God, I've broken the law! I've transported an onion into Tasmania, unwittingly! It was lying in the food basket hidden behind the jar of coffee. The half a cucumber had to go at the port- oh, and the petrol. What ??? 17 pounds worth just tipped away. We were allowed to keep the petrol can as long as we filled it up with water! We did not read the small print! Apart from this...what a magical island Tasmania is. No-one had given us any clues. They had just said, "Oh you'll love Tassie," (as it is affectionately known.)They proved to be right.
Our journey began at Devonport in the pitch black. We headed for the north-west coast and stayed at Ulverston for two nights. It was set alongside the beach and was, fortunately, within walking distance of town. It was a small, nondescript town and a very typical site, in pleasant surroundings. The towns of Burnie, with its cheese factory and busy little shopping centre was a joy, as was the coastal route that took us there, with its blue skies, rocky and sandy shorelines. We visited the little town of Penguin and strolled around a rather strange collection of stalls in its famous market. We were a bit bemused but liked the prettiness of it all. It was as close as we were going to get to Cornwall quaint. We headed along the coast Wynyard's, 'Table Cape' and the beautiful, but unimaginatively named, Boat Harbour Bay. It was perfection! Next was the delightful little fishing town of Stanley with its famous 'Nut'! We travelled in on the Tourist Route and, from the lookout above the town we got a glorious view of its bays and the Nut. It too was perfection: a pretty little town with painted houses, flowers, green lawns and its historical High Street. I wish we had stayed longer here. The campsite lay alongside a bay and beach that you could just wander on to. We spent a happy morning in the town before we moved on, just meandering around, 'The Nut', in the sunshine and enjoying the views. 'The Nut' is a high rocky outcrop above the town, and can be accessed by the fit and/or insane by foot or the infirm/lazy by chairlift. We chose the latter!
Our next port of call was Queenstown. What a contrast! We had spent a whole day traversing the western mountains on the undulating road around hundreds of hairpin bends and descended into the town, wearily, as it grew dark, which is a rather instant affair in this part of the world. It starts to darken at 5.15 and, by six you are plunged into total darkness.
Your first view of the town is the smelter which seems to stand above the dark, brooding mountains. We followed the rivers path as we descended and we were soon driving through the dark and empty streets looking for a caravan sign. Street lighting was not a feature which made our task more difficult. We found it eventually and headed to the office. A couple had just come in from Strahan and said that there was nothing there. I made a mental note as that was to be our next stop! Glad to have just stopped, we wandered to our site then viewed the toilet block and the 'kitchen' Many of the vans were up on top of the toilet block which gave the camp an untidy and cluttered feel. It was only for one night. We were adopted by a lovely couple called Frank and Marie, who invited us into their van. We did not leave until 1am! We got to see the steam railway journey at Strahan. It was lovely, and so were they. A good night was had by all.
The next part of our journey took us to Richmond and the start of Convicts Route. It was quite colonial in appearance and some of the buildings at here and Port Arthur were honey coloured stone, like the Cotswolds. We had passed Cradle Mountain and the Lake St.Clair National Park area on our way, deciding not to stay as it was really a trekker's paradise, with lakes, mountain walks and rivers. We had seen a number of these on our drive and it was quite cold here too! One amazing thing that we did see was an artists studio, called, 'The Wall'. It was a renowned artists tribute to the roll of the forest in the lives of the working men of this area. There were various items carved from wood and huge wooden panels carved with shire-horses and loggers. It was so detailed and fluid, it was wonderful. You could not believe that the working gloves on the table were carved in wood. We stayed a night at New Norfolk, having descended from the mountains into glorious pastures in full Autumn splendour. The scenery and colours were simply stunning. The river ran alongside the park and, whist we were packing up to drive on I was struck by the beauty of the place. I wish that we had spent another night here. I noticed lots of the now familiar black swans
as we set off on the steel blue ribbon of silk that was the road, contrasting with the pale yellow grazing land and the brown wooded hills.There was a gash of orange soil and perfect, neatly painted houses perched on the hillside. It gives a feeling of contentment as we drive along.
Hobart was a huge city by contrast. Our time was taken up by business mostly because we had to do our blogs and then renew our visas. We decided that September 6th would be d-day. We had caught the bus into town so we were able to visit a bar where we got talking to an older couple, a brother and sister. They were delightful and I promised to send a postcard to Diane. We went into the town in the van on the Saturday to view the famous Salamanca market and spent a pleasant couple of hours wandering around before we headed up to Port Arthur in the east.
The Port Arthur camp was set in very natural woodlands. You could see the sea through the woods and wild animals frolicked along the brush line in the dusk. The vans were well spread out and the sun shone brightly. We walked to the bay through the woods. It was a beautiful walk past beaches and bays, a delight. The convict prison area was huge and crowded, Sunday again! We left, and, failing to find a pub open, returned, weary and a bit disappointed.
On the 21st of April, our first wedding anniversary, we left, in the sunshine,and headed up the coast for Coles Bay. However, we got to Bicheno first and found a little caravan Park site there. Lee wanted to go for a meal, and there as a pub/hotel within walking distance. We had a passable meal but rather a disappointing evening because Lee played pool whilst I watches David Attenborough. I felt that I had spent our anniversary on my own. Lee was confused. I had not even had a chance to get my Barrossa Valley wine and glasses out!
All was resolved the next morning as we decided to spend a third night there to really relax. There was a real feeling of decadence sitting there in the Autumn sunshine at 11am on a Tuesday morning. I briefly thought of school going on in England. I smiled. An air of calm had descended on the park as the last of the tourist caravans and four-by-fours moved off the park to comply with departure time. We decided to go to the wildlife park in the afternoon instead of rushing off that morning then moving on to the next place. I got my reading book out and took a satisfying swig of my isotonic drink and Lee went off to pay the $20 for the extra night. As I put it back onto the table my eyes noticed the, 'quickly replaces the fluids, energy and electrolytes lost during your active lifestyle'! Oh dear..... There was a moment of guilt before I carried on reading. This town had been magical in its way as we had been out in the harbour, with five other people, gazing at the sea-bed under 20 feet of water, in a glass bottomed boat. There was a shoal of fish, some gummy sharks, little ones, three huge stingrays 6' by 4' across and a rather stunning starfish amongst other sea-life. I felt like a kid pointing them out and peering eagerly over the edge of the viewing bay. We had taken a moonlit guided walk to see the little fairly penguins which was a delight too. How sweet they were. The wildlfe park was a hit as we arrived just before feeding time and went around with the keeper. The Tasmanian Devils were scary, they were so vicious too. I am fascinated by the wildlife as it is uniquely Australian and I cannot tell a Poteroo from a Bandicoot! I am marginally better informed now! I've yet to see a living possum. One dashed past us in the dark at Port Arthur, and I've seen many as road-kill which seems prolific on this island, but the one at the wildlife centre was snoozing in a log only affording me a glimpse of its golden back!
The last few days have seen excessive night rain and two sharp morning frosts. I texted my daughter, Laura, to say that it was only 1 degree and she told me that she was in Wales heading for the beach...wait a minute, something is wrong here! Ah well! Tasmania has enough highlights to be very special in my memory.
It is back to the warmth of Melbourne overnight before we head for the Blue Mountains and Katoomba to hole-up for a week, unless it is too expensive!!
Thursday, 17 April 2008
The 'GREAT' Great Ocean Road-7th-10th April, 2008
What a fabulous experience! Three amazing and totally different days.
Our first day, a Sunday, was full of sunshine. First, we were meandering through green hills full of large, glossy, black cows and viewing sparkling, deep blue lakes then, suddenly, it was all sheer cliffs and the angry white froth of crashing blue seas on outcrops of rocks; limestone stacks eaten away in the constant battle of the elements. This was where you felt that you could easily drop off the end of Australia! There was nothing but sea and driving winds between us and Antarctica! This was a remarkable thought. It was not cold though.
We had spent the day driving along to each look-out, taking photographs, along with all the other tourists. We saw an Echidna happily grubbing for ants along one walkway, totally unconcerned by the nearness of humans. These porcupine like creatures tend to look like a moving tuft of grass. The look-outs are well set out, wooden walkways and prevent people from disturbing the vegetation and wildlife. Both can exist alongside each other happily and successfully. We watched people taking pictures of themselves posing, with the magnificent scenery taking second place, in the background??? By the time we got to the Twelve Apostles and noticed that there were coaches of visitors, of every nationality, we realised that Sunday was not a good day to do this! We have had the luxury of walking around on working days when there are only a few people around, a real luxury, and what a difference!! We headed out to camp.
We did not like the tourist crowded Port Campbell, despite its river and beach, so we moved on to Princetown. This was the other extreme. There was a bar and a shop. That was it! But it was very picturesque.
The camp was set up next to a winding river, where it flowed into the sea. Unfortunately, this usually meant mosquitoes in extremoes!!! We had learned this lesson the hard way from our Port Piri experience! I thought that I was being clever parking up on the bank, by the road. We had noticed pencil sized holes in the ground, underneath the van but Lee had dismissed them as tent peg holes. I was not convinced, and I was right. It was not so. As I climbed out of the van to head for the loos in the dark my torch had captured a movement in the grass. On closer inspection I noticed Cicadas oozing out of these holes and rushing through the grass, in force, as the sun disappeared. At first I had thought that they were cockroaches and had scrambled inside imaging the full Alfred Hitchcock scenario. My last journey of the night had seen me sporting black socks with my trousers tucked in and sandals! We left early the next morning, well, once the van started. There was no sign of the insects.
Day two saw us driving in the Ottaways, a constantly winding road through great, green forests of firs, a managed plantation. The Aire Valley presented a wonderful pastoral scene, with majestic trees the shape of oaks, under which the relaxed cows and sheep sheltered from the sun, and lush green hills. This was a far cry from the dryness of Southern Australia and their concern about the great Murray River with its dropping levels.
Day three took us along cliff roads. The cliffs lined one side of the road and the ocean lined the other. It was less dramatic than day one but lovely, nevertheless. Apollo Bay sparkled in the sun. We wandered around the harbour where fishermen and women waited patiently. The golf course was right alongside the beach and a warm beach played over the sand. Lorne lazed in the sunshine as we strolled around.
Funnily enough, in the midst of this beauty Lee voiced the question, should we leave? He had had enough of Australia! I have had many mornings when I have felt the endlessness of all this and it has not filled me with joy! We decided that anything was possible. We would sleep on it for 48 hours. There was little real conversation for 24hrs but a lot of thinking. I wondered whether we could sell the van in time, where we should go to sell the van and then I began to think about all the places that I had not yet seen-Ayers Rock, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Great Barrier Reef. These were the things that people came here to see!!! We decided that we would have time to make it to Sydney and, just when we thought that we had made a decision, we changed our minds! We decided to give ourselves another four months to do as much as possible and then call it a day. It felt good to have a boundary.
The next day we spoke to some people who said that we must do Tasmania, so here we are, and I am so glad that we did. We renewed our visas yesterday, in Hobart, at considerable cost, and even extended our visit here by a week. You never can tell how things will go from day to day but that is part of the joy of travelling.
A Day in the Life of The Willis Two! Paddy's Day..2008
Sorry, we are a bit out of sequence. This was 17th March, 2008 and attempts to show the emotional swings of a day on-the-road.We had limped into Port Augusta during the heat wave, having made it across the Nullabor wilderness successfully only to peter- out of power outside Ceduna. Today the van was to be repaired. We did not know what the problem was and the diagnosis could affect our travels considerably as we now had far too much stuff to carry.
The phone alarm went off at 6.30. as the van had to be at the garage for 8.30. I was warm and comfortable. I noticed that the van was beginning to get warm as the sun burned through the glass and metal. I went off to the shower block then came back to have some cornflakes, sitting in the gazebo. The atmosphere was tense and we were sharp with one another. There was an air of gloom. We could put it off no longer! We began the task of taking the gazebo down. The heat was increasing and the flies began annoying us by constantly flying into our faces. We rolled up the net covers. My clean clothes were covered in red dust! My sandaled feet were already dusty too, in fact, they never felt clean. I had only showered and dressed half an hour before!
Lee headed for the garage, with the casualty, and I headed with our day-bag to the recreation room. I was to wait for him to come back.I headed for the swimming pool. It was warm and I was not joined by the fat, bright beetle that had insisted on joining me the day before, thankfully. I rescued a small dragonfly and floated around in the sun. After 15 minutes I went off to listen to the news. Lee arrived back after walking back from the garage. He looked hot and cross.We were both tense in case it was declared a wreck! Nothing was said. We head off for the town, leaving the pass key in reception. I took pictures of the sparkling waters of the port as we crossed the bridge. It felt strange without the van,incomplete; just us two and a bag.
The sun was relentless and the walk into town was long. I had used my mobile to book our computers in the library for 11am. We were only five minutes early. I uploaded pictures and Lee did his blog. We forgot about the van.The library was cool and quiet, the ladies were very helpful. For once the Internet was free! Lee was frantically tapping away.
At 1pm we headed out to ring about the van. It was ready! The pipes had been cleaned, a section of exhaust replaces and she was ready to roll! We were very relieved. The garage we had bought the petrol from had low tanks and the subsequent build up of condensation had caused the problem. It had not been as bad as we had expected and we had not lost our full tank of petrol either. I bought a blouse to celebrate as we headed into the town center. I was beginning to feel less tense.
We had an awful lunch in the Peppermint Cafe, then Lee walked back, in the scorching sun, to collect the van. I joined the RAC, via a number that a wonderful Aussie guy had given us at the campsite, while I waited for him to return. We then made our way to Big W to return our fridge that wasn't a fridge, but a cooler, a whistling kettle that didn't and the electrical flex that was 10watts instead of 15watts. They changed everything without a fuss. We bought an electrical kettle and an Esky, (cool-box. This was an exciting innovation. Maybe we could have some cold beers now???? We also bought some proper tent guy-ropes and pegs for the gazebo in an attempt to stop it continually trying to transform into a hot-air balloon!! We even got ice.
We set off happily for the nearby Port Piri, safe in the knowledge that the van was okay and hopeful that life on the road would become a bit easier with our purchases. The sun was at 40 degrees now and it is 3.45.
We arrived at the beach campsite at 5.30. It looked a bit forlorn.The van seemed okay though and the thought of a cold beer upon arrival spurred me on. Port Piri is a small industrial town, known for its iron smelter! Not promising, but on our route and as far as we wanted to go for that day. We arrive with a cheerful Greek family from Melbourne. We all set up camp. As we were only staying one night we decided not to bother with the gazebo. We had a cup of tea and I went off for a shower. The Greek grandfather was wandering off after his shower, heading in the wrong direction. His granddaughter whistled him back!
As the sun was setting we set out for the town to find the fish and chip shop. A screeching car passed us and headed along the beach road as we walked back.We could hear it in the background as we reached our van. We returned with our tea but as we sat down we felt a million tiny pin-pricks on our skin-the place was alive with mosquitoes!!!! We could not sit still!!!We could have passed an Irish dancing competition without trying.
Lee pulled the van off the grass and on to the nearby tarmac. This was better. We sat and watched the Greek grandfather trying to open the ladies shower room with his key. We wondered whether to tell him. His wife appeared from around the corner. We left them to it. The night sky was glorious. I can pick out the Southern-Cross, from the Australian flag, and the milky way is an awesome sight without the usual light pollution, however, we were beaten by the mosquitoes. We sprayed the insides of the van and retired for an early night.It was not as hot as I had imagined and the little fan did a brilliant job. I did get up in the night. Once again, the sky was awesome but my wonder was short lived when I spotted a million mosquitoes dancing under a street lamp. I quickly hopped back into the van and shut the door firmly.
When we talked to the Greek family the next morning they had all been bitten a lot so they had decided to move on. The grandfather had been trying to get his wife's shower room key to work but had been unsuccessful. I had gained 37 fabulous bites and was glad to head to Mount Gambia, at the far eastern side of South Australia.
The phone alarm went off at 6.30. as the van had to be at the garage for 8.30. I was warm and comfortable. I noticed that the van was beginning to get warm as the sun burned through the glass and metal. I went off to the shower block then came back to have some cornflakes, sitting in the gazebo. The atmosphere was tense and we were sharp with one another. There was an air of gloom. We could put it off no longer! We began the task of taking the gazebo down. The heat was increasing and the flies began annoying us by constantly flying into our faces. We rolled up the net covers. My clean clothes were covered in red dust! My sandaled feet were already dusty too, in fact, they never felt clean. I had only showered and dressed half an hour before!
Lee headed for the garage, with the casualty, and I headed with our day-bag to the recreation room. I was to wait for him to come back.I headed for the swimming pool. It was warm and I was not joined by the fat, bright beetle that had insisted on joining me the day before, thankfully. I rescued a small dragonfly and floated around in the sun. After 15 minutes I went off to listen to the news. Lee arrived back after walking back from the garage. He looked hot and cross.We were both tense in case it was declared a wreck! Nothing was said. We head off for the town, leaving the pass key in reception. I took pictures of the sparkling waters of the port as we crossed the bridge. It felt strange without the van,incomplete; just us two and a bag.
The sun was relentless and the walk into town was long. I had used my mobile to book our computers in the library for 11am. We were only five minutes early. I uploaded pictures and Lee did his blog. We forgot about the van.The library was cool and quiet, the ladies were very helpful. For once the Internet was free! Lee was frantically tapping away.
At 1pm we headed out to ring about the van. It was ready! The pipes had been cleaned, a section of exhaust replaces and she was ready to roll! We were very relieved. The garage we had bought the petrol from had low tanks and the subsequent build up of condensation had caused the problem. It had not been as bad as we had expected and we had not lost our full tank of petrol either. I bought a blouse to celebrate as we headed into the town center. I was beginning to feel less tense.
We had an awful lunch in the Peppermint Cafe, then Lee walked back, in the scorching sun, to collect the van. I joined the RAC, via a number that a wonderful Aussie guy had given us at the campsite, while I waited for him to return. We then made our way to Big W to return our fridge that wasn't a fridge, but a cooler, a whistling kettle that didn't and the electrical flex that was 10watts instead of 15watts. They changed everything without a fuss. We bought an electrical kettle and an Esky, (cool-box. This was an exciting innovation. Maybe we could have some cold beers now???? We also bought some proper tent guy-ropes and pegs for the gazebo in an attempt to stop it continually trying to transform into a hot-air balloon!! We even got ice.
We set off happily for the nearby Port Piri, safe in the knowledge that the van was okay and hopeful that life on the road would become a bit easier with our purchases. The sun was at 40 degrees now and it is 3.45.
We arrived at the beach campsite at 5.30. It looked a bit forlorn.The van seemed okay though and the thought of a cold beer upon arrival spurred me on. Port Piri is a small industrial town, known for its iron smelter! Not promising, but on our route and as far as we wanted to go for that day. We arrive with a cheerful Greek family from Melbourne. We all set up camp. As we were only staying one night we decided not to bother with the gazebo. We had a cup of tea and I went off for a shower. The Greek grandfather was wandering off after his shower, heading in the wrong direction. His granddaughter whistled him back!
As the sun was setting we set out for the town to find the fish and chip shop. A screeching car passed us and headed along the beach road as we walked back.We could hear it in the background as we reached our van. We returned with our tea but as we sat down we felt a million tiny pin-pricks on our skin-the place was alive with mosquitoes!!!! We could not sit still!!!We could have passed an Irish dancing competition without trying.
Lee pulled the van off the grass and on to the nearby tarmac. This was better. We sat and watched the Greek grandfather trying to open the ladies shower room with his key. We wondered whether to tell him. His wife appeared from around the corner. We left them to it. The night sky was glorious. I can pick out the Southern-Cross, from the Australian flag, and the milky way is an awesome sight without the usual light pollution, however, we were beaten by the mosquitoes. We sprayed the insides of the van and retired for an early night.It was not as hot as I had imagined and the little fan did a brilliant job. I did get up in the night. Once again, the sky was awesome but my wonder was short lived when I spotted a million mosquitoes dancing under a street lamp. I quickly hopped back into the van and shut the door firmly.
When we talked to the Greek family the next morning they had all been bitten a lot so they had decided to move on. The grandfather had been trying to get his wife's shower room key to work but had been unsuccessful. I had gained 37 fabulous bites and was glad to head to Mount Gambia, at the far eastern side of South Australia.
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Kangaroos and Possums on the rampage!
Having left Adelaide on the Tuesday after Easter we headed down the Fleurieu Peninsular. What a pleasant surprise! The scenery was fabulous. It resembled Wales and the Lake District. The flat redness of the earlier road journeys had been replaced.The sun was warm but the southerly breeze was cool so we often wore our fleeces, a bit of a change from the 40+ degrees in the week before!!! The van had recovered from its expiry on the empty road 40Ks from the nearest town, and so had we!!! The van had just lost power and petered out all of a sudden leaving us stranded in the middle of nowhere, in very hot weather. surrounded by flies. We tried to flag people down but they did not stop. Lee tried the vehicle twice at 15 minute intervals and, although it revved it would not engage. We had water and food but no phone signal. Eventually two women stopped and, having explained to them our predicament, we tried it once more. It kicked into life!!! We hoped in and put our foot down for Port Augusta where there just happened to be a Mazda agent within walking distance of the camp!! How good was that??? (Australian phrase!) We had arrived on Friday afternoon so we booked her in for the Monday. We had filled up the petrol tank in Ceduna where their tanks were low and condensation had got into their petrol, which had caused our problem!! We were the third vehicle they had had in that morning from Ceduna! We joined the RAA there too!!!! The van was ready for 1pm so we went on our way, heading for Kangaroo Island. We had a shiny new bit on our exhaust so it was no longer blowing either! We set off in a more relaxed mood.
On our way we found a ferry sign before we expected to so we did not have to go right down the peninsular, which was good. We stayed a Second Valley, a deserted camp, for a night and caught the 11.30 ferry the next morning
The ferry left from a tiny harbour in glorious sunshine. It was a rough crossing and lasted 2hrs. Neither of us were sick, but it was close. As soon as we landed we headed for the campsite in the bay. We spent a happy few days here exploring the beaches and seal bay, where we had a guided tour down on to the beach amongst the rather huge Australian seal colony that resides there. We went up to Pennishaw, in the head of the kangaroo and down to the west campsite, where we met the fabulous Ross and Helen. We spent a happy evening chatting away in the camp kitchen. They left their driver window open and a very lucky possum helped itself to a banana and some weetabix before leaving its calling card! The signs said, 'Please do not feed the local wildlife.' I was tempted to add a postscript along these lines,'They will quite happily help themselves!'
We ventured out into the spectacular scenery of the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch. The rocks have been weathered into the most fabulous shapes and the Arch lies off the edge of great slabs of rock where a colony of New Zealand Fur Seals live. I was so busy looking at their antics in the sea and in the rock pools that when I turned and viewed this magnificent weathered arch of rock I was quite 'blown-away.'
We viewed koalas in the wild, bush turkeys and yellow beaked geese,from the area. It was all a quite fabulous wilderness. There had been a big bush fire in the forests in the west and I wondered about the local wildlife as it had been quite extensive.
We left on Monday morning and headed to Goolwa, where Ross and Helen lived in a fabulous bungalow. We had the best time in a real house with a lounge etc. It was quite bewildering after our time on the road.
We have been invited to visit Ross and Helen in the centre where they run a store in an aboriginal community, just north of Ayers Rock. That will be another story and I really look forward to it. They were fabulous hosts and fantastic people.
Adelaide
Well, what an adventure. Have just returned from Kangaroo Island, off the south coast of Southern Australia, our second state.
After the apparent emptiness and heat of Perth, the emptiness and endlessness of heat, red road and flies on the Nullabor, we settled on the foreshore of Ceduna, a little town on the coast, and met our first Aboriginal people. Unfortunately they were drunk and constantly being moved on from place to place. They sat on the foreshore, under the trees, not far from the bottle shop, and staggered between the pier and the trees. They are an unknown entity to me as I have only seen three small groups, in towns, following this pattern. Since this we have picked up some information from local people and been to the Adelaide Museum, where there was quite an informative display about various aspects of Aboriginal life.
We were quite impressed with the city of Adelaide itself. It is clean and spread out. We popped in and out on the local buses for a $7 ticket, exploring the various features. There are
four main variations: the hills, the wine regions, the city and the coast, a wonderful variety of options, and so easy to get to.
The second that we visited, after the city itself, were the Adelaide Hills, where we visited the vantage point of Mount Lofty, viewing the whole of Adelaide out to the seashore, wonderful. Next to this we wandered around the Cleland Wildlife Park. Here, the local flora and fauna was available for our inspection. We saw snoozing wombats in their dens with glass sides. I was really surprised at how big and solid they were, like bulldogs. The only animals enclosed were the ones that sometimes bite! Although thesae looked cuddly they were not!
The wallabies and kangaroos just lounged around in the woodlands that we walked through. One large, very white kangaroo was lying on his back with his paws in the air. All the others lay like dogs, on their sides. I was convinced that he had died until a rather lazy paw came up a few minutes later, to scratch an ear in an abstracted way! The koalas were sleepy and folded up so tightly it was hard to see their faces. They lodge their pudgy little bodies in a fork of a tree and snooze for 18 out of 24 hours, partly because they are mildly intoxicated and partly because the eucalyptus gives poor nutrients so they do not have much energy, poor old souls. They do look a bit out of it!!!! My next favourite were the birds of the forest, the elusive but noisy Kookaburra, the Splendid wren, a tiny bird with the most amazing bright blue plummage, the multi-coloured, vociferous parrots and lorikeets and the huge black and white Pelicans that lift on the wind as light as a feather, magnificent. I have akready seen the largest bird of prey, the Wedge-tailed Eagle, eating road-kill on the Nullabor! We saw dingos and lizards too.
Our next foray was to the beach of Glenelg, where the world volleyball championships were about to take place. This was a bustling little town, packed with a variety of eating places and bars. We liked the bustling atmosphere. On Easter Sunday we drove up into the Barrossa wine region. The scenery was so different and very beautiful. We saw where Hardy's and Jacob's Creek wineries were situated but had a tasting and cheese plate at the Trevor Jones winery before returning to the camp-site on the Torrens river, only 4kms from town. We had been to West Beach and stayed at Adelaide Shores but had to move over the Easter weekend.
All in all, I feel that we saw a fair amount of the region and found it very much to our liking.
After the apparent emptiness and heat of Perth, the emptiness and endlessness of heat, red road and flies on the Nullabor, we settled on the foreshore of Ceduna, a little town on the coast, and met our first Aboriginal people. Unfortunately they were drunk and constantly being moved on from place to place. They sat on the foreshore, under the trees, not far from the bottle shop, and staggered between the pier and the trees. They are an unknown entity to me as I have only seen three small groups, in towns, following this pattern. Since this we have picked up some information from local people and been to the Adelaide Museum, where there was quite an informative display about various aspects of Aboriginal life.
We were quite impressed with the city of Adelaide itself. It is clean and spread out. We popped in and out on the local buses for a $7 ticket, exploring the various features. There are
four main variations: the hills, the wine regions, the city and the coast, a wonderful variety of options, and so easy to get to.
The second that we visited, after the city itself, were the Adelaide Hills, where we visited the vantage point of Mount Lofty, viewing the whole of Adelaide out to the seashore, wonderful. Next to this we wandered around the Cleland Wildlife Park. Here, the local flora and fauna was available for our inspection. We saw snoozing wombats in their dens with glass sides. I was really surprised at how big and solid they were, like bulldogs. The only animals enclosed were the ones that sometimes bite! Although thesae looked cuddly they were not!
The wallabies and kangaroos just lounged around in the woodlands that we walked through. One large, very white kangaroo was lying on his back with his paws in the air. All the others lay like dogs, on their sides. I was convinced that he had died until a rather lazy paw came up a few minutes later, to scratch an ear in an abstracted way! The koalas were sleepy and folded up so tightly it was hard to see their faces. They lodge their pudgy little bodies in a fork of a tree and snooze for 18 out of 24 hours, partly because they are mildly intoxicated and partly because the eucalyptus gives poor nutrients so they do not have much energy, poor old souls. They do look a bit out of it!!!! My next favourite were the birds of the forest, the elusive but noisy Kookaburra, the Splendid wren, a tiny bird with the most amazing bright blue plummage, the multi-coloured, vociferous parrots and lorikeets and the huge black and white Pelicans that lift on the wind as light as a feather, magnificent. I have akready seen the largest bird of prey, the Wedge-tailed Eagle, eating road-kill on the Nullabor! We saw dingos and lizards too.
Our next foray was to the beach of Glenelg, where the world volleyball championships were about to take place. This was a bustling little town, packed with a variety of eating places and bars. We liked the bustling atmosphere. On Easter Sunday we drove up into the Barrossa wine region. The scenery was so different and very beautiful. We saw where Hardy's and Jacob's Creek wineries were situated but had a tasting and cheese plate at the Trevor Jones winery before returning to the camp-site on the Torrens river, only 4kms from town. We had been to West Beach and stayed at Adelaide Shores but had to move over the Easter weekend.
All in all, I feel that we saw a fair amount of the region and found it very much to our liking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)