By Matthew Brace

Eat

An Adelaide friend recently said the one food more associated with her city than any other is chocolate, thanks to the wonderful Haigh’s confectioners. The heritage brand opened its first Haigh’s Chocolates shop on King William Street in 1915. It moved seven years later to Beehive Corner (corner of King William and Rundle Mall) and you can visit that same outlet today to get your fix.

For something savoury in the city, try The Messy Tomato at 151 Flinders Street for breakfast and lunch. It specialises in home-style Italian food – spaghetti with crab, spaghetti with octopus in a puttanesca sauce, pasta carbonara and more. As we go to press, it’s ranked the No 1 restaurant in Adelaide on TripAdvisor.

For supper, head to Bread & Bone, a wood-grill burger joint upstairs in the pedestrian tunnel between Peel and Leigh Streets in West End in the CBD. Each month brings a new ‘burger project’ blackboard, so check out the breadandbone.com.au website to see what to expect when you’re in town.

Afterwards, grab a cocktail and slide into a green-leather horseshoe booth at the super-cute Maybe Mae bar, in the basement of the pedestrian tunnel. If you fancy some fresher air, head for SeaSalt on Henley Beach for fish and chips and a cold one just in time for sunset. 

Sleep

The heritage-listed former Colonial Mutual Life building at 45 King William Street is a subtler version of some of the ornate stone skyscrapers you find in Chicago, such as the Tribune Tower. It even has gargoyles protruding from the stonework on the higher floors.

For the past few years it has housed the Mayfair Hotel, which is my pick for your stay. This is partly because it has great rooms, but also because it has the Mayflower restaurant which does a nice high tea, and the cool rooftop Hennessy bar.

It’s also good because it has bags of local character, heritage features have been preserved inside and out, and the hotel supports the city and the region by using local products – even the beds and furniture are designed and made in Adelaide. If you’re not staying at the Mayfair, head to Hennessy anyway for the cocktails and awesome city views.

My second choice for a place to stay would be the pretty good Peppers at 55 Waymouth Street. If you fancy a serviced apartment, then Quest or Adina are probably the go.

Play

Adelaide and its nearby regions offer great cycling. The South Australia Tourism blog has a good Top 10 rides entry, and the state government’s Cycle Instead journey planner at maps.sa.gov.au/cycleinstead will plot you a route between locations. One tempting wine country route is the Riesling Trail through the Clare Valley.

Speaking of wine, if time is tight and you can’t get to one of the main wine-growing regions outside the city, you can taste 120 different wines and take in a snapshot of Australia’s wine history at the National Wine Centre of Australia, just north-east of the CBD on the corner of Botanic and Hackney roads.

If you have some four-wheeled transport, head south to the Coorong, one of Australia’s most enchanting national parks. It’s an important wetland famous for pelicans. The classic 1976 Aussie film Storm Boy was shot here (as was the 2019 remake). The quickest visit from Adelaide involves driving to Goolwa and walking the Sir Richard Peninsula (https://www.parks.sa.gov.au has maps).

Back in the city, the Migration Museum, the National Motor Museum (at Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills) and the Art Gallery of South Australia are worth quick visits, depending on your interests.

Finally, music lovers get ready as Adelaide really punches above its weight. It has produced Jimmy Barnes, Cold Chisel, Paul Kelly and Guy Sebastian, hosts the WOMADelaide world music festival each year and is a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

Check out the Music SA gig guide at musicsa.com.au/gigs

Good to know

• South Australia’s tourism website southaustralia.com has stacks of info and suggestions for the very latest activities and itineraries.
• Weather-wise, May is a mild and pleasant month in Adelaide, but you’ll need a light jacket for the cool evenings and the odd rain shower. Bring tougher outdoor gear if you’re heading to the Coorong.
• If you’re hitting the wineries, consider an organised tour so you can taste what you want and not worry about hitting a random breath test on your drive back to the city.

CA ANZ Audit and Accounting Conference, Adelaide, 2020

The CA ANZ Audit and Accounting Conference 2020 in Adelaide on 22 May is the ideal event to acquire the most recent knowledge, skills and insights that will help you prepare for the future.

Industry and technical specialists will share insights on topics including innovations in business modelling and financial modelling, the latest in auditing quality outcomes, how root-cause analysis can aid audit quality, and updates on International Financial Reporting Standards.

Hear about ASIC’s key surveillance and focus areas, as well as findings from the regulator’s financial report reviews and up-coming issues relating to the new accounting standards. There will also be updates on ASIC’s financial reporting guidance on key areas including impairment, accounting policy judgements and the new Conceptual Framework.

Another valuable session focuses on non-financial risks such as climate change, cybersecurity, modern-day slavery and other emerging areas of concern. Businesses need to translate these risks to predict potential impacts on their operations. The session explores the current non-financial reporting and risk landscape, including recent developments in climate-related financial disclosures, integrated reporting and ASIC’s regulatory guide RG247, which provides useful and meaningful information to shareholders when preparing an operating and financial review in a directors’ report.

Amid the detailed information, delegates can wind down by listening to advice on how yoga and mindfulness techniques can help them better manage their work-life balance.

Read more: