Our Australian Hotels Association - Newcastle Hunter, Study Tour to Adelaide began bright and early on Sunday morning, 10 March with most of us heading to Sydney Airport by luxury coach transfer from DFK Crosbie at Warabrook.
For those of you not on the coach, you missed the first moments of high drama when the coach driver took the Hexham Bridge exit by mistake and then proceeded to reverse the vehicle two coach lengths backward onto the highway despite the pleas of AHA Membership Liason Jaimie Evans, and other suggestions, to use a turning bay further up the road.
But alas, all was well and for the next few hours we travelled by coach and then plane to Adelaide, a few of us feeling more than a little dusty from independent activities undertaken the night before.
We arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel in the heart of our host city of Adelaide at around 4pm and our group splintered, those of us dusty from the night before taking the opportunity to rest up before the night's activities, while the rest of the group headed over to the pub across the road. Who would have thought?
At 7.30pm the coach arrived, along with our Kode hosts Chloe and Tracey, and a red carpet entry no less, to take our group to the first destination of our tour - dinner at Africola sponsored by IGT.
Afriola is a quirky restaurant run Duncan Welgemoed, a South African chef who has managed to create an African-inspired dining experience that is somehow still all about South Australia...
Afriola is a quirky restaurant run Duncan Welgemoed, a South African chef who has managed to create an African-inspired dining experience that is somehow still all about South Australia.
Using local ingredients including fruit, fish, meat ,vegetables and wine, the menu featured dishes like BoomBoom! Hummus, Tea Sandwich, Mussels, Ngerinag Tomatoes, Lamb Kofta, Ngerina Vegatable Plates followed by Ganche and Warm Almond Cake desserts.
The intimate and colourful restaurant allowed us to sit either at the bar or at long tables beneath charming string lighting. On the walls hung inspired images from Africa that were colourful, moving and with a sense of authenticity, humour and colloquial charm.
