My Home Town: Port Adelaide

~ Things to do in and around Port Adelaide

Only 30 minutes or so from the centre of Adelaide, is historic Port Adelaide. At its heart is a series of museums that house an amazing collection of historical artefacts showcasing the states long history. Its nearest beach is Semaphore.

Fast becoming the area’s favourite location for rest and relaxation, Semaphore has all the old world charm of a seaside town. It’s broad main thoroughfare, Semaphore Road, stretches for more than a kilometre and is home to a wide selection of cafés and restaurants, small galleries, and all manner of other local businesses.

Of course, no self respecting seaside town would be without its fish and chip shop – and Semaphore has several of them. What better way to end a day at the beach than with a bag of fresh, hot fish and chips, the seagulls wheeling overhead, and a golden sun setting over the ocean. Ah, perfect.

Here is an incomplete list of some of the Port’s many treasures:

• Discover the Port Adelaide State Heritage Area
• Indulge yourself in Semaphore Road’s boutique shops and cafés
• Enjoy informative Guided Walks
• Fly high at the South Australian Aviation Museum
• Cruise for dolphins on the Port Princess or Dolphin Explorer every Sunday
• Relive your childhood at Semaphore’s foreshore attractions
• Explore the Port Adelaide Enfield Museum Trail
• Fish for Snapper and King George Whiting off Semaphore Jetty
• Exercise your mind and body with Blue Water Sea Kayaking
• Examine the trains at the National Railway Museum
• Feast on Fish-N-Chips while a golden sun dips below the horizon
• Amaze yourself at the Seahorse Farm
• Checkmate your Chess opponent, Monday nights at McGowan’s Café (Semaphore Rd)
• Unearth a bargain at the Sunday Fisherman’s Wharf Market (Queens Wharf)
• Delight in the SA Maritime Museum
• Thrill at the miniature steam train ride along the foreshore at Semaphore
• Enjoy an ice cold beer at the Port’s oldest building (Port Admiral Hotel, 1849)
• Climb the Lighthouse (built in 1869) now located on Queens Wharf
• Catch a movie at the Semaphore Odeon Star (just $7.00 all sessions)

Whew! Are you tired yet?

There is so much to discover and enjoy in and around Port Adelaide, that you will need several days to visit even just a few of the places listed above – and that is by no means a full list.

Make sure your first stop is the Port Adelaide Visitor Information Centre...

Visit House Carers Online...

Dolphin Cruising at Port Adelaide

~ Port Adelaide is a seaport city, well known for its maritime heritage. Less than a 30 minute drive from Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, it’s also one of Adelaide’s most popular tourist destinations, with many attractions to offer its visitors – wild dolphins being one of those attractions. 

In fact, the Port River is home to around 30 Bottlenose dolphins, making it one of only two places in the world with permanent dolphin pods.

There are two passenger craft offering dolphin cruises on the Port River, the Port Princess Dolphin Cruise..., and the Port River Dolphin Explorer Cruise... 

While there is no guarantee you will see dolphins on your cruise, it is very rare for them not to make an appearance. Whether they are to be seen or not, there is still plenty to take in and enjoy as the each boat cruises the smooth waters of the Port River: the submarine base; old quarantine station; Torrens Island Power Station; pelicans and mangroves, and of course merchant ships entering or leaving harbour.

Both craft operate every Sunday and Monday public holidays, with dolphin cruises varying between 90 minutes and 2 hours each. The cost for the cruise on both boats is only $4 per person. If you prefer, you can also enjoy the cruise and a meal for just $14 per person. On the Dolphin Explorer children can get a meal and cruise combo for just $12.00.

Either way, the Port Princess Dolphin Cruise..., and the Port River Dolphin Explorer Cruise... are among the cheapest boat cruises I know of, and that makes both of them Compleat Traveller Hidden Gems.

More information including downloadable brochures available from Port Adelaide Visitor Information Centre...

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Updated: May 23, 2017. 

Sad to report that one of the cruise boats mentioned in this post, the Port Princess no longer operates its long-standing schedule of dolphin cruises out of Port Adelaide. Even more distressing is the report that the Port Princess was recently sold to a buyer in another state and that while on its way to its new base it ran into mechanical problems and was eventually swamped and sank at sea.

Thankfully, after they issued a May Day call for assistance, the former owner along with the new owner (as well as two other crew members) were rescued by another vessel that went to their aid.

Below is a screen grab from part of a press report on the sinking. 

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 Below: One of four people rescued off Port Macdonnell after the Port Princess started taking on water. Picture: Simon Cross.

Flying Solo

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town
is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” - Freya Stark

Having travelled alone extensively during 2008, I can heartily agree with Freya Stark. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to travelling solo, and this entry looks at a few of them.

Disadvantages
The three most obvious disadvantages are bearing the full cost of the trip on your own; your personal security; and not having someone to share the experience with.

The Costs
Generally, travelling on your own is more expensive than travelling with at least one other person. The old saying that, "Two can live as cheaply as one," makes a lot of sense when travelling in company.

Accommodation is always cheaper per person when shared between two people, since persons travelling alone have to pay a premium for occupying a room on their own. Other costs can be shared between two people, such as car rental and fuel costs, Chinese banquets and extra large pizza - not to mention sharing the cost of a decent bottle of red wine as opposed to a bottle of cheap plonk.

Security
Travelling in company is generally safer than travelling solo - especially for women. And that applies wherever you travel, not just in certain parts of the third world. Horror stories abound by the hundreds – if not thousands – of holidays gone wrong, and this is neither the time or place to recount them. For now it is enough to raise a red flag about it.

The Shared Experience
Sharing the experience – that is, sharing the joys, pitfalls, highs and lows, of a journey with a good friend of partner. Having someone to reminisce with after a long and exciting vacation can be one of the great rewards of travel. Conversations that begin: “Do you remember when…?” Or, “What about the day we…”, can lead to long recollections of shared adventures that keep the travel experience alive for many years after the actual events themselves.

Advantages
The most obvious benefit of flying solo is the fact that you can do what you want, when you want, for a long as you want, and not compromise your choices by negotiating with a travel partner. The solo traveller answers to no-one but themselves.

Want to stay up until 3am - be my guest. Want to sleep-in until 11am - go ahead. Want to change your schedule at the last minute and go on a river cruise rather than visit a museum – you’ll have no-one to argue with but yourself over that decision.

Yes, it seems hedonistic and selfish, but hey, you are paying thousands of dollars for your vacation, so you might as well make the most of it. Constant haggling over where to go and when, with a partner who doesn’t share your sense of adventure or interests can sap all the joy and excitement out of the travel experience. By travelling on your own you have no-one to blame but yourself if you are not having a good time.

Of course, you have to really enjoy your own company if you are going to travel solo. This has started me thinking about that aspect of the travel experience, and I will return to the question soon in a future entry.