Hum of the dragonflies – I can see where Ross Edwards finds some of his inspiration! Splendid and peaceful and… hot. Adelaide is unbelievably warm – and the heat incredibly dry. It burns down from the desert before sweeping through the city, rustling the leaves in the beautiful botanical gardens and bouncing off of old sandstone cottages.

Adelaide was such a wonderful city to explore and so different to anything I have experienced while travelling along the East Coast or into the Great Dividing Range. It was a wonderful mixture of village with cosmopolitan city and all surrounded on one side by stunning mountains filled with the wineries and to the south with tranquil beaches. It was a place that spoke of repose, artistic thought and really nice times shared with family and friends. Although the days were ridiculously hot (the thermometer reached 50 at one point!) – the evenings were generally cool and allowed the time and space to share good food, good wine and wonderful conversation.

The gardens were a really lovely point of gravity in the city – allowing a sense of tranquil isolation to sweep over the consciousness and broaden the mind. The sound was wonderful and all-enrapturing as heat made even the dragonflies dreary with lethargy. Lilting through the heavy air and over the small dancing bodies of water, there was so much life in these gardens which expanded in a peaceful state throughout the rest of the city, with its beautiful architecture and kind people.

Adelaide, February 2017