Christine McCabe hits a money-saving trail in South Australia's capital, and savours the offerings
Sweet life: No visit to Adelaide is complete without popping into Haigh's Beehive Corner on Rundle Mall, a little jewel box of a shop crammed with tempting chocolates. But did you know the factory is a mere truffle's toss away on Greenhill Road and offers free tours Monday to Saturday (bookings essential)?
Established in 1915, Haigh's is one of the few chocolate makers in the world to control the entire manufacturing process, and visitors to the factory are able to watch white-capped workers busily grinding, milling and conching. Afterwards, you can sample the product of their pleasurable toil along with a complimentary tea or coffee.
The giant choc frogs are a highlight but my money is on the chocolate murray cod, with part of the proceeds from each sale helping to secure the fish's future.
www.haighschocolates.com.
Garden grazing: Adelaide's Botanic Garden is a real gem, only two minutes from the central business district and scattered with outstanding historic and contemporary buildings. From the charming Victorian-era Palm House to the equally elegant but entirely modern Amazon Waterlily Pavilion, this garden can rightly claim its place among the world's most significant. Explore the international rose garden, dramatic Bicentennial Conservatory and sleek Schomburgk Pavilion.
Free tours operate daily and once a month you can join Tauondi guides as they explore the plants used to sustain Aboriginal life for millennia (also free).
www.botanicgardens.sa.gov.au.
Artful browsing: In the heart of the city's handsome North Terrace cultural precinct, the Art Gallery of South Australia houses one of the country's finest collections in an elegant and historic building. Free guided tours operate daily at 11am and 2pm and there's plenty to delight, from the excellent collection of 19th-century Australian art (including the country's earliest known oil painting) to a fine representation of Asian art (featuring Australia's only permanent display of Islamic art). A good bookshop and top-flight cafe make for a great day out.
www.artgallery.sa.gov.au.
Museum musing: You'll barely break a sweat exploring Adelaide's main cultural institutions with the gallery, library, university and museum tucked cheek by jowl on North Terrace. Set over six levels, the South Australian Museum houses a series of diverting collections from a giant squid trailing its tentacles several floors to the beautifully curated Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery, a window to the world's largest collection of Aboriginal artefacts. And don't miss the small but perfectly formed Egyptian Room. Museum entry is free and gratis guided tours operate 11am Monday to Friday and 2pm and 3pm on weekends and public holidays.
www.samuseum.sa.gov.au.
Home on the Grange: Adelaide is fortunate to be surrounded by premium wine districts; indeed, venerable vineyards creep to the city's edge. Spiritual home of Grange, Penfolds Magill Estate perches in the foothills, only 15 minutes from the CBD, lapped by old vines and affording long views across the city. Heritage tours of the historic estate, including a tasting of six Penfolds wines, cost $15 and operate at 11am and 3pm daily. You'll need 10 times that amount to enjoy a tutored tasting of Grange but just being here is enough to get a sense of the history of this world-famous drop as you enjoy the heady aromas of the country's most sought-after reds.
www.penfolds.com.
River ramble: Meandering past the Festival Centre and nearby to the picturesque Adelaide Oval, the Torrens River is the perfect place to hike, bike or boat your way through a sunny afternoon. Try paddle or pedal power (hiring facilities near the centre) or jump the old-fashioned Popeye pleasure boat (40 minutes with commentary costs $10; one way is $6) to Adelaide Zoo where keepers are readying to welcome visiting giant pandas Wang Wang and Funi later this year.
Strolling the manicured lawns lining the riverbanks is pleasure enough, bringing to mind similar scenes in England.
Market daze: Adelaide is a city known for its food and wine so you won't be surprised to learn its most-visited attraction is not a theme park or museum but the wonderful Central Market, 140 years young this year. Wedged between Grote and Gouger streets, the laneways of this thronging market are crammed with fruit and veg, cheeses and smallgoods. Few cities in the world still operate a fresh produce market at their heart and there's a sense here of what city life once was. Try Australia's best prosciutto at Marino Meats, take-home gnocchi from Lucia's or arrive early for the Full Monty breakfast. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
www.adelaidecentralmarket.com.au.
Cheap eats: Visitors from the eastern states are generally pleasantly surprised by restaurant prices in the city, where securing a great meal for under $25 is a cinch. Gouger Street is one of the most popular foodie precincts; here you'll find everything from Greek seafood and Argentinean steaks to mulligatawny. For Ying Chow's BBC (soy bean and tofu stir fry), arrive early at this cheap-as- chips restaurant (114 Gouger St) where the fab food has a loyal following.
Even better is the signature chicken dish at the funky Wah Hing (85 Gouger St) or the stand-out tuna belly sashimi (courtesy of Port Lincoln's finest bluefin) at low-key Hotaru (162 Gouger St).
Bike it: Home to the first pro cycle touring race outside Europe (the annual Tour Down Under), Adelaide is custom made for biking with broad, flat streets, 760ha of parklands and a growing network of bike lanes. Follow in Lance Armstrong's wake and explore the city on a free bike available from a range of CBD outlets including Bicycle SA (111 Franklin St) and, on Sundays, from the Rundle Street Market. All you'll need is photo ID such as a driver's licence. Free undercover parking is available in 10 U-Park centres around the city.
www.adelaidecitycouncil.com.
Hoof it: The best way to explore any city is on foot and Adelaide makes the perfect candidate with wide boulevards and a concentration of cultural attractions. Tourabout Adelaide provides excellent group guided tours (two hours from $187 for up to 20 people). However, it's just as easy to DIY (download a map from the city council website). An attractive parklands trail commences at the corner of North and East terrace. Or jump a free bus. Look for the bright-green Tindo, the world's first solar-powered electric bus, part of a free Connector service running daily across the city and North Adelaide.
www.touraboutadelaide.com.au;
www.adelaidecitycouncil.com.
Beside the seaside: Adelaide's beaches have a particular charm, punctuated by wooden jetties and kissed by long, southern sunsets. At most beaches the feeling is refreshingly old-fashioned: kiosks, dogs and cruising dolphins. Bustling, sometimes glitzy, Glenelg is as close as Adelaide gets to Surfers Paradise. Jump a tram from Victoria Square for a laid-back day at the seaside. For a spot of historic background, check out the free Bay Discovery Centre. Nearer the beach you can hire everything from deckchairs and kite boards to wave skis but it costs nothing to drop a line from the 215m jetty where you may be lucky enough to bag some whiting.
To the manor born: A cravat and smoking jacket would not look out of place at Carrick Hill, one of Australia's few grand homes to remain almost intact: land, furniture, art, the lot. Built around a collection of impressive Tudor staircases and other fixtures salvaged from a demolished English estate by Edward and Ursula Hayward, Carrick was a mid-20th century magnet for artists and musicians, including Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh.
Only 15 minutes from the CBD, and open Wednesday to Sunday, the house features an impressive private art collection and some outstanding furniture. Admission is $10.50 but access to the gardens is free.