5 things to do in Adelaide in a day

People often ask what they can do in a short visit, and here's what Leona Devaz came up with.....

Delectaballs (Meat Balls) - food truck

Adelaide food truck Delectaballs. Photo by Andre Castell Source: Supplied

These meaty masterminds dish up grub from the back of a truck called Mr Darcy.

AGES 31 (David Porcaro), 28 (Christina Adamczyk)
ORIGIN Born in Adelaide, both Christina and David have Italian heritages - and influential nonnas. "We're from different sides of Italy, so there's always lots of [food] discussion happening!" laughs David. "During my childhood, I'd have meatballs at my nonna's house for Sunday lunch. I remember running around the backyard with a meatball sandwich and all the sauce running down my arm … I thought, why not still do that?"
HAVING A BALL After years of working in hospitality around the world, the pair took the plunge in February and turned their meatball-making dream into reality.
AUSTEN POWERED A van was purchased on Gumtree and lovingly transformed from removalist van into Mr Darcy the food truck by David and his father. "Yes, the name is inspired by Pride and Prejudice," David says. "He's handsome - you can't deny it."
JUICY MORSELS Christina takes nostalgic joy in preparing an ever-evolving selection of meatballs made with produce from butcher Richard Gunner and Adelaide Central Markets. "I just love food … you don't need to be a chef - you just need to produce something that you love and that you want other people to love."
THE WAY WE ROLL "It's not just meatballs," says David. "We do vegetarian and sweet ones as well - we're working on little Nutella balls." It's a meaty recipe for success.
For Delectaballs truck locations, see facebook.com/delectaballsfoodtruck

Source: Adelaide Now, 13th January 2014

Tandanya - National Aboriginal Cultural Institute

Tandanya is a visionary and vibrant place for all to explore and experience contemporary and traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural expression, through the performing and visual arts.
As a visitor to Tandanya, you can meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, walk through diverse and exciting exhibitions in our art galleries, watch our cultural presentation and yidaki (didgeridoo) or dance performance (Tuesday – Sunday at 12 noon) and browse in the colourful award winning shop. On Thursdays at 11am learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history on the free guided cultural tour.
The Tandanya shop sells and exhibits a comprehensive range of authentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, craft, books, clothing, fabric, music and yidakis (didgeridoo). 
Established in 1989 in Adelaide, South Australia, Tandanya is Australia’s oldest Aboriginal-owned and managed multi arts centre. The word Tandanya comes from the language of the original inhabitants of the Adelaide plains, the Kaurna people (pronounced Garna), and means "place of the Red Kangaroo".
Tandanya continues to have a national and international reputation for innovation and excellence in visual art exhibitions featuring emerging and acclaimed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from throughout the country.
Tandanya is open 10am to 5pm daily (closed on Good Friday, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. 
Entry into the Gallery spaces is FREE, charges do apply to experience the 12noon cultural performance and presentation.
(source: http://www.tandanya.com.au)

Location: 253 Grenfell Street, Adelaide
Tandanya is easily accessible from any part of the city via the Free Cityloop 99C Bus. Tandanya is conveniently located at stop 12. Also easy to walk to if you are already in the CBD.

Try some of these for food.....

If you're visiting Adelaide, check out some alternatives to the 'usual' cafes and chain cafes/restaurants.

Central Market’s two food courts for amazing, cheap Asian food;
Yum Cha on Gouger Street at Ding Hao or Star House;
Press and Melt on Waymouth;
Parwana for Afghan on Henley Beach Road;
Bliss Organic for vegan. 

Morialta Conservation Park - hiking

Morialta Conservation Park at the base of the Adelaide Hills is just 20 minutes drive from the centre of Adelaide. It is well known for its impressive seasonal waterfalls, deep gorges and lush, wooded hillsides.

A popular place for rock climbers, abseilers and bushwalkers of all abilities, Morialta includes trails suitable for prams as well as more challenging climbs that offer breathtaking views across the hills to the city.

Try the First Falls Plateau Hike, Second Falls Gorge Hike or the Three Falls Grand Hike that take you up steep hills, rewarding you with views of tumbling waterfalls and scenic valleys. Those after a more leisurely experience can stroll along Fourth Creek to the First Falls, where water seasonally plunges down a 30 metre high rockface.

Barbecues and toilets are provided in the Stradbroke Road picnic ground. Please note an entry fee per vehicle applies.

Source: http://www.southaustralia.com/info.aspx?id=9000408

Trip Advisor reviews here.

'Set in very rugged hill country, Montacute Conservation Park's 200 hectares of remnant bushland is separated by several small creeks, and is home to an abundant array of birdlife. Vegetation in the park varies greatly from the lower to higher slopes. The creek line is dominated by river red gums with a low understorey of grasses and exotic plants. The higher slopes support stringybarks and blue gums. Two challenging walking trails wind their way through the park's native vegetation to the higher slopes and offer excellent views of the surrounding area. Along the walking trails you may discover outcrops of Precambrian dolomite rocks more than 570 million years old, or on the eastern side of the park, an outcrop of Stonyfell quartzite'.

Montacute Conservation Park is located 17km north east of Adelaide. Access is via Valley Road. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Wood fires, solid fuel fires and gas fires are prohibited throughout the year.

Contact: (+61 8) 8336 0901

Source: http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/Find_a_Park/Browse_by_region/Adelaide_Hills/Montacute_Conservation_Park


 

Lonely Planet top things to do in Adelaide

Adelaide is included in Lonely Planet’s Top Ten Cities to visit in 2014.
Here's their list of top things to do in Adelaide (erring on the side of the 'usual' tourist attractions)
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/south-australia/adelaide/things-to-do/top-things-to-do-in-adelaide

Explore the city by bike

If you don’t have a bike of your own, Adelaide City Council provides bikes for free. There are lots of bike trails, and Linear Park (along the banks of the Torrens) offers an easy, ride to the beach without any traffic hassles.

Minestra - cafe on Churchill Road (Prospect) - using locally sourced ingredients

Source: http://www.weekendnotes.com/minestra-italian-restaurant/

Ricotta Balls

"Local, homegrown food cooked Calabresi style - for vegans, vegos and omnivores" is their philosophy. Their ingredients are sourced from their 'neighbours', locally grown in their backyards, which means the menu is constantly changing depending on what ingredients they have available. (If you are interested in growing for them, or have an oversupply of veggies, herbs, etc, get in touch with Minestra). They often post the menu on their Facebook page; even if today's menu isn't up, you'll get an idea of the delightful items they offer.

However the Polpette is a constant on the menu. Polpette is Italian "rissoles" which they do vego, vegan or meat and serve with salad or minestra (an Italian soup).

Vegan Lasagne

Vegan Apricot Milkshake (can also be made with organic milk)

They also do really good coffee and their desserts are heavenly!
The service matches the food - brilliant. The staff are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, they are happy to do what they can to assist with any allergies or intolerances.

Vegan choc shake with crumble top. Vegan coconut caramel rumble bars.

*All images appear courtesy of Minestra Italian Restaurant

Willunga quarry market

Source: http://www.weekendnotes.com/willunga-quarry-market/

The Willunga Farmers' Market is held every Saturday from 8 am until 12.30 pm in the Willunga Town Square, but on the second Saturday of every month from 9 am until 1 pm there are two other markets to add to the mix.

One is the Willunga Artisans Market in the Old Show Hall, which showcases the creations of local artists and craftspeople. The other is the Willunga Quarry Market held at the Willunga Recreation Park, which is near the Willunga Rose Garden and can be reached from Main Road or Aldinga Road.

The Willunga Quarry Market was established in 1986 and claims to be "the Fleurieu Peninsula's premier country market". Entry to the market is free and there are various products on offer with just the right amount of stalls to keep anyone amused for an hour or so, but not enough to be bamboozled.

There are lots of local crafts, mouth-watering morsels, colourful clothes, antique homeware, vintage jewellery, second-hand books, native plants, and so much more to be discovered.

Wandering through the market and hunting for treasure is a leisurely way to spend a Saturday morning. There are eye-catching display of succulents potted in all sorts of everyday objects like teapots and whatnot.

The aromatic soy candles at Wicked Willy's Wicks are hard to ignore and Beach Organics is the place to go to pick up some organic herbs and spices. If it's organic wholefoods you're after, the Singing Cricket Food Co-op just up the road is worth checking out as well.

If you'd rather sit down at a cafe for a meal or relax with a coffee and cake, take your appetite to the Green Room on High Street, it specialises in organic vegetarian fare and is just a short stroll away.

There is a traditional blacksmith working on original hand-forged wrought iron pieces as a very special gift for an upcoming wedding.

The Willunga Quarry Market is a great place to pick up some interesting gifts for loved ones or a little something for yourself. The Willunga Quarry Market website has all the details.

Chocolate Walking Tours - Saturdays at 10am

Chocolate Walking Tour on Saturdays - Adelaide City  

Book online here. Limited places.

Photos by Joanne T Ferguson - whatsonthelist.net

Enjoy an indulgent, educational, and delicious chocolate walking tour of the Adelaide CBD for just $35.

The 2.5 hour tour starts and finishes in Rundle Park, from 10am on Saturday. The tour visits 6 different venues with a chocolate soup break half way through.

All chocolate tastings and the chocolate soup break are included in the price along with discounts at a number of the venues if you decide that you need to take some home with you for further research.

Apart from tasting all kinds of high quality chocolate, and meeting lots of interesting people, you will learn:

The deep, dark, mysterious, and interesting history of chocolate.

How chocolate is crafted. From the cacao tree to the cocoa bean, through the hands of the chocolate maker and chocolatier.

How to tell good chocolate from bad using sight, smell, feel, and the ingredients list.

How to taste and appreciate chocolate. From the first smell, through the first bite, the taste as it melts in the mouth, and the final notes.

Lots of other practical tips such as how to store chocolate, how long you can store it, how to tell when it's past best and much more.

Tours take place on Saturday morning from 10am until around 12.30pm.

Your host is Romina Mandica, an experienced tour guide and chocolate aficionado.
 
You will need to have comfortable walking shoes, and an umbrella if rain looks likely.

There is quite a lot of walking on the tour so participants need to be mobile and at least 10 years of age.

Pop up food trucks in Adelaide

Adelaide has a really strong 'food truck' culture, encouraged by the Adelaide City Council – on any weekday you will usually find one or more parked in the CBD squares (check social media for daily locations).

Here's a few suggestions:
The Fork in the Road events held regularly in parks around town.

Sneaky Pickle, Low & Slow, Archie the Pastizzi Bus and Delectaballs.

Hindmarsh Square food truck

Burger Theory food truck

Burgers from Burger Theory food truck include:

Burger No. 1 is served on a Breadtop bun; the buns have that sweetness to them that shouldn't work, but totally does. There's the Coorong Angus Beef patty, cooked medium, iceberg lettuce, tomato, American cheese, and the tasty truck sauce. On paper it sounds like a regular burger, but there's something about the combination of flavours that really goes off in your mouth. It's the safe option, but thankfully it's not any less tasty than Burger No. 2.

Burger No. 2: same meat, same bun. On top of this you've got crispy pancetta, onion confit, and Adelaide Blue cheese sauce. This is the fancy burger, and it'll set you back an extra $2. You're really torn between savouring the flavours and demolishing the burger in three swift bites. When you're given these two choices it's quite tempting to have a showdown, order both and see which one wins. Unfortunately even after you've eaten your fill of both burgers, there's still no clear winner.

Follow Burger Theory on Facebook and Twitter 

Chimichurri Grill in Victoria Square (old photo - Vic Square has been redesigned)

The Chimichurri Grill has  fantastic Chimi steak and Chimi chorizo.


La Cantina Co have spicy tacos and quesadillas



Manu from Veggie Velo offers a healthy vegetarian alternative.

"I went into the city specially to get one of these burgers and after a little bit of a wait it didn't disappoint. It was huge, healthy and most importantly delicious. I got the organic quinoa and amaranth option. It came served in a wholemeal bun with mixed salad, grated carrot and beetroot, alfalfa. It was vegan but did contain sesame seeds, onion and gluten. If you want to know exactly what's in that patty: Organic Quinoa and Organic Amaranth, celery, onion, roots veg, capsicum zucchini, cumin and coriander powder and a touch of chili and Gram flour, so the patty itself is gluten free, and he's trying out different gluten free rolls too. All burgers and salads are served with onion jam (vegan GF) avocado salsa (vegan GF) and sweet chilli Mayo (vegan, GF). All this info and more is available on the Facebook page"

a self-guided tour of Adelaide's street art

The walking tour is an easy stroll through Adelaide’s hidden laneways and is a lovely way to discover the CBD. Anike Johnstone wrote about it here. Checkout the Adelaide Street Art Facebook page for new pieces as they go up.





 

Peel and Leigh Streets

Great food and small bars – what more could you want? Peel St offers a relaxed vibe and amazing, reasonably priced food. Other restaurants nearby include Rigoni’s, Bollywood Indian, Cos and the Corner Bistrot. Start at one of these and then head to one of a number of bars including Clever Little Tailor, Udaberri, the new Bar Bushka or old favourite Casablabla. Definitely worth lingering in this lovely area of the city.