Where in the world is... Adelaide?

SURROUNDED by hills to its east and over 70 kilometres of coastline to the west, is Australia’s fifth largest city and the capital of South Australia… Adelaide.

Nestled in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges and situated on Gulf St. Vincent, Adelaide is located on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people, the first inhabitants of the area, who called it Tandanya, ‘place of the red kangaroo’.

In the early 1830s, the British drew up plans to settle in the area – a new colony for free settlers, not convicts.

In December 1836, Surveyor-General Colonel William Light selected the site for the capital of the new colony in South Australia.

Light laid out the city close to the River Torrens, in a grid pattern, with five squares in the city centre, encircled by park lands.

The first governor of the new colony was Captain John Hindmarsh, who arrived on December 28, 1838, proclaiming the commencement of colonial government in South Australia.

In 181 years, the tiny colony has grown in to a vibrant city, to become recognised internationally as a thriving creative and cultural centre, acclaimed for its unique architectural history and heritage.

These, alongside education and infrastructure, are some of the reasons Adelaide was this year ranked the world’s fifth most liveable city.