Pu’er Coffee

 My Adelaide journey is coming to an end, and today I want to share the café that served as my “grand finale.” It’s Leisurely Coffee , located at 219 Gilbert St, Adelaide SA 5000. Interestingly, Leisurely wasn’t even on my original café list. While I was in Adelaide, a follower recommended it in the comments. Once again, the wisdom of the crowd proved right. I looked it up and saw how popular it was — and more importantly, I noticed that Leisurely regularly features beans roasted by ONA Coffee . At that moment, I thought: Well, doesn’t this perfectly make up for my decision not to visit Canberra? If you’re a coffee lover in Australia, ONA needs no introduction. Choosing their beans as a house staple is simply a smart move. Like most Australian cafés, Leisurely opens early and closes around 2 p.m. Australians flock to cafés in the morning and around lunchtime, and this place was absolutely packed — nearly every seat taken. A Community Café with History The Gilbert Street locati...

 When it comes to the idea of “market coffee,” it’s not a very common scene back home in China. The first time I truly experienced this kind of setting was in Melbourne, at Market Lane Coffee inside the Queen Victoria Market. That’s when I really felt the everyday warmth and authenticity of market coffee culture. When you grow tired of cookie-cutter malls and predictable chain stores, markets represent something real—unpolished, unfiltered local life. They satisfy a city dweller’s longing for “nearness” and authenticity, offering a grounded, human sense of place. Adelaide Central Market is the oldest and largest fresh produce market in South Australia, and one of Adelaide’s most iconic culinary and cultural landmarks. Since opening in 1869, it has become a vibrant gathering place for both locals and visitors. Inside, you’ll find more than 80 stalls selling everything from organic fruits to premium meats and specialty foods. At some point, I developed the habit of visiting local...

 As I’ve always believed, the best way to understand a city is to start at its city hall — and in Adelaide, that’s exactly where my journey began. When you mention Adelaide, you inevitably think of its namesake. The city was named after Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV of the United Kingdom. Inside Adelaide Town Hall stands a marble statue of Queen Adelaide, sculpted by British artist Francis William Woodington. Originally installed in 1864 beside the main staircase, the statue commemorates the woman for whom the city was named. After joining a guided tour and learning more about Adelaide’s history, I found myself reflecting on how remarkably forward-thinking its urban planning was. The city center follows a precise grid layout, with east–west and north–south streets intersecting at perfect right angles. It feels logical, intuitive, and incredibly easy to navigate. With a metro card in hand, setting off on a spontaneous city walk feels effortlessly enjoyable. Today’s caf...

 Beep, beep, beep—after a 2-hour-and-45-minute flight from Brisbane with Qantas, I landed in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Funny enough, the first time I ever heard the name Adelaide was years ago, back when I was still a student, from a lyric in the song Melbourne, Sunny : “the view from the Adelaide Hills…” Somehow, at that moment, a tiny seed was planted in my mind. Adelaide —nice name. I want to go there. Time passed. I fell in love with coffee, and with Australia. I often joke that Australia is my “happy homeland.” Now, on my second visit, I’m continuing a deeper exploration—almost like a quiet calling that pulled me from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern. As Australia’s fifth-largest city, Adelaide is special for one key reason: it was planned before it was built. With a population of about 1.3 million, seeing it from the air honestly felt a bit like The Truman Show . The city has preserved more historic architecture, and the pace of life here feels calme...