19 Mar 07
Adelaide is little more than a town. But despite having a population of fewer than 1,500,000 people, by night it throbs to the beat of 100 bars and restaurants. And from the centre of town, it's just a few miles to Australia's southern coastline, where surf bums practise their art.
For a penal colony, it has huge appeal.
It's also the starting point for the long journey from Adelaide to Sydney. Stick to the highway and this is a drive of around 1,000 miles. However, to do so would be to miss some of the world's most spectacular scenery. And given the Australian predilection for speed limits, it would also be a monumentally boring and frustrating drive, especially when your car for the journey is a Jaguar XK.
The Jag, like me, is 8,000 miles from home, but it looks more at ease here than I ever could. While I lack tan, tone and attitude, the Jag looks svelte, cool and appealing. It even looks contemporary - and when was the last time you thought that of a Jaguar?
After leaving Adelaide, we get our first taste of the extraordinary scale of this country. This is high season in one of the most densely populated areas of the country, but we can still drive for miles without seeing another person as we flash by the gentle, rolling countryside in search of the tiny port of Robe. It's a somewhat undistinguished town, famous for one thing - lobster. Caught fresh on a daily basis, the crustaceans here are said to be the best in the world and, after a hearty dinner, washed down with local Chardonnay, it's difficult to disagree.
