Carless and Careless?

Image source: http://www.infiniteitsolutions.net/

Just before I left Adelaide last June (2010) I got rid of my old Toyota Camry wagon with the vague notion that I wouldn’t replace it on my return. Now that I’m back and using public transport for my day to day transportation needs, I’m not so sure about the wisdom of that decision – but I am determined to persist for as long as practicable.

I’ve even bought myself a bicycle!

Hey, I used to ride a bike until I was 40 or so, but gave up when I took to a job that required me to have a car and use it. Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t have been worse in terms of my health and fitness needs. At forty, men’s waistlines begin to expand as a result of the dreaded ‘middle-aged spread’ and I was no exception. Now that I’ve reached my 60s I am even more conscious of my weight and know that if I don’t work hard at trimming down now, it will be almost impossible as I get older.

So it’s now or never.

The advantages of not owning a car include

• reducing my carbon footprint
• reducing my expenses – I figure I’m saving at least $200* a week when I take into account the price of fuel (currently around $1.50/litre), insurance, registration, parking fees, maintenance, wear and tear, etc)
• reducing my waistline as a result of walking and riding my bike
• improving my overall health, wellbeing and fitness levels
• umm, help me out here! There must be more advantages than these…

There are of course disadvantages

• the time it takes to get from point A to point B is exponentially longer
• some destinations are not on transport routes
• having to rely on family members/friends for some of my transport needs
• getting caught out in bad weather
• problems associated with moving large (and small) objects
• the inconvenience – no spur of the moment decisions to go somewhere
• and don’t even mention dating!

While it may seem that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, I will persist. Besides, now that I am officially a Senior, I can ride public transport around Adelaide for free between the hours of 9.00AM and 3.00PM, Monday to Friday, and for free all day on weekends and public holidays, which helps save me even more. I can also use my Seniors Card to travel cheaply in other Australian states as well.

However, it is taking some adjusting on my part.

But why?

I recently returned from eight months of worldwide travel which required me to use public transport, or my legs for the bulk of that time, and I didn’t think twice about the inconvenience or otherwise of not having my own vehicle. I did hire a car for a couple of days to get me from Flagstaff, Arizona to Grand Canyon and back to Flagstaff, and I also had the use of a vehicle during my stay on the Greek island of Ikaria. Other than that I was happy to use public transport in America, France, Greece and Cambodia.

So why not now? Obviously, I can, and will, make use of taxis and car hire companies when necessary, so all in all it promises to be an interesting experience which I will report back on here from time to time.

*Western Australia's RAC (Royal Automobile Club) has PDFs outlining running costs across ten categories which suggests that $200/week for a medium sized vehicle is probably conservative.

Solar Mallee Trees

The things you discover walking...

Image: Solar Mallee Trees, 2005. Artist: Anthony Materne.

So there I was, visiting the Adelaide Festival Centre (see my entry AdelaideFestival Centre) for the first time in years. As I wandered across the complex I came across Anthony Materne’s Solar Mallee Trees on the plaza between the Festival Theatre and the Dunstan Playhouse.

To my surprise, a plaque near the installation bore the date 2005, indicating the year the work was created and installed on the plaza. I was surprised, I suppose because it just showed how rarely I paid a visit to my home town’s principle arts centre.

Image: Solar Mallee Trees on the Festival Theatre plaza

Created in steel, aluminium, and fibreglass, and incorporating sound and lighting elements, Solar Mallee Trees is an “…interpretive sculpture developed to creatively exhibit solar power technology through its form, movement-activated messages, lighting display at night, and digital power generation display. The form is a contemporary interpretation of the indigenous Adelaide plains mallee tree.”

There is a lot of public art around Adelaide, and as I discover it for myself, I will present the best of it here.

Notes:

Name: Solar Mallee Trees, 2005

Artist: Anthony Materne

Location: Adelaide Festival Centre Plaza

View: All year round

Entry: Free

Adelaide Festival Centre

Image courtesy of Wikipedia…

Yesterday, I decided to practice what I preach by becoming a tourist in my own town, so utilising public transport, I headed into the city just after midday and alighted in front of the Adelaide Festival Centre, located alongside the River Torrens.

The Adelaide Festival Centre was built in three stages between April 1970 and 1980. The main building, the Festival Theatre, was completed in 1973, and is known for the excellent quality of its acoustics. 

I can’t remember the last time I visited the Centre, but it has been years. During the day there is not a lot to see or do – unless you are attending a matinee session of a major theatre production, or some other public event. However, I wandered into the main building and after checking out some of the art work: the Fred Williams series, River Murray Scenes, and John Dowie busts of Sir Robert Helpmann and John Bishop, I stopped to examine the current Festival Theatre Foyer exhibition The Art in Performing Arts.

The exhibition highlights the work of some of South Australia’s best known arts luminaries including ballet dancer/choreographer Sir Robert Helpmann, theatre/arts critic Peter Goers, actor/director Keith Michell and numerous other local thespians and artists.

There are multiple theatres within the Adelaide Festival Centre which provide seating for a total of 5000 people. Apart from the Festival Theatre, the complex also houses the Dunstan Playhouse (named after Don Dunstan a former State Premier), the Space Theatre and an outdoor amphitheatre.

Before I left I filled up my tote bag with various program guides and brochures including those of the State Theatre Company and the State Opera as well as the program for the upcoming Adelaide Cabaret Festival. Later I stopped by the information center in Rundle Mall and picked up more brochures. These have been produced by the Adelaide City Council, and outline numerous cultural and historic walks around the city and North Adelaide.

I am becoming increasingly excited by the prospect of become a tourist in my own town, and I am committed to going out at least once a week to discover some of Adelaide’s attractions, and look forward to writing about my adventures via the Compleat Traveller.