Before moving from London in 2001, I'd heard the same stuff you've probably heard about Adelaide: it's a "conservative city", a "City of Churches", a "small country town"...
I'm pleased to tell you it's none of these things. Adelaide is a city of great living — a place of grace and space with a gorgeous trifecta of parklands, hills and beaches.
I now live in the Adelaide Hills, with my wife and twin rodents (aged seven). When I can resist the temptations of the local wine producers, I happily work from home, writing about South Australia for the UK's Sunday Times and several Australian newspapers. Books, big migration websites and local visitor guides also struggle their way out of my office.
What's your favourite thing to do on a Sunday?
I'm restoring an old British sports car, so heaven is belting around the Hills on wire wheels, doing lunch and antique shops before stopping at Hahndorf Hill Winery to drink in the view and admire the wine.
How would you spend a long weekend?
At Port Vincent, Yorke Peninsula, two hours from Adelaide. My wife showed me how to "rake" for blue swimmer crabs, catch whiting and collect periwinkles for the ultimate barbecue.
What's your idea of a good night out?
Rundle Street on a summer evening. After a quick al fresco beer at The Austral, I'll do an insanely commercial or ridiculously art-house movie, then see what’s cooking on Gouger Street. There’s always something new to try among this, the United Nations of Eat Streets.
Next: Where NOT to go
