Adelaide

I got sent to Adelaide for a training course with work last week. I have to say that the city is looking much better than it did the last time I went there which was about five years ago. Although I didn't stay long, I did have the time to make some superficial observations.

1. Crickets chirping and Tumbleweeds: For a relatively big city, the thing that you notice immediately is how few people there are floating around the place.

2. Coopers tastes better in Adelaide: Drink local, think global.

3. The inferiority complex: People in Adelaide have a massive chip on their shoulders vis-a-vis Melbourne and Sydney. It's like the Melbourne-Sydney rivalry gone completely rabid. The great outlet for this inferioty complex is AFL football, which men talk about obsessively like nowhere else in the world- not even the home of football (Melbourne!).

4. Democrats last stand: Adelaide is full of ideologically wayward democrats supporters. I didn't spot any conspicious bruvvers while in Adelaide, but you can spot a democrats supporter from a mile off. The way they mix outdoor adventure gear, beads, and bohemian looking jewellery with expensive european business attire. They don't know if they're Greens or Tories- so they go around looking like a mish mash of both. The local newspaper the Advertiser still writes about the Democrats like they are a political party that actually matters- rather than a rabble consisting of Doctor's wives, small 'l' liberals and various other wets.

5. The hills are beautiful and so close to the city. Adelaide looks like a great city to ride bikes about. There aren't any freeways, so you can virtually ride wherever you want.

6. The water doesn't taste like it's come out of the bottom of the Box Hill municipal swimming pool anymore, although it still has that sickly Big M-thick consistency.

All in al a lovely trip, and I'd love to spend some more time there in the future. I wouldn't getting stuck into the local grog a bit more either!