I won't necessarily say that this is a particularly popular beach, namely because it does tend to…read morebe rather quiet when I end up here. However, it was one of those beaches that my friends and I tended to gravitate to on those rather nice summer days that we seem to regularly get down in Adelaide. Well, one of the reasons is that the beach is rather quiet, but it is also quite close to the city as well, meaning that it is a short drive to actually end up here. Okay, there doesn't really seem to be much in the way of facilities round here, but as a beach, yeah, it isn't bad at all.

30/12/2011 It's the day before New Years Eve 2012, and I…read morejust had a long drunk night in the city clubs last night. So what other way to recover from a hangover than to go surfing at West Beach!! LOL Just as I was getting ready for another one of my favourite TV series marathon in the cosy lounge room, I heard my older brother telling to get my ass off the couch and into the car, 'cos the three of us were headed down to West Beach again (we've been here a dozen times before, it's that good!). Everytime we all go there, we love bringing back the old school art of 'Skim Boarding', with one board each. Yes, it's dangerous. But it's oh....sooo fun!! (I don't recommend you try it unless you are sure you know what you're doing, this review is promoting the beach!) I hope I start the New Year without nearly breaking my wrist, lower back or ankle though, so I always stretch up these parts before pretending to be Kelly Slater. I'm always in the zone when I come to this beach. Back to the beach: This beach is normally empty with lots of space, but when there are lots of people, they are quiet, and considerate when they walk past us - which is saying a lot considering that we were too busy being real aggressive with our boards towards the waves. A few do stop and say hello, and start a conversation, appreciating how we were having a good time. The best part? This beach is so fun that several hours are lost being here and you'll head home hungry from all the calories you burnt. I especially love the clean water here, and the occasional hot chicks in bikinis that walk past! *wink* On New Years Eve 2011-2012 tonight, I am exceptionally thankful for my older brothers and cousins for the time we've spent here in West Beach and all the awesome times we had together here! Cheers! To end, here's a summary of this beloved beach... Speechless. West Beach, everytime I leave, I miss you too much or you make me not say anything at all. Heart-pounding, dangerous, breathtaking, pleasurable, bliss, sexy! It's the range of activities that anyone can do here that makes it 5 stars. Apologies for this long review, this beach is really that good. Lucky this didn't turn from a beach to a hospital review.

I was a little dubious of this place when I saw on the gate a massive sign saying the entire place…read morewas under video surveillance. It's never a good sign for a playground, but I have to say I was quite surprised. This isn't a big area so the council has been able to fit a lot into a small package. The playground is pretty decent. It's probably targeting slightly older children than toddlers and the like. There's some hangy things and climby things and ropey things (I'm SUCH an expert lol) but they are also the type of things that younger children could find different uses for. It may even encourage them to give new things a try. There are of course public tennis courts here, and a BBQ and table/chair area under the shade of the toilet block (I know. Doesn't sound too attractive does it?) but I was quite impressed with how it all worked together. You may want to take some extra hand wipes or sanitiser :-) *Dogs allowed* *Toilet block* *BBQ* *Table/chair* *Tennis courts*

Very high quality and well maintained. Fully fenced so you can bring your dog, 2 BBQs with park…read morebenches. Slide is slippery. Well maintained toilet, cleaned regularly.

This area runs along the Sturt River and is fenced close to the bank. As you can see from the…read morephotos it's an older style playground with not a great deal of excitement factor, or colour for that matter. I'd prefer to give this a two and a half star rating but I can't do halvsies :-( There isn't any shelter or shade or drinking fountain or toilets *taking a breath* but seeing as there's a few pieces of equipment that a few age groups could use, everyone should be entertained for at least 10 mins. Maybe this is a good spot to stop if you're bike riding around the area.

I would say that this is the quieter reserve, but then again I probably could also describe it as…read morethe larger one as well. Yet, I'm not entirely convinced that one could consider it a foreshore reserve, especially since there are now a number of apartments located between it and the beach. Yet, it does have some facilities, including restrooms, and it is also next to the marina as well. It is a shame however that they removed the replica ship.

Wigley Reserve at Glenelg must suffer from the most mis-pronounced name of any park or reserve in…read moreAdelaide. I don't know why but many people insist on calling it Wrigley Reserve. There's actually nothing wriggly about it! It was named after H.R. Wigley who was the Resident Magistrate of Adelaide and a resident of Glenelg back in the 1840's. Mis-pronunciations aside, visit Wigley Reserve any morning around 6 in the morning and you'll find the place a hive of activity. It's a favoured venue for 'bootcamp' training aka people who like to be flogged by a trainer early in the mornings. There's a collection of exercise equipment there that gets plenty of use at other times of the day as well. Located at the end of Anzac Highway and on the corner of Adelphi Terrace, the reserve is on the shore of the Patawalonga right near the river's mouth. The Pat as its known by locals can get a bit stinky at times but this doesn't seem to deter the hive of activity that takes place on the reserve. Over the years its been the venue for events like the start of the Walk to Cure Diabetes, Lance Armstrong's Twitter Ride, and a gathering place for car enthusiasts to name but a few. It is after all a big space and is open for hire to all sorts of people for all sorts of community events.

My partner and I just had our first training session with Ben, owner and trainer at the new B2R…read moreStrength and Conditioning. I can't decide whether I need to pass out or throw up, so you know our workout was good... As soon as we met up with Ben tonight, started to feel less nervous about the session. He is friendly and encouraging; even though he put us through our paces and pushed us hard on our workout, I still felt comfortable enough to ask questions when I needed it and admit when I was struggling. Ben sets up the sessions outside in a park, which is a nice change up from the normal gym scene; if you feel like you're going to die, you might as well do it in the great outdoors. His prices are reasonable, especially if you want to train in pairs or small groups, and the payment options keep things easy (cash, direct debit, or EFT). I also appreciated how he took the time to get to know our exercise history and narrow down some of our important goals. If you need to whip your butt into shape or want to increase your strength or speed, I'd suggest getting in touch with B2R...if you dare.

This is just paradise in the middle of the CBD. It's weird…read morewhen you walk past this little garden, you don't really get a true picture of what hides inside. Most of Adelaide just walks past. This garden is not big. But it is just so beautiful and peaceful. The way it is designed really blocks out the sound of the city as well. So, when you do enter it is really like a little secret garden. Japanese gardening is so precise. It's so fascinating. When you look at the trees, shrubs and even the garden pathway, everything is so neat and well planned. There is a pond in the middle with lilies and fish. When we last visited there were also a little group of ducks nestled on a rock near the pond. So cute! Up the back of the garden you will find a seated area with a Zen Garden. This is made from a sort of sand and rock formation. My understanding is that this is raked and shaped every day. A sort of mediation. It would be a lovely way to start your day. If you live in Adelaide, do visit and appreciate all the work that is put into this garden.

A brilliant (and free) garden near the city centre. It's not nearly as expansive as the Chinese…read moreGarden of Friendship in Sydney, but it's peaceful and can be found almost empty on weekday afternoons. If you sit around for a bit, you may even see a Koi or two in the pond, although they can be tough to spot with all those lily pads!

As someone who has been with them for roughly 15 years, stay away!…read moreA vile company that will manipulate you and have hidden fees and find ways to take more of your money than you ever thought.

If you're thinking about signing up to Goodlife Health Clubs Australia don't…read more Currently trying to contact their regional manager that I had to go out my way to find her details. My partner and I signed up around may-June. With nothing but hassle. The person that signed us up, named Riley (who has since been fired for fraud) told us nothing about signing up to a lock in contract. We only were told once the late payments happened. I went in to settle the account and also gave this Riley boy my details over the counter to then still get charged late fees and my details had gone into thin air. After expressing my frustration they told us there isn't much they can do, the fee is around $300 to get out of the contract and we can freeze our accounts but it's a $5 fee each week for both of us. Mind you we have then got an email saying that from 8/7/25-1/09 we won't be charged anything and payments start again on the 4/09/25. Keep in mind we've been over charged for late fees that wouldn't of been charged if my bank details were taken and done nothing with them, also in the "free of charge period" I was charged $60 in different transactions. I've gone in today with no help. I'm getting asked to repeat parts of the story that don't matter like that I told them I never really wanted to join but got roped in by this Riley person. Irrelevant to the whole situation? I've also somehow since the payments starting again on the 4th of september weve been charged $151.43 which im not sure how any of this adds up. What would you do, I have tried to get in contact with the regional manager whom i had to seek out her details if correct as they refuse to give me the details to pass on the matter.

This was my regular haunt for quite a while, particularly as they were open till six most nights,…read moreso there was scope to drop in and pick up fish on the way home from work. Prices are good, stock range in both live fish & aquaria and accessories is brilliant, and the owners are real fish people, so they're picky about getting and keeping good livestock. There's an excellent range of tanks, from small all in one systems to examples of more extensive tank systems available in custom built sizes. I believe the pricing is demonstrative of a direct overseas source for both accessories and tanks, Pure would have to be one of the more economical aquarium stores I used to visit. It's been a while since I've visited, but back in the day they had a great range of cichlids, plenty of tropicals & goldies, and no marines at all. They did get a good range of exotics when available, too. Plants were a solid mix of longer lasting aquatic stock, and a few of the more common varieties too - lots of driftwood but not much rock.

This is one of the largest aquarium stores in my area near Unley and has a fantastic selection at…read morereally good prices. The service is very helpful and they will indulge you child choosing a specific fish in a tank of dozens. "That one! No, THAT ONE!!" They stock everything you need to set up your own system at home, be it a starter set or a large system with specialist fish. They are on the eastern side of Unley Road north of Target.

Jimmy Melrose Park refers to a narrow strip of grassed foreshore that stretches from Moseley Square…read moreto Pier Street. The grass is beautifully kept, glossy green, even in the height of summer when other parks go an insipid yellow. It is a nice place to sit or have a picnic as it is a little bit away from Glenelg central and it is beautifully lined by mature Norfolk Pine trees which offer shade when the sun is at certain angles. The only downside of an outside meal or get together here is that most of Glenelg is a dry zone so alcohol is banned. The park itself, is named after a young Australian pioneer aviator who died at a young age. The houses that line the park to the East are an interesting mix of old and new. There are some magnificent beachside mansions, some that have been rennovated and others that have been turned into tawdry seaside apartments. An interesting sight for children and some adults even, is the large shark head outside Seawall apartments that visitors like to use as a photo opportunity. The whole area has been decorated (not all that tastefully) with sea themed knick knacks and objects such as nets and boats, the upside is that the kids love it.

Titles adhere to a fickle system, one which adheres to a fickle language. I wouldn't call this…read morestrip a 'park'. I'd called it Jimmy Melrose Stretch, maybe. Or The Melrose Narrow. But I'm not in the business of naming things, I'm in the business of reviewing things. And what have I got to say about this so called, 'park'? I brought a little one with me. Not mine - I don't have any. He's my godfather's. And, honestly, I didn't even know he could walk all that well when I brought him. I thought he'd sit idly beside me, eating some grass, whilst I sat down with my Moleskine and got on my reviewer hat. Well, as it turns out, little Gian can walk. Not only can he walk, but he can run. Almost faster than me. Sometimes, as I chased after him down this infernal length of grass, my gut told me the only way I'd catch him is if I leaped on top of him. But, the child not belonging me, I had to keep reminding me how very inappropriate a spear-tackle might be. Then I had to remind myself that even if the kid WAS mine, such a maneuver would be no less... faux pas. So, my lesson? The less grass in a park, the better. A kid often sees the grass as his boundary, and when the grass stretches on forever, be prepared to get your exercise hat on.