Be A Tourist In Your Own Town

Art Gallery of South Australia

Yesterday’s post [April In Adelaide] listing some of the major events taking place in and near Adelaide during April, may seem like a strange choice for a blog which has readers from all over the world. However, one of the things I am determined to do, now that I am back in Australia, is to be a tourist in my own home town.

Having recently returned from an eight month journey that took in New York City, New Orleans, Paris, Phnom Penh and other exotic locations, it would be a mistake on my part to think that dear Adelaide with its million or so people, has nothing of interest to offer a well travelled wanderer. Of course, that is simply nonsense, so over the course of my current stay here, I am going to make sure that Adelaide features a lot more prominently in this blog.

The month of March in Adelaide is festival month, and sadly I missed out on several major events I would normally try and attend if I were here. Three in particular have a long history and huge followings. These are the Adelaide Fringe, the Big Pond Adelaide Film Festival, and WOMADelaide. Add to these the Clipsal 500 Super 8 car race, the Come Out Festival and other events, and it is clear that for its size and location, Adelaide packs quite a lot of partying into its relatively small size.

April has its own rewards, but major events are not the only thing capturing the eyes and the attention of Adelaideans. Every day, somewhere across the city, smaller, more intimate events take place in museums, galleries, wineries, in small Adelaide hills towns, and elsewhere. I plan to build visits to some of these locations into my life here. For example, both the South Australian Museum and the South Australian Art Gallery offer free tours and talks throughout the year, and I will make sure I take the time to participate in some of these, and write about the experience here.

While it is good to dream and plan for your own overseas travels, I urge you to be a tourist in your own town from time to time. You will almost certainly be surprised and delighted by some of the things you discover there.

April In Adelaide

April is shaping as another good month for high profile events in South Australia, following on from the hugely successful March calendar.

April’s exciting events kicked off last weekend with the spectacle and excitement of the International Rugby Sevens at Adelaide Oval. Held over two days, the Adelaide International Rugby Sevens involved 16 international teams competing for points that go towards the HSBC Sevens World Series.

The event was just the first in a packed month of world class events encompassing sport, culture, fine food and wine.

The new South Australian Aquatic Centre at Marion will host its first official event this month – the 2011 Australian Age Championships. More than 1300 swimmers between the ages of 12 to 18 are expected to take part in the championships, to be held from 18 to 23 April.

Regional South Australia is also hosting a strong events line-up this month. The Bundaleer Festival, held from 8 to 10 April in the beautiful Bundaleer Forest near Jamestown, will feature renowned Australian artists including tenor David Hobson, treasured jazz musician James Morrison and highly acclaimed soprano Silvie Paladino.

Other regional events in April include the Tastes of the Outback festival in the Flinders Ranges and Outback from 1-10 April and the Oakbank Racing Carnival in the Adelaide Hills on 23 and 25 April.

To finish the month in style, the Barossa Vintage Festival, celebrating the wine, food and culture of the Barossa, will take place from 23 April to 1 May. For more information, go to www.events.southaustralia.com

APRIL’S MAJOR EVENTS

Tastes of the Outback

1-10 April, Flinders Ranges, Outback

Showcasing the best of the outback with a diverse program of concerts, gourmet food events and activities including kayaking and opal mining.

Bundaleer Festival

8-10 April, Jamestown

An autumn weekend of nationally acclaimed artists and fringe performers, presented in the natural beauty of the Bundaleer Forest.

Swimming – 2011 National Age Championships

18-23 April, Adelaide

Australia’s up and coming swimming stars will compete in a six-day program at the newly built state-of-the-art aquatic centre at Marion.

Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival

23 and 25 April, Adelaide Hills

Located in the picturesque town of Oakbank, this is a festival for all ages.

Barossa Vintage Festival

23 April-1 May, Barossa

Celebrating the best of the Barossa, with heritage events, food and wine, auctions, town days, parades, markets, awards and the Festival Ball.

Home Is The Traveller

Victoria Square fountain, Adelaide

Home is the sailor, home from sea,

And the hunter home from the hill.

~ Requiem, Robert Louis Stevenson

I don’t know why this couplet from the poem, Requiem by the poet Robert Louis Stevenson came to mind today as I made the move into an older sisters vacant apartment, but it seemed somehow appropriate. After living out of a suitcase for nine months, this solo traveller is finally back in Adelaide again and looking forward to exploring my home town in greater depth. Needless to say, it is great to be able to hang my shirts up again, keep my jocks and socks out of sight in the bedroom, and nice to display my books for easy and convenient access.

Most importantly though, it will be lovely to start blogging again on a regular basis. I set myself several goals and objectives at the start of the year, with regard to my blogging and writing, and all of them have been on hold since mid-January when my Sony laptop stopped working.

In particular I want to forge links with other bloggers and travel sites, which includes inviting guest posts from writers I hold in high regard, and in return contributing to travel sites I also find useful and informative – and most of all, trustworthy. To that end I have already started contributing guest posts to the artist-at-large website, and I have also agreed to contribute to the CheapOair website.

I have recently created a Twitter profile for the Compleat Traveller, which I hope readers will join, and participate in. I’m still getting my head around Twitter, trying to work out how it can work for the Compleat Traveller, and more importantly, how my participation on this social networking site can work for you, my readers. Like the links I am building with other websites, my intention with my Twitter profile is to form networking links with high value travel related companies and independent travellers, who have something of real value to contribute to readers of this blog.

So there you have it folks. Three months into the new year, I am only now beginning to get back to work, but I hope to make up for lost time with the help of my new laptop, and a compulsive back up plan.