Adelaide, South Australia and Melbourne, Victoria are separated by over seven hundred kilometres of interesting wildlife and beautiful terrain. Adelaide to Melbourne backpacker tours allow you to experience all that the two wonderful cities have to offer and also everything in between. Adelaide is an exciting city full of rich history and wonderful attractions. From sports to nature, the city has something to offer everyone.
History of Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in the country. The city is named for Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, the queen consort of King William IV. Founded in 1836, the city was planned as a colony of free immigrants, unlike other cities which were populated by convicts.
For the first hundred years or so of Adelaide’s history, the city was plagued by incompetent leaders and an uncertain economy. The economy never quite took off after the city’s founding. The economy boomed in the post-World War II era that saw manufacturing jobs rise to even higher demand levels.
Today the economy of the city is quite robust. After a stagnant 1990s and early 2000s, Adelaide has rebounded with an influx of manufacturing and technology jobs.
Geography of Adelaide
Adelaide is largely bushland with some instances of swamps and marshlands near the coast. Early urban development largely destroyed the coastal sandhills, but recently, the Adelaide government has attempted to restore the sandhills.
The Cleland Conservation Park and Belair National Park are two of the places one can go to see the original flora of the region. Urbanization has erased the original plant life from much of the region. If you are visiting Adelaide, seeing a piece of the Adelaide that was would be a wonderful stop.
On average, the city is fifty metres (one hundred and sixty feet) above sea level. The tallest point, Mount Lofty, is seven hundred and twenty-seven metres (two thousand three hundred and eighty-five feet) above sea level.
Climate of Adelaide
Adelaide has a climate typical of the Mediterranean basin, called a Mediterranean climate which is a particular kind of subtropical climate. The summers are hot and dry while the winters tend to be fairly mild.
Rain does not fall very much during the summer months, but the winter rainfall is fairly reliable. In fact, it rains enough during the winter that the city avoids being classified as semi-arid.
Sports in Adelaide
Much like the rest of the country, the most popular sports in the city are Australian Rules football, association football, cricket, and netball.
The Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Football Club are both Australian Football League teams playing in the city.
The South Australian National Football League operates in and around the city, consisting of ten local teams. The SANFL is actually the oldest Australian Rules football league still in operation.
Two professional basketball teams play in the city, the Adelaide 36ers men’s team and the Adelaide Lightning women’s team. Also, Adelaide United plays in the A-League, the highest level of soccer competition in the country.