Adelaide, the capitol of South Australia lay ahead along the Riddoch highway a short 6 hour drive away. Crossing the border from Victoria to South Australia reveals vineyards the size of which would rival those found in Sonoma, California. The road leaving the coast and the vineyards gradually climbs and the vegetation changes rather quickly from dense tress, lush undergrowth, and green grass ripe with farms to gradually dry and dusty semi-arid outback countryside. Cattle ranches, known qolloquially as cattle stations, become the common scenery along with more livestock road trains along the route. But as the drive approaches the town of Tailembend, SA, the scenery suddenly shoots upwards and mountainous terrain dominates the horizon.
Adelaide is a gem of a city. The central business district is surrounded by a series of parks that act as a buffer between the downtown area and the suburbs. It's big enough to support large concert venues, universities, and a nightlife. Adelaide boasts a large airport with domestic and international flights and has plenty of shoreline for beach goers.
Along the coast lies the community of Glenelg, the oldest settlement in Australia. Glenelg was founded in the 1850s and was the first European settlement in South Australia. It's shoreline is popular with boaters and the marina is home to many large sailing vessels and yachts.
About 10 years ago I read an article about a grove of trees discovered in Australia in 1994. The tree was identified as being a long considered extinct conifer believed to have died out around 140 million years ago. Fossil records of the tree can be found throughout the world and after some research it was determined that the same plant. It was christened the Wollemi Pine after the national park in which it as found. The tree grove contained a relatively small number of the Wollemi Pine, which incidentally isn't a true conifer, and genetic testing revealed that it had little to no genetic diversity making the grove and any future offspring very susceptible to disease. Australia's government has put forth an effort to repopulate and ensure the tree's survival by selling and donating saplings and seeds to botanical gardens and individuals around the world through the Royal Botanical Society. Being a biologist I promised myself after reading the article that I would venture out to see the tree for myself one day and after ten years I had finally arrived at the Adelaide Botanical Gardens.
Entry into the gardens is free and open from morning to night. During the week crowds are small, but weekends can be quite busy with lots of families on their afternoon outings, so consider this when planning a trip.
The Adelaide gardens are stunning! The pathways are well maintained and visitors are encouraged to engage with the plants by venturing off the path and onto the grass to enjoy a true English garden that would rival any of those found in Britain.
With my sacred pilgrimage over, I made the long drive back to Sydney to see all that wonderful city had to offer.
