Last week I travelled to Adelaide for the annual Architecture Conference.

Despite this being my first visit to the South Australian capital, I've spent many hours studying its famous town plan at uni, and even more time applying myself to its equally famous wine in my down time.

Of course visiting somewhere 'in real life' is always a different proposition, and initial impressions of a city can be both superficial and revealing: some things the locals take for granted leap out in contrast to the visitor's home, whereas other things that stand out to the holiday-maker may mask deeper realities.

So with that not-so-subtle disclaimer, here are 10 random things I noticed in my brief time in Adelaide:

Adelaide City Council has recently released the Adelaide Design Manual. Jointly funded by the Council and the State Government's Places for People grant program, the award-winning manual is a comprehensive, easy-to-use and people-focussed toolkit for designing the city's streets. It can be viewed online at www.adelaidedesignmanual.com

Check out our Instagram feed for more photos from the trip.