Adelaide a city, not a town - Mike Duffy Blog

[Ho Really]

Adelaide's greatest asset is that it was well planned. What we need to do is bolster that advantage.

Cheers

[Redback20]

Sorry guys, but with respect how much of the world have you really seen? Theres a serious 'grass is greener' syndrome on this thread...

Having lived and worked in many different countries, mainly europe, I chose adelaide when i emigrated here. Thats right i chose it above any other city,,, and why? Well let me quote a (well-travelled) friend who visited me last year.

He said he could see why i lived here; 50-60kms of pristine beaches within 15mins drive of virtually the whole city, the east bounded by the beautiful adelaide hills, to the north the Barossa, to the south the Fleurieu with its almond and olive groves, wineries and surf beaches. An immensely laidback cafe bar society in the CBD, restaurants at least the equal of Sydney, more bars than any other city per head, and 280 days of sunshine a year... a climate and food&wine culture to embarrass the Mediterranean, not to mention the friendliest people in australia.
sydney & melbourne can't compare to you.

His words, not mine.
But i can't find much to disagree with, theyre pretty much why I chose this fair city. True there's lots of things to be done, but be proud of it, I am.

[rhino]

Hooray for you, Redback! Sometimes we need reminding about those things.

[Shuz]

Well, Adelaide's definetly a city - I reckon I have noticed the smog much more this year than the last 5 years combined.

[stelaras]

Sorry guys, but with respect how much of the world have you really seen? Theres a serious 'grass is greener' syndrome on this thread...

Having lived and worked in many different countries, mainly europe, I chose adelaide when i emigrated here. Thats right i chose it above any other city,,, and why? Well let me quote a (well-travelled) friend who visited me last year.

He said he could see why i lived here; 50-60kms of pristine beaches within 15mins drive of virtually the whole city, the east bounded by the beautiful adelaide hills, to the north the Barossa, to the south the Fleurieu with its almond and olive groves, wineries and surf beaches. An immensely laidback cafe bar society in the CBD, restaurants at least the equal of Sydney, more bars than any other city per head, and 280 days of sunshine a year... a climate and food&wine culture to embarrass the Mediterranean, not to mention the friendliest people in australia.
sydney & melbourne can't compare to you.

His words, not mine.
But i can't find much to disagree with, theyre pretty much why I chose this fair city. True there's lots of things to be done, but be proud of it, I am.

Sen-bloody-sational.........Very nicely summed up! and your correct the grass is NOT always greener somewhere else i think what most of people on here want is that Adelaide be more competative with the other states whilst embracing and cultivating what we know is great about this state!

[Ho Really]

...i think what most of people on here want is that Adelaide be more competative with the other states whilst embracing and cultivating what we know is great about this state!

Correct.

Cheers

[Bulldozer]

He said he could see why i lived here; 50-60kms of pristine beaches within 15mins drive of virtually the whole city, the east bounded by the beautiful adelaide hills, to the north the Barossa, to the south the Fleurieu with its almond and olive groves, wineries and surf beaches. An immensely laidback cafe bar society in the CBD, restaurants at least the equal of Sydney, more bars than any other city per head, and 280 days of sunshine a year... a climate and food&wine culture to embarrass the Mediterranean, not to mention the friendliest people in australia.
sydney & melbourne can't compare to you.

That's pretty much spot on! I too was a "Adelaide is a boring, backwards hole" thinker when I moved away and was wowed by the buzz and lights of Brisbane. However after seeing everything here I now think it's not that good - the food is average and overpriced (haven't had a decent pizza, schnitzel or curry up here) and the beer is horrible. There's no real pubs like in Adelaide - nothing I've found in Brisbane is like The Austral, Exeter, etc. The nearest decent beach is an hour down south on the Gold Coast, but even then the beaches there aren't that good for swimming. I never thought I'd say I'd miss the cold in winter, but I do miss the change of seasons. People here are rushed, contrary to what they like to think and I think Adelaide girls are much nicer

I guess what people want is a bit more excitement and vibrancy in the city and for us to cast off the shackles of the "no you can't do that" mentality and embrace the "sure, why not" way of thinking. I think everyone here wants to preserve the wonderful areas surrounding Adelaide and ensure that there is proper and sensible planning and development to improve Adelaide and capitalise on its fabulous location and visionary design. Perhaps the biggest challenge moving forward is retaining the friendly laid back vibe of Adelaide life that makes it the best place to live and enjoy living.

I'm consoled by the fact that there's a Cibo about five minutes away, there's Farmers Union Iced Coffee in the supermarket, Nippys in a nearby bakery and Coopers is on tap in an increasing number of venues.

[Norman]

But is it possible to have a laid-back and fast-pacing Adelaide at the same time?

[stelaras]

But is it possible to have a laid-back and fast-pacing Adelaide at the same time?

Everything is possible! but as reflected by myself and other posters, its not a matter of converting Adelaide into some bustling NY type of city but rather a competative city in relation to some of the larger cities whilst maintaining and cultivating our treasures.

[crawf]

Relies of mine have lived all over the world, you name it America, Europe, Hong Kong, Sydney Harbour etc... But regardless of the endless choice of top cities they had, they decided to move back to lil ol Adelaide.

Just goes to show that so many people still take Adelaide so much for granted and I don't think it will ever change (regardless of the boom). But then again I think thats with every town and city. Most people bag the christ out of there hometown and move away then later realize it was a bad move and move back.

As we know Perth is just going from strength to strength at the moment, but still people there are bagging the city and calling WA the backward state regardless of the current massive resources boom. Who knows If it will be the same in Adelaide, time will tell. But I think the small town syndrome has something to do with it (something that affects Adelaide majorly).

Though one thing I really want to see, is the interstate reputation of Adelaide & SA change for the better. And thankfully that is now happening thanks to the brilliant work done by Tourism SA with the new tourism campaign, the new website, commercials and tourism brochures (esp Adelaide) look great! - so much better than some of the stuff they used to do a few years ago...

[SRW]

Though one thing I really want to see, is the interstate reputation of Adelaide & SA change for the better. And thankfully that is now happening thanks to the brilliant work done by Tourism SA with the new tourism campaign, the new website, commercials and tourism brochures (esp Adelaide) look great! - so much better than some of the stuff they used to do a few years ago...

I don't know, I liked the "Shorts" campaign more.

[Will]

It is nice that people on this forum like Adelaide, but for the sobering truth just visit any high school or university. Most people can't wait to get out of here. This is a serious problem!

The good news however is that due to the strong economy and availability of jobs many people who previously had to leave, are now staying although reluctantly.

[keepadelaidealive]

It is nice that people on this forum like Adelaide, but for the sobering truth just visit any high school or university. Most people can't wait to get out of here. This is a serious problem!

The good news however is that due to the strong economy and availability of jobs many people who previously had to leave, are now staying although reluctantly.

It's true, Will. We need to wake up to the fact that to keep the young population here, we have to keep Adelaide alive. If they all jetset off to Melbourne or Sydney, Adelaide will end up turning into a retirement home. I just hope that the new Adelaide City Council are more progressive in wanting to kick this city into gear.

keepadelaidealive.com

[Brando]

Hey Brando mate,
I couldn't agree with you more, its good to see there's others out there on the same page. I too have lived interstate and have heard it all said about Adelaide. Unfortuately 90% of what I hear is still negative. Sure most of those people have never even been here, but thats the perception and that's what needs changing. NOW...
This city serioulsy needs some sexin up!!!!
Take Sydney for example, There blessed with the beautiful harbour and numerous amounts of awesome beaches and yet they still went a head and built equally beautiful man made structures like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera house. These man made structures are modern day marvals that bring people from all over the world, just see.
Whats there for people that come to Adelaide to see?? Atleast what they couldn't see anywhere else anyway??? Unfortunately people see Adelaide as a boring place, its that simple. If you dont agree, bad luck, thats the reality.
Its time to make some drastic changes... Like the Opera house, it was initially very greeted with a lot of skeptism, but now look its not just an Aussie icon, but a world icon!!!!!

Thanks mate.
Look at how Jorn Utzon was treated for his vision of the Opera House and now it speaks wonders for Sydney and Australia.

Will i agree with you also and most comments made by others, but sadly some are still missing the point. We all agree Adelaide has it's natural beauty and surroundings we have are rare in most cities. We need to do more than retain and 'get back' those that have left, we need to attract. While our attractions are great to many, sadly they will not be enough to attract the 'crowd' we need. Younger generations, the states future....

Paulns is right, the city needs sex'n up big time. Don't get me wrong here, i know we are heading in the right direction and the vibe is different, but the city of Adelaide is at it's biggest crossroads now, it really is make or break with what is in store for the state. It is so imperative we have a long term plan that will revitalise and capitalise on our strenghts and our direction. The government/opposition and council need to stop trying to save face and their positions and announce long term plans that allow for sufficient deabte, not bickering and planning.
We have been given an opportunity to change and move forward in a positive manner which will help our state and it's perception abroad.

Let's just hope we get it right because we know how great this City is, but we also know it's potential is HUGE!

[Ho Really]

It is nice that people on this forum like Adelaide, but for the sobering truth just visit any high school or university. Most people can't wait to get out of here. This is a serious problem!

The good news however is that due to the strong economy and availability of jobs many people who previously had to leave, are now staying although reluctantly.

It's true, Will. We need to wake up to the fact that to keep the young population here, we have to keep Adelaide alive. If they all jetset off to Melbourne or Sydney, Adelaide will end up turning into a retirement home. I just hope that the new Adelaide City Council are more progressive in wanting to kick this city into gear.

keepadelaidealive.com

Alive? Do you have a plan that you could share with us?

Cheers