We had a really pleasant autumn day in Adelaide. Lovely and sunny with mid 20°C temperatures. We didn’t actually make it into the city of Adelaide, having visited before we opted for a stop in Port Adelaide, where we had not been previously. So, after a leisurely breakfast we came down the gangway, through the terminal and across the street to the train station. Envious of Australian seniors who were able to ride for free, we anti-ed up our $3.10 (each) for a 2 hour ticket. The train arrived and departed right on time and about 10 stops later we arrived in Port Adelaide.
The train platform was well above the street level and the only apparent access was by way of an inclined ramp that snaked back and forth seemingly endlessly. Once on the main street we followed the crowd to the water’s edge where there was a large building containing what I would call a permanent flea market. Gail actually found a book she hadn’t read for an amazing $2 price tag. The port is a dolphin habitat and there are tour boats offering to take anyone out to visit. The small town boasts several museums. A maritime museum, airplane museum and a railway museum.
After browsing the buildings and side streets we approached the railway museum and decided to take a look. They took pity on us and only charged us seniors rate even though we lacked an official Australia seniors identification. As soon as I get a stable internet connection I will upload photos of about two dozen locomotives and other rolling stock. We found it quite interesting in many ways. Some of the “more modern” carriages were remarkably similar to some we had traveled in during our 2007 visit to Australia. Gail had the opportunity to see the inside of her first caboose.
We continued our leisurely walk through the town. Based upon the number of vacant shops, the town has seen more prosperous days. However, there was plenty of street traffic particularly as we moved away from the waterfront to less “touristy” areas. One unexpected sight was this 1959 Edsel parked near the flea market.
We grabbed a couple of small bags of McDonald’s fries then climbed the endless, zig-zag ramp to the train platform. Once again the train was right on schedule and, being honest folk, contributed another $3.10 (each) to the transit system. We made it back to the ship in time to get lunch and do a last load of laundry before starting the homeward trek on May 6.