Kate F: Adelaide, Australia - glorious sights

 Editor:  Kate F is a former AWG member, who founded the Scriveners blog, and has been living in Australia in 2013.  She thought AWG's Garden Group would enjoy these photos.


Adelaide, South Australia.  The name alone sounds elegant and somehow Adelaide has managed to avoid copying the splendour of Melbourne and the sharp style of Sydney and has kept its head down and seems content to do so.  I was told by a long term resident that not only was Adelaide originally a non-convict settlement, but that in the absence of timber, many of the houses were built of stone and this is why there are far older buildings tucked away and still standing.  Apparently it was the skilled labourers who came out to Australia as free men to build a new life who were responsible for the standard of architecture and the solidity of the buildings.

The Adelaide Hills

We are spending five weeks here caring for a lovely house high in the Belair hills and at night, the sparkling shimmer of lights from the city below spread out like some fantastic carpet, and during the day if the sun is shining, we can see the Pacific Ocean glinting and accessible.  Everything here seems accessible right down to the city itself which was originally built in a square on a grid system, so that it is virtually impossible to get lost, and everything worth seeing is just about within walking distance.  The square is surrounded by a series of parks and from the outer perimeter of the parks, the sprawl of suburban Adelaide spreads out westwards towards the coastline and the southern reaches of the Fleurieu Peninsula, and north to the Barossa Valley and the eventual nothingness of the deserts beyond.  

The Barossa Valley

We are here at the perfect time of year and having gone through a relatively mild but extremely wet winter, we are being rewarded with lush green countryside filled with wild flowers and blossom, and for the time being, everyone can relax and forget about the onset of a hot dry summer and the constant fear of raging bush fires.  Vineyards clothe the rolling spread of the hillsides and interesting lanes wind ever deeper into the surrounding countryside. 
So far we have visited two of the important Botanical Gardens in the area and are waiting for the right moment to go to the main one in Adelaide. 

I am afraid that my knowledge of gardening and flower names is similar to my love of music; I never know the names but I know what I like!  Currently we are spoiled with masses of flowering shrubs which are at their peak right now and I leave it up to the experts among you to spot ones that you recognise.

The photos were taken at the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens and it was a total delight to wander the pathways and breath in the gentle scent of eucalyptus.  I thought of the ladies of the AWG Garden Club as I photographed the President Roosevelt rhododendron. 

The President Roosevelt rhododendron

Have a look at their website if you would like to find out more about the gardens.
http://www.adelaidehills.org.au/attractions/mt-lofty-botanic-gardens.

We have also visited the Wittunga Park which is much smaller but none the less fascinating.
http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/botanicgardens/visit/wittunga_botanic_garden

We will be returning to France at the end of October just in time to embark on a European winter, but for me, there will always be a special place in my heart for Adelaide in the Spring.



Editor note:  There is a major exhibition at the Royal Academy, on Piccadilly in London, entitled Australia, running until early December 2013, and featuring “the most comprehensive survey of Australian art to have been shown outside Australia.”  It has attracted controversial reviews.