Ignore snipes from neighbouring Melbournians. Adelaide may be small but it is one of Australia's prettiest cities, surrounded by a halo of green parkland, designed in the 19th century by a homesick British colonel.
The beautiful Botanic Gardens are the first port of call to get a taste of Australia's big outdoors. The gardens are right on your doorstep but Adelaide's big sell, apart from its leafy Victorian layout, is its burgeoning food scene.
This is Australia's original market town. Traditionally the city has exported its produce across the world but increasingly its stellar seafood and home-grown wines can be found on local restaurant tables. And all this in such close proximity to the Outback, which is more accessible by road than from any other city. But before you go to the Bush, don't miss these sights.
Shop
Central Market, one of the southern hemisphere's largest, is set in a 19th century building, with more than 100 stalls selling everything from oysters from the Eyre Peninsular, to locally reared kangaroo steaks. Visit Zedz Café for a towering stack of pancakes then to Lucia's for a shot of espresso.
See
One of the country's best displays of indigenous art is found in the South Australia Museum (samuseum.sa.gov.au); next door, the Art Gallery of South Australia is home to its finest collection of colonial art (artgallery.sa.gov.au). These are the coolest cultural caves in which to escape the midday sun.
Drink
It's a bar, it's a restaurant, it's a contemporary art space. There's not much the newly-opened Gallery on Waymouth doesn't do but perhaps its winning aspect is the one from the rooftop garden: the perfect spot to catch twinkling city views on a summer's evening (galleryonwaymouth.com.au).
Eat
One of Adelaide's recent rising star chefs (a Master Chef finalist), Andre Usini now has his own restaurant. Cucina & Polenta, in central Adelaide, has the creamy eponymous Italian corn-based dish as its big feature, but if that doesn't do it for you, try "assaggini" taster plates of deli meats (andrescucina.com.au).
Taste
If you can't make it to the Adelaide Hills or Barossa Valley (and you should, as this rolling rural region of vineyards is only half an hour's drive from the city), The Apothecary is the next best thing. Choose a flight of award-winning local wines (theapothecary1878.com.au)
Swim
Take the tram to Glenelg, the "city beach" with broad stretches of white sand, dolphin-populated waters and an elegant colonial town centre.
Read More
Stay
Hotels don't open in Adelaide that often so there's something of a buzz in the smart terrace bar of the new Crowne Plaza (crowneplaza.com). Doubles from £143 room only.
DETAILS: ADELAIDE
Qantas flies from Heathrow to Adelaide from £759 return, qantas.com.au/uk
australia.com
