This week's Burke's Backyard was filmed in Adelaide, known as the 'City of Churches'.

The site for South Australia's capital was chosen by surveyor, Colonel William Light, in 1836. The site he chose was on the River Torrens, in the Adelaide Plains. Light's plan for the city included a ring of parks, wide boulevards, squares and a road system suited to the topography of the area.

Today, the city is surrounded by a green belt made up of 930 hectares of parkland. The metropolitan area is bound by the hills of the Mt Lofty Ranges and the waters of the Gulf St Vincent. The Barossa Valley wine region is nearby.

Glenelg, famous for its palm trees and jetty, is 10.8 kilometres from the city by tram. The tramway dates back to the 1920s, and trams are painted in heritage red and cream colours. The first European settlers disembarked at Glenelg in 1836, after the long voyage from England.

There are many beautiful homes in Adelaide, and they are still reasonably priced compared to other states. The average price for a house in Adelaide is $275,000; while the average price for a unit is $250,000. Norwood, in the Eastern Suburbs, is becoming a very trendy area with its traditional bluestone buildings and street cafes. Prices here have risen about 11% in the past 12 months (just under the Adelaide average of 12%). In fact, 28 of Australia's top 100 performing suburbs over the past 12 months are in Adelaide.

Further information

Visit the website of the South Australian Tourism Commission:
www.southaustralia.com/home.asp

Copyright CTC Productions 2004