lifestyle
Be amazed by Illuminate Adelaide’s spectacular Night Visions at Adelaide Botanic Garden.
Illuminate Adelaide lights up the night
From 2–20 July, the popular winter festival Illuminate Adelaide lights up our night skies again with its trademark fusion of innovation, music, technology and light.
Returning is crowd favourite RAA Lounge at Base Camp, where RAA members can enjoy a cosy spot near the free City Lights trail – spanning Lot Fourteen to Festival Plaza – which throws new light (literally) on North Terrace’s cultural mainstays, like the Art Gallery of South Australia and Bonython Hall.
Adelaide Botanic Garden will also transform into Night Visions, featuring the light, projection and laser work of renowned international and Australian artists to create an all-new, mind-bending world where parallel dimensions collide.
And another highlight of the 2025 program is Horizons, the spectacular takeover of Adelaide Oval, where aerial drone choreography and arena lighting technology tell a story of where we are now and our hope for a bright future.
For the full program of events, visit illuminateadelaide.com
5 winter school holiday activities
The weather’s getting chilly, but that doesn’t mean the kids need to sit around at home all day during the school holidays. Here are five ways to get them moving to keep their bodies and minds active.
1. AFL Max
Don’t worry if your kids aren’t budding footy superstars, because here AFL stands for Active-Fun-Learning. Suitable for kids aged two and older, AFL Max is a hotspot of family fun, with inflatables, bouldering, interactive screens, and of course a football or two.
2. Hijinx Hotel
Hijinx Hotel in the CBD’s Rundle Place is tailor-made to make kids’ dreams come true. Work together to score maximum points in one of the challenge rooms filled with puzzles and surprises. For grownups, there’s food, cocktails and even a bar that’s as playful as the games themselves.
3. Australian Space Discovery Centre
See how space may help us solve our planet’s pressing issues at this Lot Fourteen hub. If your youngster wants to be the next Katherine Bennell-Pegg or Andy Thomas, this is the place to be. You’ll find school holiday sessions from 7–21 July between 10am and 5pm, and best of all, entry is free.
4. P1 Entertainment Complex
Your fridge and freezer work 24/7, but you can reduce costs by ensuring they’re the right size for your needs and have a high energy star rating. The temperature of the fridge or freezer should balance food safety and energy efficiency (about 3C for a fridge and -18 for a freezer). Clean the door seals and coils regularly and keep fridges full to increase efficiency.
5. Beyond Bouldering
Your kids probably aren’t ready to tackle the infamous Eiger North Face in the Swiss Alps just yet, so head to Beyond Bouldering instead. This climbing mecca caters to beginners and professionals, where kids can use their strength of mind and body to find the perfect path to the top of a wall.
RAA members receive discounts for these activities thanks to RAA Rewards. Visit raa.com.au/rewards for details.
What’s an electricity supply charge?
If you’ve looked at your electricity bill lately, you may have noticed ‘supply charge’ listed among the amounts you owe. RAA Senior Manager of Market Development Kerry Bowles explains this charge and what it covers.
The supply charge helps cover the cost of getting electricity to your house or business. Think about all the infrastructure and activity that goes into providing you with reliable electricity.
First, the poles and thousands of kilometres of wires need to be installed, maintained, and repaired if something goes wrong. Then there’s the regular pruning of trees and other vegetation around the wires.
The distributor must also conduct routine inspections to ensure it’s meeting the regulatory requirements and standards set out by the Australian Energy Regulator. On top of that, there are costs associated with running customer service operations, such as call centres, to deal with electricity network issues.
These costs add up, so to continue receiving safe and reliable electricity, every premises contributes by paying the supply charge.
The supply charge is a fixed daily fee and isn’t affected by how much electricity you use. Even if you go away on holiday and switch off your electricity, you’ll still be charged the fee and it’ll appear on your next bill.
Find out more about RAA Energy today. Visit raa.com.au/energy or call 8202 8118.
Clear your gutters now
After South Australia’s long dry spell, fingers crossed we’re in for some decent rain in the coming months. If you haven’t checked your gutters in a while, you may find they’re jam-packed with leaves, bark and other debris, dropped by stressed trees during the drought. Now’s the time to avoid stormwater problems later by thoroughly inspecting and cleaning your gutters, downpipes, and drains.
When you’ve cleared your gutters, check the stormwater drains around your house and remove any blockages. Then, connect your garden hose and make sure the water flows freely through the gutters and downpipes. Again, remove any blockages if it doesn’t.
After inspecting your gutters, don’t ignore any damage you may notice, such as holes, cracks or rust. If your gutters aren’t dispersing water properly, they’ll back up and overflow if there’s heavy rain, which may damage your roof, walls or foundation.
If your roof has loose or broken tiles, sheets or seals, strong winds and winter storms can cause serious problems, so have it checked by an expert now.
If you’d rather not inspect the roof or clean your gutters yourself, call in the experts through RAA Trade Assist.
Need some help on the roof or elsewhere around the house? Contact RAA Trade Assist today at raa.com.au/trade-assist or call 8202 4988.
IMAGES: Beyond Bouldering, AFL Max, Getty, RAA.
