by Carla Caruso

North Adelaide resident Tony Sinclair is many things — a wine and travel lover, a public servant, a mental health warrior, and an Adelaide Park Lands fan.

He regularly posts eye-catching images of your Park Lands on his Instagram account, Tony of Adelaide.

We asked him to share a little more of himself for our followers. Here’s our chat, below.

*Tony Sinclair, left, in a small Tamil village in Sri Lanka’s mountainous tea plantation area.*

Hi, Tony. Why do you love capturing images in the Adelaide Park Lands and beyond?

I have been into photography since I went on my first overseas holiday, back in 2001, to the US, Canada, and Japan.

I loved the nature in those countries, and since moving to North Adelaide in 2004, the Park Lands have always been good to walk around and observe.

If I see an unusual angle or one of interest, I’ll always take a photo.

How often do you visit the Adelaide Park Lands?

I frequent the Park Lands in the inner north and northeastern directions almost every day, whether it’s walking home from work (CBD) to Melbourne Street or heading to the shops on O’Connell Street.

*Tony Sinclair recently captured this sunset in Lefevre Park / Nantu Wama (Park 6).*

Which park in the Adelaide Park Lands is your favourite?

Park 6 (Lefevre Park / Nantu Wama) is my favourite, mainly because of the horses, but the park itself is quite diverse.

It has a great walking trail around the paddocks and it provides a feeling of being in the country when I’m literally 3km from the CBD. It’s also a great park for photography.

*"In Botanic Park [****Park 11****], I saw an interesting tree, and then saw an interesting angle to take a photo of said tree," writes Tony Sinclair.*

What keeps you busy when you’re not meandering the parks? We see that you also have a wine lover account, @adelaidewinelad, and that you’ve visited 35 countries.

My work [in government] definitely occupies most of my time.

I do love my wine and enjoying the regular wine tastings at the Lion Hotel. I probably have more of an addiction to buying wine than actually drinking it.

When people ask do I prefer red or white, my standard response is: “I enjoy a good wine where you can tell it has been made with care by the winemaker.”

*Another sunset over the horse paddocks in Lefevre Park / Nantu Wama (Park 6), care of Tony Sinclair.*

Travel is a something I wish I could do more of. Unfortunately, the pandemic and recent of cost-of-living increases have put a temporary pause on that.

But having been through 35 countries, from 2001 to 2019, I can say I have a few favourites for various reasons — such as Scotland (for the history and heritage), Sri Lanka (nature and food), Iran (history, religion, and food), Botswana (nature and wildlife), and Canada (natural beauty).

Currently, my aim is complete the major train journeys around Australia, where I only have the Indian Pacific to complete the set.

*Tony Sinclair snapped these flowers along the River Torrens / Karrawirra Parri.*

You also describe yourself on Instagram as a mental health warrior. Would you mind telling us more about this?

Dealing with ongoing mental health issues, the Park Lands are a great space for me to try and reset and feel present without the outside noise from external sources.

Having these peaceful spaces really helps.