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A multicultural mix
Adelaide is a gracious city and an easy place to live, and, despite its population of almost 1.3 million, it never feels crowded; what is more, this port is one of the enchanting destinations of an MSC Grand Voyages cruise.
It’s a pretty place, laid out on either side of the Torrens River, ringed with a green belt of parks and set against the rolling hills of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Adelaide’s city centre is laid out on a strict grid plan surrounded by parkland, and virtually every building, public or domestic, is made of stone.
At the heart of the grid is Victoria Square, and each city quarter is centred on its own smaller square. North Terrace is the cultural precinct, home to the major museums, two universities and the state library. Hindley Street is the liveliest in town while Rundle Mall, its continuation, is the main shopping area. Government House, Adelaide’s oldest public building, was completed in 1855: every governor except the first has lived here.
Across King William Road, two parliament houses, the old and the new, compete for space. The Barossa Valley, only an hour’s drive from Adelaide, produces internationally acclaimed wines and is the largest premium-wine producer in Australia; you really mustn’t miss the opportunity for a wine-tasting excursion here with MSC Cruises. Small stone Lutheran churches dot the valley, which was settled in the 1840s by German Lutherans fleeing from religious persecution.
The towns, – most notably Tanunda – still remain German in character, and the valley is well worth visiting for the vineyards, wineries,
bakeries and butcher’s shops, where old German recipes have been handed down through ge nerations. Mengler’s Hill Lookout, east of Tanunda along Basedow Road and then the Mengler’s Hill Road Scenic Drive, provides an unmatched view of the valley and its vineyards.
