Bonython Hall is a gothic revival style building situated on the North Terrace in the Cty of…read moreAdelaide. The building was constructed in the late 1800's to serve as the "Great Hall" of the University of Adelaide. Both the architecture and function of the hall were modeled on the Tudor Gothic style Great Halls of Oxford and Cambridge. The Hall is these days largely reserved for ceremonial purposes such as graduations and the like, and is of some attraction to newcomers to the city. In reality, however, Bonython Hall is a bit of a farce. Miniature in comparison with "Great Halls" upon which it is modeled, the the purpose of its construction was so as to prevent the running of highway through the centre of the university. Its architectural stylings were chosen out of its time to provide a false historicity to the university and in the opinion of many experts, the concrete monstosity that is the napier building is of greater architectural significace as an example of contemporary 1950's architecture. Not only this, but the entire exterior of the building is a facade in the gothic style, laid upon a structure buit with materials contemporary to the time of its construction, namely brick and concrete. Despite this I still think its a pretty building. We don't have much else like it around town and tickets to Europe are quite expensive. So enjoy what you've got I say.

Yes, you will have a "you're a wizard, Harry" moment in here. Spectacularly old world in its…read morearchitectural stylings, Bonython Hall is a one-off in Adelaide and a simply lovely place to visit. I worked at the Uni a few years back and as part of this I attended graduations and reunions held in the big ol' Hall on North Terrace. They were pretty magical. The huge pipe organ playing, the deafening sound of hundreds of feet, the proud parents and giddy be-gowned grads. The reunions were especially heart warming, with oldies who had studied at the University of Adelaide 50 years back re-visiting the Hall and re-enacting their graduation ceremony in the very place it was first held. This sense of continuous history is a great thing for a University and its students...and a far cry from the off-campus graduation ceremony I had at the Festival Theatre after finishing my degrees at UniSA (not that I'm bagging out my alma mater). There is a bit of a lean to the floor and it can get quite slippery: my advice to grads, maybe opt for the sensible flats and keep the heels for later! Yep I'm nothing if not practical, peeps.

It has been ages since I've actually been into the church, despite actually living in Adelaide…read more Actually, I really do appreciate how some of these churches leave the doors open to allow people to wander in and walk around, and this church is certainly no exception (though there is some volunteer sitting there ready to help people out, and to answer any questions). I wouldn't necessarily say that it is impressive, not compared to some churches that I've visited, but for a cathedral in Australia, it still isn't all that bad.

On my first visit to Adelaide I had the pleasure of attending this beautiful,architecturally…read moredesigned 150 year old Cathedral, to witness a wedding. This most holy and serene place is certainly a wonderful setting for two people to start their married lives together.

Located at the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue…read more In 1931 The National War Memorial was dedicated to those who served in the First World War. The monument has two sides. They represent The Call to Duty and the epilogue of war, The Spirit of Compassion. Each side features a relief carved from Angaston marble, with granite steps leading up to the monument. Even though the memorial originally honored those who served in "The Great War", the site has since grown to incorporate a number of smaller memorials. Battle of Lone Pine, an honor roll of those who died in World War II, the Malayan Emergency of 1948-1960, the Korean War, the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in Borneo, and the Vietnam War. The additional memorials are along Kintore Avenue at the edge of Prince Henry Gardens.

On the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue in the city sits the National War Memorial…read morecommemorating those South Australians who gave their lives in World War I between 1914 and 1918. Back when the memorial was first suggested (in 1919) the government took a half an acre of land from Government House for the memorial to be placed and ran a competition to find the most suitable design. The winning design was finally unveiled it 1931 so it took a few years to get things together. Apparently a fire destroyed the first lot of entries in the competition so they had to start again. There are two sides to the monument depicting the prologue and epilogue of war. If you do visit, be sure to go inside where you'll find a list of names inscribed on plaques of those who gave their lives during the war to end all wars. It's quite a chilling experience and I defy you not to get a shiver up your spine. Ever increasing crowds gather at the memorial for commemorative services every year on Anzac and Remembrance Days and flowers are laid in memory of the fallen. You can however visit on any day and I suggest you stand at the base of the monument and spend a moment to take in its significance.

The Lion Gate is the entry way to China Town and consists of Paifang, or Chinese style gate guarded…read moreby two Shishi lions. The lions appear to have come from a standard mould and are by no means unique. They resemble somewhat the Guardian Lions at the National Palace Museum in Taipei although lacking in the ferocity department. The Paifang is intricate bright and inviting. I really like the Lion Gate, it serves as a great meeting place and colourful entry to the China Town strip.

Definitely not a major tourist attraction, the tram barn is worth a look though I've you're ever on…read moreMagill Road. It's a shame that you can't go in but basically just have to look at it from the street. It's one of Adelaide's two old tram barns that still exist and was build in 1882. The fences aren't very high at all so you can see the little houses that they build inside at a later stage. The exterior is, apparently, unchanged though and looks rather cute.

Okay, in one way this footbridge is rather handy. However, in another way it sort of kills the…read moreatmosphere of the lake with the fact that there is this huge bridge that discects it. Before it ended up here, the lake was quite open and pleasant, but now, with the bridge through the middle, it really isn't as much. Still, it does make getting to the oval much easier, and quicker as well.

After seeing this on the news a few years ago and figuring it should be done by now, I decided to…read moretry the new bridge to get from the city to North Adelaide. It looked pretty enough in the photos, although you could tell it was a computer rendering, since the Torrens was blue. When I arrived I discovered it wasn't finished yet, which wasn't really a surprise, given it was a State Government project. Complicating matters, I was returning from the Central Markets with a fox, a chicken and a bag of grain. Still needing to cross the river I quickly fashioned a raft out of some spare construction materials, but the raft was only big enough for myself and one other thing. This was a problem, if left alone, the fox would eat the chicken, and the chicken would eat the grain. I started by loading the chicken onto the raft and making the crossing. I dropped the chicken off and returned to the south bank. After this I made the crossing with the grain, leaving the fox alone. I then returned to the south bank with the chicken, leaving the grain on the north bank. I then dropped the chicken off and moved the fox to the north bank. After this, all I had to do was go back and collect the chicken and continue on my way. There are five other pedestrian accessible bridges within a mile, none of which require walking through the desolate Festival Centre Plaza. Once complete this one will provide a slightly shorter way to the Casino, but thanks to that nice Mr Waterhouse, I can gamble from my phone whilst at the Adelaide Oval anyway. So for now, this will remain a bit of a (almost) bridge to nowhere, oddly curved despite people's general desire to walk along the shortest route between two points.

Are you interested in learning about South Australian history? Do you just like boats? If you like…read moreone of the above mentioned, you will like the tour of The Clipper. What an amazing ship! It took a long time, a lot of dedicated people and a whole lot of money to get her back to Australia from Scotland. So, it's worth going to have a look. The ship was used to take the first colonist from England to South Australia. It could fit up to 300 people onboard and was one of the fastest ships to get you here. It was like a jet of ships. I wont tell you anymore of the history side of things, you can learn more about it when you go on the tour. It is a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. Good headroom inside of the cabin areas as well. Especially in comparison to other ships I have been on. So, I think that passengers had it pretty good on this ship. What is truly amazing is looking at the construction of the ship. All the materials, design and hard work to make it such a solid structure. No wonder it lasted so long. Take note of what the tour guide tells you when s/he explains the materials and processes. What I really do want to say about The Clipper is that you have to admire the hard work of all of the volunteers in looking after this girl and restoring her. It is so important for us to learn about how Australia came to be what it is today. And this is just one part. It is truly a piece of history that I hope continues to survive for generations to admire and day dream about. What was it like travelling on this vessel to a new unknown land? One thing is for sure, the people that travelled on this boat were really brave!

I'm ashamed to say that I had never heard of Mary Lee until I saw her statue on North Terrace -…read morewell at least it's a statue of her head! Along with a collection of other 'heads', Mary's 'head' (technically it's a bust) sits proudly atop a granite pillar just up from the much larger statue of Dame Roma Mitchell. Sculpted by Pat Moseley, this piece celebrates the life of a woman who was a champion of women's rights during a time when women had very few rights. Interestingly, Mary Lee didn't come to Adelaide until 1879 when she was already in her late 50's. She originally came here to nurse her son who was ill but after his death, Mary and her daughter couldn't afford to sail back to Ireland and ended up staying. Mary dedicated the last 30 years of her life to improving the social and political rights for women in this state. She was instrumental in fighting and winning the vote for women in SA and was an outspoken objector to Australia's involvement in the Boer War. In 1883 she joined the Social Purity Society and helped work towards the raising of the age of consent from 13 to 16 - I cannot believe the age of consent was ever 13!!!. In 1888 she established the Women's Suffrage League of South Australia and remained Secretary until women won the right to vote in December 1894. Also in the late 1880's Mary Lee established a Trade Union movement for women and in 1896 was the first and only female visitor to the Lunatic Asylums. In short Mary Lee lived an amazing life that was dedicated to the betterment of the lives of others. This statue has become one of my new favourites. I love the stories behind it as well as the detail in the actual sculpture. I think the bonnet is quite amazing. Its funny to think that a woman who occupied herself with such important tasks in life still had to conform to society's expectations of dress.

The quite achiever! I think the mudbutt incident of '09 when the Torrens Lake drained was a cry…read morefor attention from the Weir! Like, "hey look at the good work I do! Half of the people in this town don't even know it's a lake..!" The Weir marks a point where the River Torrens starts to let its hair down a bit. Down stream the banks are a little unkempt, a little wilder and perhaps a little more fun. Surrounded by shady trails, the Weir is a nice starting point for a break from the city or suburbia. It's also a good pedestrian link, with a shiny new timber surface, between the north and south banks. The signage "No Bathing" seems unnecessary. And the original plaque reads 'these gates were opened 1929' acchumm, opened..? Granted the state gov is capable of building an 'open' weir... But, they mean shut! Keep it shut! Those shopping carts are below a couple of meters of water for a reason! Lets keep them there.