OK, before you berate me for making lofty comparisons to the Cote d'Azur, Cinque Terre and the Amalfi coast of southern Europe, I'm calling this showcase the Adelaide Riviera because just like its Mediterranean namesakes, it's a long strip of beach communities with their own particular character and charm.
The similar dry sun-drenched Mediterranean climate, as well as the often grand and attractive architecture, sometimes classically-detailed, as well as the mature vegetation (palm and pines in particular), together with the many festivals, events, cafes and other eateries, and of course beachside activities make for a very appealing coastal destination. A coastline blessed with crystal clear waters and wide expanses of long, sandy beaches.
Beginning with Semaphore, an area steeped in working-class heritage, being part of the city of Port Adelaide and thus a hard-core Labor constituency. A place where even the Communist Party of Australia has club rooms in an old stone villa on the esplanade where you can get schooners of beer for little over a dollar, and an area that was once less desirable than other beachside suburbs, but has come very much into its own over recent years. Semaphore is also the centre of Adelaide's lesbian community who've been very much instrumental in its gentrification with their cafes, galleries, quirky shops and restoration of heritage homes and buildings.
1. Semaphore street fair held recently
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The similar dry sun-drenched Mediterranean climate, as well as the often grand and attractive architecture, sometimes classically-detailed, as well as the mature vegetation (palm and pines in particular), together with the many festivals, events, cafes and other eateries, and of course beachside activities make for a very appealing coastal destination. A coastline blessed with crystal clear waters and wide expanses of long, sandy beaches.
Beginning with Semaphore, an area steeped in working-class heritage, being part of the city of Port Adelaide and thus a hard-core Labor constituency. A place where even the Communist Party of Australia has club rooms in an old stone villa on the esplanade where you can get schooners of beer for little over a dollar, and an area that was once less desirable than other beachside suburbs, but has come very much into its own over recent years. Semaphore is also the centre of Adelaide's lesbian community who've been very much instrumental in its gentrification with their cafes, galleries, quirky shops and restoration of heritage homes and buildings.
1. Semaphore street fair held recently
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