December 26, 2025 Adelaide, Australia

We arrived at the Port Adelaide Passenger Terminal, Oliver Rodgers Road, Outer Harbour, which is a 40 minute train ride from Adelaide, South Australia. It is Boxing Day at 7 a.m. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky. Temperature was 12°C going up to 26°C. Humidity was 67% with a wind ESE 15 km.

Adelaide is on the Gulf of St. Vincent. It is the capital of the state of South Australia founded in 1836. Not far from Adelaide there are three of Australia's premier wine regions: Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and the Adelaide Hills.

Adelaide is about half way between Perth on the west coast and Sydney on the east coast on the route of the Indian Pacific rail journey, which at least one couple that we have met took that train to get to Sydney and are taking it back to Perth at the end of the cruise. Adelaide is also the starting point of the Ghan train journey which travels north through the centre of Australia to Darwin on the north coast.

Due to the time difference, 10.5 hours later than London, England, King’s Charles address was shown late yesterday evening and rebroadcast this morning on Australian TV.

After breakfast with Patricia from Sydney and Thelma from Townsville, we took the train into Adelaide. The train station is just 200 metres from the cruise terminal exit. It was about a 40 minute ride, passing through towns with red tiled roofed houses, many with solar panels on their roofs. We arrived at Adelaide Station in time for a leisurely stroll to the Adelaide Botanic Garden, just 1.6 km away.

From the train station on North Terrace street, along the walk to the Adelaide Botanic Garden we passed the Old Parliament House. There was a plaque stating the the women of South Australia received the right to vote in 1894. It was the place where the South Australia Constitution was drafted in 1937. The parliament building was constructed of limestone and marble in the interior. At the corner of North Terrace and King William street, there is a War Memorial for the South African War 1899-1902. {The war is known as the Boer War in Canada and was the first time that Canadian troops, about 7,000 in total (267 were killed) were officially dispatched to an overseas war.} Approximately 16,000 Australians fought in the Boer War with over 600 casualties.

Continuing our stroll, we saw the South Australia State Library, the South Australia Art Gallery and the Adelaide University Mitchell Building before arriving at the entrance to the Adelaide Botanical Garden. The route also passed buildings of both the University of South Australia and Adelaide University.

We were in time to join a walking tour of the garden that took a little over 90 minutes. On the way to the meeting place we looked in to the glass Palm House, which had a beautiful blue blown glass “chandelier” hanging from the ceiling, a piece from an art exhibit earlier this year. There were 12 other participants in the walking tour - a Scottish couple also on the cruise, four people from Melbourne, a local from Adelaide, a couple from Sydney and an Australian family.

Our guide, Angela, opened by stating that the gardens are located on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains. We started the walk toward a lovely infinity fountain. The Botanical Garden has expanded since its inception in 1857. Originally the land was covered with grass and scrub brushes. Now the garden covers 51 hectares. Where the Adelaide Tram Garages once stood, near the First Creek Wetland, one red brick building remains, near the newer white curvilinear Bicentennial Conservatory built in 1988. The old tram garage now houses the State Herbarium where you can visit for a fee. Beside it is another old brick building which houses the administration office of the park and the Australian Seed Bank. From here, after the wild fires in 2019 and 2020 on Kangaroo Island, seeds from the collection of the plants native to Kangaroo Island were planted and once established were transplanted back on Kangaroo Island. Angela pointed out a Quince fruit tree, with its brownish pear shape and a Pistachio tree. Across the wetlands pond was a nice view of the Conservatory and the Herbarium. On the way to the Sunken Garden were more interesting plants especially one with orange bell shaped flowers and flat succulent type silvery green leaves. The Sunken Garden was created in 1945. In it is a pretty pond with pink and white water lilies. There was a Hibiscus bush that is native to the area. The Nebumbu Pond is packed full of waterlilies in the wet season. There are over 40 varieties of fig trees in the garden. We saw one with small fruit at different stages of ripeness. Angela showed us a Cork Oak (Quercus suber) tree with quite gnarled bark. After 25 or 30 years the first harvest of cork can occur and then in cycles every 9 to 11 years after that. Next was a Sausage Fruit tree (Kigelia africana) with its dark red flower and sausage shaped fruit that is pollinated by bats. The fruit can get as large as an eggplant. We arrived at the Palm House. The original glass was sent from Germany in flat packs, but most panes were broken. The plants within are from the dry regions of Madagascar. Nearby was the Amazon Waterlily Pavilion. Inside was a pond with a large white Victoria Amazanica waterlily which, in its native habitat, is pollinated by the scarab beetle. Its circular leaves are several meters in diameter and are barbed on the sides and bottom to prevent fish from eating them. The final building was the Museum of Economic Botany. Inside are many examples of seeds and leaves of plants for medicinal and commercial use. There were examples of cloth made from fibres from wood and grasses.

After spending over two hours in the cool shade of the Botanical Garden we walked over to Rundle Street and its pedestrian friendly Rundle Market which was packed with Boxing Day bargain hunters. There were thousands of people enjoying shopping in the 26°C sunny day.

We caught the 1:47 p.m. train back to Outer Harbour and went to the Library Café for coffee. Then sorted the more than 50 photos taken today.

At dinner tonight we switched tables to the table for four beside our assigned table where Elizabeth and Colin from Queensland sit. They graciously allowed us to join them now that Donna and Barry are back home in Adelaide. No one sat at our former table this evening. We will be joining Elizabeth and Colin for dinner most evenings until we return to Sydney and the 28 day cruise begins.

Tonight’s show, postponed from yesterday, when it was too dangerous for the dancers and singers to perform, was called Curtains Up and presented colourful costumes and songs from award winning musicals and the sixties.

Just after 8:30 p.m., the ship departed the Outer Harbour for a cruise of less than 100 nautical miles to Kangaroo Island. The local ferries can make the journey in 45 minutes from Cape Jarvis which is a 90 minute drive from Adelaide.

Today’s steps 15,895