A day at 'The Bay'

I was watching a TV commercial last night for Glenelg, affectionately known in Adelaide as "The Bay", and it seemed to have changed a lot since I was last there. So I mentioned my desire to go and revisit the beautiful beachside suburb, and Mum & I took a trip out there today. We left around lunch time and got back home again at 6pm so it was a great day out in the summer sunshine, soaking up some beachy atmosphere.



The first photo you see above is of Moseley Square, the main meeting place at Glenelg, at the bottom end of Jetty Road. To take the photo, I had my back to the ocean. This is the site of the family-friendly New Years Eve party that Glenelg hosts every year. I've never been to one though, partly because you can't drink alcohol there (it's a dry zone) and partly because it's a little too far from my house to be worthwhile. Of course, you can see that the fish & chips are sensational, so I never have a hard time finding something nice to eat at The Bay, and the new yellow trams get you from the City to The Bay quickly and inexpensively. But for all this, I admit that I very rarely come here.



Let's say though that if ever I did come to Glenelg when I lived here, I always seemed to end up at Magic Mountain, an old monolith eyesore that has since been demolished. The old site used to have a fibreglass mountain and inside were death-defying waterslides, that urban legend said had razor blades stuck to them with chewing gum. Neat. Oh and there was a Sideshow Alley that had dodgem cars and those clowns that you put the ball in their mouths to win a prize. All of those things are gone now. A year or so before I left home, the local council decided to get rid of the old Magic Mountain. I thought they were erecting fancy new apartments, but no. In my time away, they have instead constructed these buildings. Yes friends, you are seeing straight. What they have done is replaced old waterslides - with new waterslides. Hmm.

The old carousel is still there of course, and the plush new place is called "The Beach House". And the Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club headquarters are next door too - but the waterslides people!? Come on - did we really have to tear down a tacky fibreglass mountain? Oh okay okay, fibreglass structures have had their day. Sob.

And being the obliging girl I am, I'll admit the new Bay is a much classier venue than before. Especially in today's summer sunshine, and the shopping on both sides of Jetty Road was relaxing and, after a side trip to Just Jeans for some cute blouses, very profitable indeed.