Pay attention when I say this: South Australia (SA) is a cracker of a holiday destination.
I’m a happy import to Western Australia, but I was born in SA. It houses many Favourite Places.
SA has arid beautiful-in-its-own-way outback, spectacular coastlines, extinct volcanoes, some of the best wine growing regions in the world, and Adelaide.
Most of my Favourite Places are either in Adelaide, or can be visited in a day trip from Adelaide.
And they almost all involve food.
Firstly, in the Adelaide Hils town of Hahndorf…strawberries. My girlfriends and I graciously let our partners take the kids to pick strawberries while we had coffee and ate a cup full of strawberries drowned in chocolate. We chose well.
Still in Hahndorf, the addiction in my life second only to caffeine – cheese.
Udder Delights in Hahndorf’s main street has so. much. cheese. I nearly cried when I walked in.
It also has a fantastic cellar area which we took over – my son has had 13 years of training in the café lifestyle but our friends kids are much younger, so they needed space to play while we ate. The cellar area had toys, books, and no other customers so the small people could be free to do their thing and we enjoyed the cheese.
Farmer’s Union Iced Coffee: Any decent deli or takeaway sells it. My husband and son act gleeful – yes, that’s right, gleeful – when they buy one. I’m more about the actual coffee.
Closely followed, if not always accompanying, aforementioned Iced Coffee is a chocolate donut: South Australian chocolate donuts – particularly Balfour’s Bakery – are better than any other I’ve tasted in this fine nation of ours. They’re plumper, softer, and moister. The chocolate is smoother and richer.
…OR a Kitchener Bun: Kitchener Buns are unique to SA. How can I describe them? It’s like trying to capture the essence of love. It’s almost too difficult. You just have to experience it for yourself to understand the joy it brings (not to mention the sugar hit, high cholesterol and saturated fat).
In other states of Australia, known as souvlaki, doner kebabs or gyros. Delicious meat wrapped in pita bread, with token salad and lots of garlic. It’s a flavour explosion.
We buy them from either the Blue & White Café or the Red & White Café in North Adelaide and eat them by the statue of Colonel Light (first surveyor-general of the European settlement of Adelaide, back in the day) overlooking the CBD.
It’s all about the sunshine on our shoulders, and the garlic sauce dripping down our fingers and along our arms.
(The dripping garlic sauce is an integral part of the experience. Don’t try to eat a yiros delicately; that’s not How It’s Done.)
Finally, Fruchocs:
I had a friend in Year 12 who wasn’t from SA. I asked her if she wanted some Fruchocs and she was horrified. After a few confused minutes, I realised she had heard me ask ‘Would you like some Fruit Jocks?’. No. Fruchocs are not underwear. Fruchocs are chocolatey, fruity goodness. If SA had a state food, I believe Fruchocs could be a contender.
Obviously, there is more to SA than food.
Go there and explore it.
You’ll find something for everyone.
Penny's List 