Waking up with the Birds in Adelaide Australia

Adelaide is a beautiful city which still has a “large country town”, friendly atmosphere we really enjoy. It appeals to us as it does not have the sometimes  "frantic” pace of the larger state capitals and still has much to offer. The week we were there was the week of the world-renowned 2013 Down Under Cycle Tour so we planned our touring and sight-seeing around this week-long event to avoid the thousands of bicyclists and spectators alike! 

One of the many joys of a return visit to Australia was to be woken up in the early hours of the morning usually at first light (and the coolest part of the day) and listen to the great variety of birds welcoming the new day. But it is the warbling call of the magpie which stays in my memory. The song of the magpie – not really melodious but distinctive - a clear, resonating tone or “warble” is unique perhaps even more so than the well-known call (laugh) of the Australian Kookaburra.

In the area where we were staying in Adelaide, the homes and local parks were heavily treed so we were surrounded with mature gums, bottle brush and other Australian native trees which always seemed to be filled with an incredible variety of birds. On our walks there were always galahs, magpies, doves, and a variety of raucous parrots all making a lot of "noise". An additional attraction for the birds to this part of the city appeared to be the multitude of fruit trees with ripening plums, peaches and other fruits in the home gardens.

In the back yard of the home where we staying was a beautiful red flowering Western Australia gum and the multicoloured Rainbow Lorikeets spent their day feeding on the glorious coloured flowers and “fighting” with the Noisy Miner birds, wattle birds and honey eaters for the flower nectar and many insects around the tree. Years ago these birds were common further north but in recent years have migrated south in large numbers to this area of South Australia and have displaced other native birds due to their aggressive nature.

One of our first excursions in Adelaide was to spend a happy day at the Central Market Downtown ~ shopping and lunching with family. As soon as we parked in the under cover car park out of the hot sun, and entered the market we were impressed with the large number of bright, clean and spacious stalls. The Central Market sells a range of food products unlike the Victoria Market (Melbourne) where vendors sell everything from souvenirs to clothes.

The vendors had a great choice of food (as advertised 250 stalls) and layout was conducive to our spending a lot of time there and the sellers were very helpful and friendly. We could see there were many office workers who obviously come here for lunch and we recommend this market as a “must” visit as well a good place for lunch or a snack or just to get together.

A new discovery at the market was the most incredibly delicious tasting Passionfruit Yoghurt ~ ever.  It was a shame it cannot be "bottled" to bring home. So there you have it  ~ we thoroughly enjoyed our day “at the market” with the surrounding chatter, a lively discussion or two and meeting family for lunch. We visited Adelaide many years ago and on this visit were happy we found it is still a vibrant, inviting city great for inhabitants and tourists alike and not "just for the birds".

Notes:

• Adelaide has been around for a long time  - and other facts
• Adelaide is on the same latitude as Sydney, NSW and the city generally has a mild termperate climate
• Besides the wine growing areas there are many sites nearby to visit such as Hahndorf , in the Adelaide Hills ~ another great day trip
• Beautiful Victor Harbour is a sunny seaside town and only an hours drive south of Adelaide
• Adelaide is the starting point of a few legendary train trips in Oz :  The Gahn to the "Red Centre" via Alice Springs and Darwin, NT, and The Indian Pacific  "across the Nullarbor" to Western Australia.

Links and References:

• Australian Magpie (the bird not the Australian Rules Football League team)
• Rainbow Lorikeets
• Grey or Rose Breasted Galahs
• Noisy Miner birds
• Western Australia red flowering gum (grafted dwarf)
• Bottle Brush Bush