Talking Location With … Alexandra Addams: GOODWOOD, Adelaide

21st October 2025

#TalkingLocationWith ... Alexandra Addams, author of The Self-Made Saint, set in GOODWOOD, Adelaide..

The Self-Made Saint is set in the beautiful city of Adelaide, South Australia. Planned from its conception, Adelaide is the only Australian city built entirely on a grid system so it’s easy to navigate when exploring. The houses in my favourite suburbs are an elegant mix of colonial and Victorian cottages with the odd faux-Victorian sprawling bungalow thrown in.

Adelaide has a vibrant art and café culture and no story set here would be complete without the addition of a café where the characters interact on many occasions. The café in the story “Beans and Brew” was invented but I based it on the small suburban cafés which are the center of life in each little hamlet of Adelaide. Cafés don’t just serve good coffee but make a point of supporting local bakeries, coffee roasters and even local artists who exhibit their wares on the café walls.

I chose this setting because I was born in Adelaide and though my family moved to country South Australia for most of my teenage years, I settled back in Adelaide for university and lived there for a couple of years.

But here’s the thing: though I technically “belonged”, at the time found it very difficult to feel comfortable in the city. My broad country accent and overly familiar manner of speaking always marked me as different from the city kids.

As any true Adelaidean knows, the first question exchanged between new acquaintances is “Where did you go to school?” This places you in the social network of the city and gives a clue as to all the acquaintances that you may have in common. If your answer is a random country high school no one has ever heard of, then you aren’t a true Adelaidean.

My main character, Judith Drainger, has to face many of the same issues that I did as a “newcomer” to Adelaide. Yet, as a British ex-pat Judith’s transition is much more extreme than mine ever was, and I tried to present a sympathetic picture of how she surprised and confused her new neighbors while adjusting to life in a close-knit community of Adelaide.

The house I chose for my main character, Judith Drainger, is what the Adelaide real estate market would call of ‘starter home’. This was a metaphor for the new life Judith was starting, moving from a wealthy London district to a tiny cottage in dire need of renovation on a quiet street in Adelaide.

The name of Rowntree Street is invented but Goodwood is a real and very pretty suburb a short drive from the city centre. It’s very much its own community and if you live there, there isn’t often a reason to leave its cosy environs.

Alexandra Addams

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