Mentioning my year abroad in Adelaide has elicited more than a groan or two from Australians that are not native to South Australia.

“Adelaide,” whined a Sydney woman I met while she visited Boston, “is our most embarrassing city. It’s so tiny. Why would you have gone there when you could have gone to Sydney or Melbourne? Or up north to Queensland?”

South Australia’s neighbors to the east might have the upper hand when it comes to attracting tourists with iconic destinations like the Sydney Opera House, Whitsunday Islands, and Great Barrier Reef, but conveniently enough, the lack of tourists is part of what makes South Australia as beautiful and unique as it is.