This week, I had a chance to see more of Adelaide's famous parklands. When I first went of a walking tour of Adelaide in the city, I learned that Adelaide is structured in a distinctive grid pattern known as "Light's Vision", after city founder William Light. Even without knowing that Adelaide was a planned city, it would have been easy to figure out just by walking around Adelaide. The entire city is surrounded by parkland and there are strategically placed public squares, making the city center feel less urban and more green.
Victoria Square lies in the very center of Adelaide, near the Central Market. There are four other squares, one in each quadrant of the city: Hindmarsh, Whitmore, Hurtle, and Light Square. Right outside the outmost border of parklands lie over a dozen suburbs which can be reached quickly through public transport (tram, train, or bus). On the walking tour, I also learned that South Australia is very proud of the fact that it was the only state in Australia not settled by British convicts. This pride might be evident in how clean the city is kept, despite construction and littering. Once a week, city workers in vehicles wash and scrub the sidewalks clean.
Street art in Adelaide is now very common, but that was not the case as recently as six years ago. Adelaide is currently undergoing a “Melbourne-ization”, in an effort to make the city more of a cultural hub like Melbourne. The state government now hires street artists and commissions murals to beautify the city. They also protect street art from vandalism. The picture above is a mural of an Aboriginal man; the dots and circles in the background are typical attributes of Aboriginal art. This endeavor to beautify the city through murals and other street art is another example of how Adelaide residents maintain pride in their state and city.