What makes Adelaide so good?

Cath Kenneally may have lived in Adelaide most of her life, but she's still learning about what it has to offer.

The radio presenter is hosting a new series on Radio Adelaide that delves into the positive side of living and studying in her home town.

Called What's So Good About Adelaide?, the program is aimed at learning about the international students who study at the University of Adelaide, what their cultures and customs are, and providing potential students with a better understanding of the city of Adelaide and Australian culture.

"The show has an international audience in mind, so part of that is aimed at demystifying Australian culture. But it's also about understanding the many people and cultures we have here in Adelaide, which has proven to be fascinating," Kenneally said.

Kenneally is best known for her work as the Arts Producer of Radio Adelaide, as a published author, with a number of poetry collections and a novel to her name, and as a book reviewer for The Weekend Australian. She's also finishing her PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide, so you would expect she knows a thing or two about culture and Adelaide.

"I'm finding that What's So Good About Adelaide? is something completely different to what I've done in the past, and that is because it takes a fairly uncritical view of what Adelaide is all about," she said.

"That's actually very liberating, because I'm discovering some amazing things about this city and its people. You begin to appreciate all the initiatives going on in this city - and for a small city, there's a lot going on.

"Adelaide is certainly more diverse than I thought it was - the international students themselves say they're surprised at how multicultural we are."

To give you some idea of the diversity of topics covered in What's So Good About Adelaide?, the weekly program has so far looked at: cabaret, the refugee issue, soil science, coffee, water resource management, Nobel Prize-winner Lord Florey, public art, women in the workforce, the media, comedy, the International Space University, wine marketing and viticulture, Australian indigenous communities, Don Dunstan, and gastronomy, among many others.

Students interviewed so far have hailed from Colombia, Canada, Germany, India, the UK, Jordan and Burma.

And that's all just within the first two months!

"Adelaide is a perfect place to live, study, and to bring up children. There are great opportunities here, and it's a much more accommodating place to live - life is harsher in Sydney and Melbourne, where competition is much more fierce," Kenneally said.

"Having said that, there are many people - myself included - who think they know what Adelaide is.

"Now that I've been working on this show for a while, I'm not sure I have a handle on Adelaide any more.

"I'm discovering new things all the time, and it's delightful to have a program that allows me to do it."

To hear more of What's So Good About Adelaide?, tune in on Thursdays at midnight Australian Central Standard Time (GMT +0930) - from anywhere in the world on www.radio.adelaide.edu.au or on 101.5FM in Adelaide.