Adelaide Overview

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History: Before the European Settlements Adelaide was occupied by Kaurna people. They were about 300 in number and were skilled labors of skin and fibre industries. The main events from the history of Adelaide are as follows:

The British colony was established on 28th December, 1836, which is today known as Proclamation Day and is celebrated as a public holiday in South Australia.
Adelaide was the British colony’s capital in South Australia which was laid by Colonel William Light. He was the first Surveyor General of South Australia.
This was the period when unstable economic condition and incompetent leaders dominated Adelaide. William Light, who made Adelaide, and the first governor of South Australia, Hindmarsh, were on a constant refute with each other.
In 1838 farm animals arrived from New South Wales and Tasmania. This as well as the wool industry served as the root of economic stability in Adelaide.
By the end of 1838 Governor Gawler took over Adelaide from Hindmarsh. He constructed the governor’s house, gaol, police barracks, hospital, and customs house and a jetty at Adelaide Port.
In 1841 Gawler was replaced by Governor Grey. In the same year silver was discovered in Glen Osmond.
In 1900 electric street lights were introduced in Adelaide and in 1909 electric trams were started as a transport vehicle.
1930 was the year of draughts and depression, followed by stable government and economic growth.
In 1955, west Beach international airport of Adelaide was opened.

Geography: Adelaide lies on the Adelaide plain between the Gulf St Vincent and Mount Lofty Range, on northern Fleurieu Peninsula. Although much of the original vegetation of Adelaide has been cleared today, there still remains a variety of flora in the reserve forests of Adelaide Parklands, Cleland Conservation Park and belair National Park. Swamps and marshlands are to be found near the coastal regions. Adelaide stretches from Gawler in the north to Aldinga in the South. Mount Lofty is in the eastern part of the city.

Economy: There are large manufacturing, defense and research zones in Adelaide from which the city earns its primary revenue. The other industries which also form economic pillars of Adelaide are commodity export and other service industries. More than 50% Australian cars are manufactured in Adelaide. The most famous car manufacturing companies are General Motors Holden and Mitsubishi. Adelaide is also the home land of South Australia Northern Territory Oil Search and Coopers which is a South Australian brewery.

In 1992 the state bank collapsed resulting to a huge debt in the state economy. This setback is slowly reduced now with a much higher per capita growth compared to that of Australia. 70% of the defense industry which contributes 1 billion dollar to Australia’s GSP, is located in Adelaide. 466,829 persons of Adelaide’s population are engages in work. Among which 62.3% are full time workers and 35.1% are part time.

Transport System:

Roadways: The Public Bus service is well organized. Around the city loop a free bus service is available which stops at Victoria Square, King William Street and North Terrace. This bus service is available on all days except the public holidays.
Airport: Adelaide International Airport is located in the west of the city and is at a distance of 8 km. There is an airport bus which takes 20 minutes to reach the city center. The airport also provides Car rental booking facilities, Duty Free Shopping, money exchange, souvenirs and flower gift shop.
Railway: Northern terrace has the suburban railway station. There are interstate trains like Ghan which arrives at Keswick.

Administration and Government: There are 18 local government areas in Adelaide. The city also boasts about holding the oldest municipal authority in Australia which was established in 1840. The Lord Mayor of Adelaide is Michael Harbison.

Social Conditions: Surrounded by serene ranges of Mount Lofty, the roaring waves of the sea crashing of the shores, and wide stretch of vine yards, Adelaide is a peaceful place to be in. During the early ages the city had many churches and stone build houses with beautiful architecture. But today to keep in pace with the fast life styles the city has outgrown its dignity with growing pubs and night clubs. The population of Adelaide was more than 1,124,315 as recorded in June 2004. More than 70% of South Australia’s population today resides in Adelaide making it the 5th populous City in Australia. The 38% of Adelaide’s population are English, 34% Australian, 8.4% Irish.

Educational Institutions: The University of Adelaide was founded in 1874. It is the third oldest university in Australia and has 5 campuses. Four of the five campuses of the University of South Australia are located in Adelaide. The third university of Adelaide is the Finders University named after Matthew Finders. Located in Bedford Park, the Finders University was founded in 1966.
There are plenty of private and public schools in Adelaide. The schools are affiliated under South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE), or with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program.

Cultural Life: Adelaide is a very colorful city. At times it is also referred as the city of churches. Post Second World War Adelaide witnessed people from almost all the European countries including Greece, Netherlands, Poland, and Italy. With the advent of the Asian immigrants after the Vietnam War, a diverse blend in cuisine was to be seen.
Barossa Music Festival is very popular in Adelaide. Other festivals like the Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide Film Festival, Adelaide Festival of Ideas, Come out Youth Arts Festival, and the Fringe Festival shows a niche towards the refined taste of the Adelaidians.
Adelaide is the home of many internationally famous musicians. Music shows like Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, the Adelaide Youth Orchestra, the Mark of Cain, the Superjesus, Testeagles, the Angels, Cold Chisel and Eric Bogle are just a few to be named.
Australia is the land of sports. Grand Prix, which is the pride of Australia, was hosted by Adelaide from 1985 to 1995. There are two football league teams in Adelaide: the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power.

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