Adelaide Central Market Adventures/Concierge

Hello good evening, Hotel Adelaide International, Ben speaking. The Concierge is often the shop from to Adelaide for many visitors, so it pays to know what you're talking about when it comes to your own patch. "Can I help you there?" Ben's sales pitch is a bit more subdued than that found at one of the tourists spots he now recommends to his guests. The reason Ben Bause actively promotes Adelaide's Central Market is because he's taken time out to explore the mysteries of what is Australia's oldest produce market. As Ben tastes sweet lemon myrtle with cream cheese, he tells us it's a tough job but someone has to play guinea pig for your tour guide as he weaves his way through this labyrinth of temptation during this Market Adventurers tour. The ingredients are simple - a dollop of history, a healthy serving of local products and all sweetened with rare insights into how they made their way onto market shelves. "Kangaroo Island farmers decided to get into honey 100 years ago. But they discovered a problem - Kangaroo Island had no bees. So they brought liquarian bees from Italy. Well over the past one hundred years they liquarian bee had bred with may others. So the only pure bred strain of this liquarian bee in the world is on Kangaroo Island. And they now have a new industry - and it's a multi-million dollar industry exporting the queen bee all over the world."

Just as these hotel and tour operators are keen to sample new tourism products, they are keen to promote stalls which extend the taste buds. "They're coming in from all over South Australia and its really exciting to see the differences in the oils and we're starting to treat them more like wines now because they have unique flavours and things you look for. It's pungency it's peppery, it's grassy, it's ungilted it's extra virgin. There's a whole dialogue that's developing so why don't' you try some." For Ben this Adventure has been an eye-opener. One which exposes this treasure trove's potential as not just a produce market but a tourist attraction for interstate and overseas guests. "The food was fantastic, I really enjoyed that. I should have skipped breakfast and I'll be recommending that to the guests. But some of the history and the facts that went along with the tour - I never realised and I'm a South Australian myself - that so much of this produce is locally grown." Market Adventures start near the escalators each market day and cost $22 for adults. The tour takes about ninety minutes. Bookings are essential through Bass. You can also wander the Markets yourself at no cost and sample lots of the produce. For more information you can email info@postcards.sa.com.au