Adelaide (Pop. 1.1m) may not be Australia's number one destination, but it's well worth a visit. I've had an opportunity whilst on secondment from my Sydney office to explore Adelaide and its surroundings, and I must say, it's quite a nice city indeed. Sydney is most certainly a more vibrant city, but if you want a more laid-back sort of lifestyle, Adelaide might be the place to be.

It has an uncanny similiarity to Austin, Texas (a city I know very well). Austin was founded in 1839, Adelaide in 1836. The bars, restaurants and cafes are similar. Downtown has a familiar feel about it. There's free public transportation in town. They both have great universities. Adelaide has the River Torrens and Austin has the Colorado River (not the big Colorado River of course!). Both bodies of water are virtually nothing before and after the city. Where Adelaide has the Hill country to the east, Austin has it to the West, except Austin has Lake Travis, but, Adelaide has the beautiful shoreline with its charming seaside suburbs. The climates are not terribly different, although Austin will has a less stable climate being well away from the coast while Adelaide has a more Mediterranean climate. Driving north out of Adelaide and Austin are both equally featureless! In fact, both cities have touristy German communities based on wine production. Austin has Fredericksburg, Adelaide has Hahndorf. I have produced separate articles for both of these places.

Adelaide has a main CBD and a smaller CBD to the north of the River Torrens (North Adelaide). They are both surrounded by a thick perimeter of protected green parkland. The city is laid out in a logical fashion (thanks to Colonel Light) and it's never difficult to get into or out of town (not that I've experienced yet that is). Adelaide's main restaurant and cafe street in the CBD is on Gouger Street along with its fantastic Central Market. Hindley Street is littered with bars and has a seedier quality to it. A bit like 6th Street in Austin.

One of the main highlights in Adelaide is taking the 25-minute vintage tram ride from downtown to Glenelg. (In case you didn't realise it, Glenelg is a palindrome!) Glenelg is a kind of retro-fashioned trendy seaside suburb with a nice beach and a pier. For those who like a little wave action may be somewhat disappointed however, but this is not a problem for me.

I was a little disappointed with Port Adelaide on the north side. Full of urban sprawl and really weird people wandering about. Although local train travel is very cheap, conditions of the trains and the track are rather suspect, but at least there is a train service which is more than could be said for Austin.

On a final note, you will note in Adelaide that a number of buildings have great ugly signs bearing the name, Polites. I understand that some Greek businessman bought a number of buildings back in the 70s and 80s and had a capitalistic ego on a par with Donald Trump and decided that all his buildings should bear his name on the most conspicuous signs I've seen on front of any building.