End o' the line at GrangeDay 2 saw me rise relatively early. After wondering where the people were on Sunday I soon discovered that in fact there are people in Adelaide, they just don't all go to the city on Sunday. After breakfast at a nearby cafe I made my way to the railway station for a day of travel on public transport. $8.00 bought me an all day ticket for travel anywhere in Adelaide by bus, train, or tram.
During the day I made the following trips:
-Grange by train
-Terrace to Terrace on tram
-North East Busway
-Tonsley and Brighton (Norlunga Line) by Train
Tram at South Terrace(damn I cut off the pantograph...)
On the O-Bahn, the driver doesn't need to steer whileon the busway track.
End o' the line at Tonsley.
The main concourse of Adelaide StationAfter I got back from Tonsley and Brighton I decided to go for a walk by the River Torrens (SA ligo here). Being late afternoon there was a lot of activity, rowers rowing, people feeding the swans, joggers, cyclists etc. It was just good to sit down and watch the river for a while.
Adelaide's Festival Theatre
Swans and Cygnets on the River Torrens
River Torrens and part of the Adelaide skylineThe Hyatt hotel and convention centre to be exact
Nice green parks surround the Torrens near theuniversity and Botanic Gardens.
On the way back to the hotel I decided to have a look in the casino. I see no joy in playing pokie machines, but on this occasion I decided I would spend $1 and see what would happen. Choosing a 1 cent machine I played slowly, loosing cent after cent 1 by 1, until I had 50 cents worth of credit left. I then bet the lot and won $1.50 worth of credit. Taking that as a sign I immediately cashed out my 2 x $1 coins. Ben 1 - Casino 0.
After relaxing in my hotel room for an hour or so I got the tram down to Glenelg. Having intended to be there at sunset, the tram ride took a smidgen longer than I had anticipated and by the time I got there it was after 8pm. The tram ride itself was very smooth and the new trams were quite comfortable. Adelaide residents should be proud of the work that has been done to bring the tram up to modern standards. I hope the rest of their plans for the tram system come to fruition.
Glenelg is a bit like Manly in Sydney, and a bit (lot) less crowded. It is still very nice. There are quite a few hotels and apartments along the beach there and I think it would be a good place to stay when visiting Adelaide. I walked out to the end of the jetty where there were a number of people fishing. Catch of the day appeared to be crabs which they were catching in nets baited with fish carcases. There must have been a plague of crabs as they seemed to be baiting them and just throwing them in before pulling them out again with a crab or two inside. There were a couple of people half heartedly jigging for squid, but that seemed more like an exercise to do while waiting to pull out the next crab net.
Glenelg Mosley Square
Glenelg PierBy the time I was on the tram back to the city it was well and truly dark, so I could not see out the window. All I know is that we stopped at only a few stops an the way back compared to every stop on the way there. My hotel bed was very inviting after long day spent out and about in the city.
4 comments:
Good read and nice photos Ben. You said that you couldn't see out of the Glenelg tram when it was dark. Was this because of heavy window tinting which I believe was installed to try and help with the inadequate air con? How come Adelaide with so little water has lovely green parks and a fountain in the river while our parks are brown and many fountains are off?
Excellent post, Ben. Were the Adelaide trains, aside from their non-electric nature, very different from the ones here in Melbourne? Were they faster, dirtier?
Andrew, yes I think it probably a combination of the window tinting (which I did notice was very dark, even during the day now I think about it), and the fact that most of the tram route travels along it's own right of way with few lights, except at the stops.
Yes there were a few fountains around the CBD and they were all working. It's funny about the grass though, all the parks and gardens (remembering the Adelaide CBD is surrounded by parkland) on the north and eastern sides were well watered and manicured, while the western and southern parklands were in a more natural state. As a whole Adelaide is very dry looking. In comparison Melbourne looked very green when I got home.
I'm not sure about the water situation, but a lagre reservoir next to the bus way looked full.
Reuben, I plan to do a separate post on the trains soon.
Excellent.
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