This ornate Neoclassical building opened in 1939. The bicameral legislature of the Australian…read morestate of South Australia consists of the 47-seat House of Assembly (lower house) and the 22-seat Legislative Council (upper house). Elections are held every 4 years, with all of the lower house & 1/2 of the upper house filled at each time.

What can one say about Parliament house? It is quite nice inside actually! I have been through the…read moreplace a couple of times (for one reason or another), and as expected the chambers are very elaborate, but my personal favourite area is the Parliamentary Library. Needless to say, it is probably the safest place to be if you don't want to see and pollies! As much as I am mildly into politics and have furture aspirations of world domination, even I find this place boring! You can sit in on Question Time, in either the House of Representatives of the Legislative Council, but most of the time they are just avoiding or not answering the questions posed, or they have actually asked their fellow party members to ask specific questions because they want to show boat! Classy.

Bonython Hall is a gothic revival style building situated on the North Terrace in the Cty of…read moreAdelaide. The building was constructed in the late 1800's to serve as the "Great Hall" of the University of Adelaide. Both the architecture and function of the hall were modeled on the Tudor Gothic style Great Halls of Oxford and Cambridge. The Hall is these days largely reserved for ceremonial purposes such as graduations and the like, and is of some attraction to newcomers to the city. In reality, however, Bonython Hall is a bit of a farce. Miniature in comparison with "Great Halls" upon which it is modeled, the the purpose of its construction was so as to prevent the running of highway through the centre of the university. Its architectural stylings were chosen out of its time to provide a false historicity to the university and in the opinion of many experts, the concrete monstosity that is the napier building is of greater architectural significace as an example of contemporary 1950's architecture. Not only this, but the entire exterior of the building is a facade in the gothic style, laid upon a structure buit with materials contemporary to the time of its construction, namely brick and concrete. Despite this I still think its a pretty building. We don't have much else like it around town and tickets to Europe are quite expensive. So enjoy what you've got I say.

Yes, you will have a "you're a wizard, Harry" moment in here. Spectacularly old world in its…read morearchitectural stylings, Bonython Hall is a one-off in Adelaide and a simply lovely place to visit. I worked at the Uni a few years back and as part of this I attended graduations and reunions held in the big ol' Hall on North Terrace. They were pretty magical. The huge pipe organ playing, the deafening sound of hundreds of feet, the proud parents and giddy be-gowned grads. The reunions were especially heart warming, with oldies who had studied at the University of Adelaide 50 years back re-visiting the Hall and re-enacting their graduation ceremony in the very place it was first held. This sense of continuous history is a great thing for a University and its students...and a far cry from the off-campus graduation ceremony I had at the Festival Theatre after finishing my degrees at UniSA (not that I'm bagging out my alma mater). There is a bit of a lean to the floor and it can get quite slippery: my advice to grads, maybe opt for the sensible flats and keep the heels for later! Yep I'm nothing if not practical, peeps.

I'm not really all that sure if may tourists actually get up here, which would be a bit of a shame…read morebecause it is one of those iconic Adelaide landmarks. Okay, I have to admit that the view was pretty awesome before they decided to revamp the Adelaide Oval, which means that these days the view is sort of okay, but I can't really say that it is absolutely fantastic. Anyway it's a look out with this statue of Adelaide's founder pointing towards, well, the city of Adelaide. It is supposed to represent him standing on this hill over 175 years ago and saying, 'yep, I think we'll build a city right there). Apparently this also used to be his tomb, but it was moved at some point in time to the middle of Light Square where it still sits (though I'm not sure if many people actually realise that it is his tomb).

It's frowned upon to talk Geocaching to muggles. So I won't tell you there's a really awesome…read moreGeocache nearby. Feeling romantic? Have something to contemplate? Grab yo self a seat. It can get a little awkward when there's a few groups as it starts to get dark and not enough (any) privacy between benches. It's a really great view of the cricket stands with an OK view of the top half of the cityscape behind. It's still the best view of the city (other than Mount Lofty). And being the best is what matters here.

Set amid verdant greens dotted with sand bunkers and water hazards, is a well kept secret…read more Glenelg Golf Club is first a golf club for its paying members, but it also welcomes the public to its bar and restaurants. We visited for Friday lunch watching the pros go round as we ate well cooked and presented steaks, which were priced fairly and cooked to order. Washed down with quality wine from an extensive wine list, it was a pleasant day hidden away from the rat race outside the gates. It has recently won awards as a wedding and function venue, worth a visit.

On North Terrace near the museum there is a statue of Robert Burns the famous Scottish poet, known…read morefor his blunt social and political criticism and liberal and socialist values. Completed in the late 1800's the work, which is carved in marble, is by WJ Maxwell, presents Burns upright in smart attire and dapper stance, book of poetry in hand with arm raised and finer pointed, slightly upward and two the left. Whilst i sure it was Maxwell's intention to capture Burns in the moment, reciting poetry or making some sagely point, it to me looks a bit as though he is holding a street directory and giving directions to the hardware store down the road. There is expression lacking in his face, and the stance is slightly awkward. As this work is in marble and has been exposed to the elements it has required repair on several occasions. It is nice, however, that there are a few marbles around town.

The quite achiever! I think the mudbutt incident of '09 when the Torrens Lake drained was a cry…read morefor attention from the Weir! Like, "hey look at the good work I do! Half of the people in this town don't even know it's a lake..!" The Weir marks a point where the River Torrens starts to let its hair down a bit. Down stream the banks are a little unkempt, a little wilder and perhaps a little more fun. Surrounded by shady trails, the Weir is a nice starting point for a break from the city or suburbia. It's also a good pedestrian link, with a shiny new timber surface, between the north and south banks. The signage "No Bathing" seems unnecessary. And the original plaque reads 'these gates were opened 1929' acchumm, opened..? Granted the state gov is capable of building an 'open' weir... But, they mean shut! Keep it shut! Those shopping carts are below a couple of meters of water for a reason! Lets keep them there.

Definitely not a major tourist attraction, the tram barn is worth a look though I've you're ever on…read moreMagill Road. It's a shame that you can't go in but basically just have to look at it from the street. It's one of Adelaide's two old tram barns that still exist and was build in 1882. The fences aren't very high at all so you can see the little houses that they build inside at a later stage. The exterior is, apparently, unchanged though and looks rather cute.

The Marion Cultural Centre opened in 2001 and was quite a controversial topic because of its design…read moreas it incorporates the word 'Marion', it's certainly a visible landmark for the suburb. The architectural design was also another first for government or private businesses to incorporate energy saving systems. It has stormwater collection facilities allowing water to be filtered and stored on site then distributed to Adelaide's subterranian aquifier, solar hot water, evapoartive air conditioning, energy efficient lighting and a low maintenance garden. If only we can all afford that! It is situated between the Marion Shopping Centre and the new Marion Aquatic Centre. The centre houses a theatre, meeting rooms, art gallery, café, foyer, plaza and the Marion Library, which have individual opening hours so it's best to check the City of Marion website attached with this review. During the school holidays the whole complex run their own programs to keep kids and parents occupied. The library is open plan and easy to navigate, membership is free, the gallery is bright and colourful with lots to see during exhibition events and there's art and craft to purchase, the theatre screens movies, hosts plays, etc, meeting rooms for hire and the foyer itself hosts various functions and events. Feeling peckish? Fear not as there is a fully equipped cafe with a great selection of light meals, snacks and hot and cold drinks. This year on December 10th area surrounding the centre will host its first market, so keep an ear out for next year if you miss this years market. Definitely a good place for the whole family.

I used to think the Marion Cultural Centre was a complete and utter eyesore. Its ultra modern…read morearchitecture used to exist un-surrounded by other buildings but since the Aquatic Centre and other buildings and have sprung up around it, its taken on a new life and now seems to fit well into its surroundings. If you look closely you'll realise the architectural team who designed the building have managed to incorporate the word MARION into the external features of the building - pretty clever really. After disapproving from afar for a long time, I finally went inside and was genuinely impressed ... what an amazing public space! Inside the Cultural Centre are a variety of public spaces. There's the Marion Library which is open 7 days a week and offers computers for public use complete with internet access. There are also a couple of rooms available for hire known as the Sturt and Green Rooms - the Green is clearly a reference to the Marion Council's commitment to environmental issues. The Domain Theatre that seats 280 people, plays host to all sorts of events and comes complete with its own box office to manage ticket sales. Gallery M is the Cultural Centre's 'state of the art' art space and is also open all week. Entry is free and individuals or groups can hire the space for their own exhibitions. The gallery has an amazingly high ceiling and I've been told there's something like 66 linear metres of hanging space. The only drawback within the centre is Signatures Café. I have to admit I haven't eaten there but I was sorely disappointed with their coffee! I recommend having a closer look at the exterior of the building to see if you can make out the letters and of course taking a tour of the facilities inside the building. It's a great place and well worth a visit.