
incidentally, the ‘European founder’
of Penang in my home country.
The establishment of British influence
in Penang eventually led to entire
British rule in the country.
William Light was a brilliant
surveyor who laid the foundations
for a well planned city in 1837.
Today, it has progressed into a
well contented metropolis serviced
by broad and user friendly streets,
cushioned by borders of luxurious
green lungs and suburbs grow around
it in an orderly fashion. It
is superbly sited besides the beautiful
Torrens River and between friendly
Adelaide Hills and the sapphire blue
waters of the Gulf of St. Vincent.
The beaches are as near
as 20 minutes’ drive from city
centre. At historical Glenelg, the
beach is the landmark where mainland
immigrants first arrived. The mighty
old tram stationed at Victoria Square
still plies Moseley Square in Glenelg
at regular intervals offering delightful
rides through the city and suburbs.
At North Terrace Campus, I would
enjoy lectures and looked forward
to classes each week. I spent hours
leisurely browsing in bookstores and
souvenir shops at nearby King William
and Randal streets. Randal Mall is
the place to see and be seen
– a fashionable joint for people
of all ages and food haven bursting
with sights, sounds and smell of
a cultural potpourri of multi cultural
society. It was said that Adelaide
has more restaurants per head than
any other cities in Australia.
As I gradually got acquainted
with Adelaide, I began to form
the opinion that it was
also a place where diversity breeds
cohesion. The atmosphere was casual
and people of different backgrounds
seem to take greater interest and
respect each other and interact with
ease. It is quite a different
atmosphere in some major cities around
the world.
I did a project on multiculturalism
in Australia for an assignment and
research took me to greater heights
of understanding on the subject. Having
come from a significantly diverse society
like Malaysia, I thought I knew
a lot already. But, it was also
eye opening to note that Australian
policies on multicultural democracy were
in many ways superior to those
in some Asian countries. They were
principled upon recommendations of a
task force lead by Professor Dr. J.J.
Smolicz of the University of Adelaide
in the late 1980s. That made me
somewhat proud.
The university stands out like a
jewel in the city, set by the
peaceful banks of the Torrens River
and fronted at North Terrace alongside
other historical buildings namely the
state art gallery, museum, parliament
house and railway station. It opened
in 1882 and is today partly
housed within its distinctive heritage
buildings modelled after Cambridge and
Oxford universities.
Within the campus grounds, I regained
memories of past student days - nostalgic
experiences of hiding in the library
with unlimited enjoyment of numerous
text plus hanging around snack bars
in street corners in between classes.
Sometimes, I would sip coffee at
side walk cafes in vibrant Randall
Mall doing nothing particularly productive
or intelligent - just watching street
performers do their thing and people
milling by.
Long weekends and public
holidays were particularly good for
outings into the countryside. Cockling
was an interesting activity at this
time of the year on the sun-drenched
beaches of Goolwa in the Fleurieu
Peninsula, just about 1 ½ hour’s
drive away. Long stretches of fine
sand were welcoming sites to relax
and picnic while dynamic souls
swim and surf. Adequate protection
against the sun’s rays in this
part of the world is particularly
important as overexposures can be
hazardous.
My most happy times were
spent in the Adelaide Hills Region
coloured by the gold and reds
in splendid autumn. Taking it leisurely
on the scenic South Eastern Freeway,
this region is around 30 minutes
drive from the city. Small rustic
towns like Hanhdorf, Stirling and
Aldgate dot the rolling hills and
were known to produce fine wines
and abundant with natural beauty.
The first immigrants into this region
were pioneers in wine growing in
the state, venturing into it just
shortly 3 years after settlement in
1839. Temperatures were cooler and
the air clean and fresh.
Charming Hahndorf was built by Prussian
and East German emigrants escaping
religious persecution in Europe. They
were very diligent, tough and resilient.
Young women would pack their family
farm produce, walk 25 km through the
night and reach the growing city
of Adelaide beneath the hills by
daybreak. Today, it is the oldest
German settlement in Australia and
most visited town in the region
by local and foreign tourists. Restored
cottages of early German settlers have
been converted into souvenir shops,
pubs and restaurants serving authentic
German food and beers. Aldgate and
Stirling were idyllic laidback towns
set in natural gardens of beautiful
trees facilitated with wonderful open
markets and small shops selling local
produce. Some old houses too have
been converted into pubs and fine
dining restaurants. I just loved the
ambience of those warm and cosy
restaurants serving good food – just
like home cooked, at very reasonable
prices. One particular restaurant in
Aldgate had displays of beautiful works
from local artists, not only for
customers to enjoy but to also
rate them.
My stay in Adelaide had
been relaxing, refreshing, enriching and
above all - stimulating to the senses
in a very pleasant way. I met
some wonderful people at the university,
made friends with others and learnt
more about Australian history and
culture. My kind of holiday
was planned and yet not, because
I had no expectations of the
outcome, experiences and places that
I would venture into. It turned
out to be a wonderful journey
of a lifetime - a great choice
of location and enlightening pursuits
that helped my tired soul recharged.
INFORMATION
If you would like to know more
about Adelaide and surrounding environments
and the University of Adelaide, visit
the following sites:
www.southaustralia.com
www.adelaide.com.au
www.visitadelaidehills.com.au
www.fleurieupeninsula.com.au
www.adelaide.edu.au
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