Life Down Under (Part 5): Adelaide CBD and Port Adelaide

- August 11-12, 2022, Thursday to Friday.

- There are days when I work extra hard in anticipation of a "long weekend" and this is just one of those weeks. I had to grind a lot for my research from Monday to Thursday before my trip to Adelaide! I flew via Jetstar so the fares won't be too expensive.

- I arrived in Adelaide in the late morning and left my luggage at my hostel, Adelaide Central YHA. The hostel was comfortable, cozy, and centrally-located! I'd recommend it for those who'd like a no-fuss stay in Adelaide. They have a kitchen where guests can cook their meals if they wish. Pancakes are free every morning (the pancake mix is pre-made, and guests have to cook the pancake themselves.)

The only photo I have of my hostel. My bunk is the one with the light on.

- Once I had my things settled, I wasted no time and started exploring the city. The Central Business District of Adelaide is quite compact, though do take note that most places of interest lie in the north of the city (Rundle and North Terrace area). Fortunately, my hostel was located towards the north. The trams in Adelaide go horizontally and vertically (like a cross), so it's quite easy to navigate. The down side is, there are no trams in the central and southern parts of the CBD, except for the only tram line going north-south. The only tram line that goes horizontally is in the northern side of the CBD. 

- I began with the Museum of Discovery (MOD), located inside one of the buildings of the University of Adelaide (City West tram stop). A new museum, opened just in 2018, it features exhibits that combine scientific data and art (that is, information design.) This time, their exhibit was about the way people interact with the internet and social media. 

One of the buildings of the University of Adelaide, where MOD is.

I loved this gallery.

The exhibit agrees that there is so much fake news these days. This was an online quiz to see how much a person is susceptible to fake news. (Unfortunately, I know a lot of people who will definitely fail this quiz.)

- From MOD, I walked along North Terrace to see the State Library of  South Australia (Art Gallery tram stop). The library itself was built in the early 1800s, but its most picturesque wing, the Mortlock Wing, was constructed in 1884. The wing preserves it 1800s look. It reminded me of Hogwarts.

Passed by the (New) Parliament of South Australia.

Also passed by the Old Parliament beside the new Parliament.

Government House (from outside.)

National War Memorial (for the fallen soldiers of WWI.) 

State Library.

One of the halls that's being renovated.

Mortlock Wing.

I mean....how can you not fall in love with this place?!

Pretending to read. HAHAHAHA.

- Next door is the South Australian Museum, founded in 1856. While it does have the usual plants, animals, and rocks, some of its special exhibits include the Pacific cultures gallery, and the gallery on the Douglas Mawson's Antarctica expedition in the early 1900s.

South Australian Museum.

Pacific Cultures gallery.

Thylacine (Tasmanian tiger.)

Moon Knight anyone? (Also, this Taweret statue can be found in a random Egyptian gallery in the museum.) 

Extinct endemic megafauna in Australia.

Mawson's Antarctic expedition.

Yay more (stuffed) animals!

- Conveniently located beside the museum is the Art Gallery of South Australia, established in 1856. The gallery boasts mainly European, Australian, and indigenous Australian art. 

Art Gallery of South Australia.

Western works.

OMMG Yayoi Kusama!

This makes me dizzy.

A piece of art. Oh, and there's also Yayoi Kusama's wall.

Chiharu Shiota's "Absence Embodied".

Circe Invidiosa (1892) by John William Waterhouse. It is said that the museum acquired this painting brand new - as it was still wet when it arrived!

William Morris and his flowery art. I love William Morris so much.

- Behind the museum and the gallery is the Migration Museum. Opened in 1986, it shows the roots of Australia's multiculturalism and how they built lives in Australia. 

Migration Museum.

They had a special gallery about Afghan migrants. How timely!

Afghan costumes.

- From the gallery I passed by Rundle Mall (Rundle Mall tram stop), which is just a street away from North Terrace. The street has lots of shops and restaurants. 

Rundle Mall.

Giant pigeon. It was taller than me I think.

- I rested in the hostel for a bit before meeting my high school friend Erika. We had soothing Japanese food for dinner as it was drizzling that evening. We then had a stroll along Rundle Mall, hoping to see some light installations. Unfortunately we missed them but it was still nice to see the other stores I wasn't able to pass by in the afternoon.

Passed by Chinatown Adelaide.

Hi Erika!

Love these pig statues in the middle of the street.

Interesting.

Giant balls just lying in the middle of Rundle Mall.

Dessert!

- The following morning, I had brunch with Abigail, another amazing friend from high school. After some chit chat, she was kind enough to drive me all the way to Port Adelaide. She dropped me off at the clipper ship named City of Adelaide.

Passed by the Trinity Church on the way to the tram stop. It was opened in 1838 and was the first church of South Australia.

Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Australian flag on top of the Entertainment Centre.

Hello Abi!

- The ship was launched in England in 1864 and has transported many English travelers as well as goods and supplies to Australia. It was also used as a floating clubhouse after WWII until it mysteriously sank in 1991. From then until now, it has been in the process of restoration. Eventually they will bring it to land as part of a maritime exhibition. The museums of Adelaide hire many volunteers, and the City of Adelaide clipper ship was no different. Howard, a charming elderly volunteer, was kind enough to explain the context of the ship to me. I also liked the fact that I got to see the ship the was it looks now because I've never seen a ship in its early restoration appearance. It's usually fully restored like Polly Woodside in Melbourne. I felt sad when Howard told me that I was probably going to be their only customer for the day, mainly because it was incredibly windy. However, he did say that the ship was popular and on days with better weather, they would have many guests visiting the ship. (I didn't really have much choice since I didn't have much time in Adelaide.) 

See that gorgeous clipper ship rudder.

How they treated illnesses on the ship. The hospital bed is donated by a hospital, but the costume the mannequin is wearing is an authentic 19th-century nurse clothing.

I'm your captain now!

Howard told me that they added Captain Jack Sparrow to entertain people. More significant than Jan Sparrow, this actual porthole is original!

1800s clothing.

Original windows.

Howard explaining things to me.

What the clipper ship looked like back in the day,

Of course I needed to have a photoshoot with the ship!

At the docks. In the future they will open a museum inside this shed. 

- The clipper ship was perhaps one of the most interesting things I've seen in Adelaide, but the only problem was that it was a bit far from downtown Port Adelaide. So much so that the other volunteer, Ian, offered to drop me off at my next destination as it was a long and windy walk to the city. Ian and Howard told me that they wanted to take care of me since I was their first (and probably only) customer that day.  

- Ian drove me to the South Australian Maritime Museum, which was the closest museum to the clipper ship. The museum is one of the three museums along Lipson Street. The maritime museum opened in 1986. It holds some of the earliest maritime artifacts in Australia!

Museum facade. The building the museum is in was built the 1800s.

An actual ship inside the museum!

Figureheads.

- Further down the road is the National Railway Museum. It opened in the 1960s, but its current incarnation opened in 1988. It is the largest museum of its kind in Australia. The museum is larger than I thought since it had more galleries behind the main gallery - which is big itself. The galleries were filled with actual trains!

Railway Museum.

The trains look amazing!

Trains at the back.

More trains at the second gallery!.

- Finally, I visited the South Australian Aviation Museum. The museum has its roots in 1988 but opened in 1990. Its current incarnation dates back to 2006. The aviation museum is exactly what its name is - a museum WITH actual airplanes. It reminded me of my visit to Hangar 79 in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii (see here). Its collection of planes range from war planes to commercial planes.

Aviation Museum.

Goodness gracious so many airplanes!!

See the dummy pilot inside?

Old control area.

I took a photo of this plane simply because it's orange. HAHA.

There was a part where they show you how the volunteers work on plan restorations.

Inside a military plane.

- After my visit to all four big museums of Port Adelaide, I rode the train from Port Adelaide to Adelaide Railway Station in the city. It was a cozy ride, and a good rest for my legs that spend most of the day walking around. 

Look there's a rainbow!

I looked closer and....apparently it was a double-rainbow!!

- Upon arrival at the city, I rode a southbound tram to South Terrace tram station and walked to Himeji Garden. This Japanese garden was named as such because Adelaide and Himeji became sister cities in 1982. In honor of this, the garden was made. Carefully chosen plants and rocks were placed in the garden to make it look authentically Japanese.

I mean. seriously....how can a small garden in the city be as beautiful as this!

Rub Buddha's belly. (Also, I love how my vintage coat resembles a Japanese coat. - Also why I decided to use for this particular day)

Zen garden.

Zen mode on. Do not disturb.

Not sure what flower this is but it sure is beautiful (chrysanthemum maybe?)

Saw this on the way back.

Mandatory photo op.

- I ended the night with a hearty dinner in Chinatown, since most of the restaurants there close a bit later than other places. So far, Adelaide has been a bit quiet for me, but the city is not short of interesting places to see and experience!