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inches Commonwealth Railways line. In recent times, South Australian Railways
relinquished the operation of its country lines to Australian National Railways, which
promptly stopped operating any country services at all. Thus there are now no intra-state
trains in South Australia except for the Adelaide suburban services and the expensive
privately-operated Wine Train to the Barossa Valley.
Longdistance trains through Adelaide are now operated by Great Southern Railway and
consist of the Overland between Adelaide and Melbourne, the Indian-Pacific between
Sydney and Perth via Adelaide and the Ghan between Sydney or Melbourne and Alice
Darwin via Adelaide. As for buses, Greyhound operate from Adelaide to Melbourne,
Sydney, Alice Springs and Perth, and have competition from Firefly and V-Line to
Melbourne, and from V-Line to Sydney via Albury.
This network consists principally of services from Adelaide east to Renmark, south-east
to Mt. Gambier and Bordertown, south to Goolwa and Victor Harbor, north to Moonta,
Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Wilpena, Roxby Downs and Whyalla, and west to Port Lincoln
and Ceduna. There are also some services provided by private operators.
The Wayward Bus offers a service between Adelaide and Melbourne via the coast, a
route which can be covered more cheaply, however, by a combination of Stateliner and
V-Line services, and some careful planning.
Adelaide
Adelaide is, of all the Australian capital cities except Canberra (which dates from almost
a century later), that which shows the greatest influence of thoughtful planning. In its
centre it is the work of one man, Colonel William Light. He had first to choose a site for
his capital. Despite opposition, he chose Adelaide and commenced his survey, at the
junction of the present North and West Terraces, on 11th January 1837. An obelisk marks
the place. The survey was completed on 10th March and the naming of the streets
occurred on 23rd May 1837.
The city was named Adelaide after the Queen of the time, the consort of King William
IV. Light's plan consisted of a city of one square mile, completely surrounded by park
land, and with five additional small parks in its centre. That plan survives today and sets
Adelaide apart from the other capital cities which, although not lacking in green spaces,
seem to have had them positioned as an afterthought. In fact, Adelaide is regarded as one
of the best planned cities in the world.
There are two places in particular where Light is remembered. One is at Montefiore Hill
in North Adelaide. His statue was moved to this apt location so that he could have a
commanding view over the city which he had created, the place and statue now being
dubbed Light's Vision.
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