We all got up a bit late after last night's party, Shirley seems to have caught the cold, Rich and I are a lot better.
Sunbathed and did washing, in the afternoon R & D had another go at the fence
Fri Jan 2nd
A lovely sunny day, Shirley a bit better. We went to Maclaren Vale, a winery region. We called at a couple of wineries and had tasters, the second one we called at, Kays, was at the top of a hill with wonderful views.
We went down into the town and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant, well we thought it was lunchtime butit was actually 2.30 and we wondered why they were so quiet! we only realised when we left at 3.40 that they closed at 3! still it was lovely food.
Sat 3rd Jan
A lovely hot sunny day again, did a bit of washing and sat outside and read, after lunch we went to Mawson Lakes, this is a newish suburb, very expensive houses built round lakes, lots of green grass and flowers on the road leading up to them, very different to the usual sunburned ground. S & I were looking for a hairdresser that had been recommended, we found him and made an appointment for next week and got some groceries. Sat out again till tea time, I booked a trip for next week to Kangaroo Island. Rich & I took a walk along the creek, saw lots of birds.
Sun 4th Jan
Another lovely, sunny day. We went to Williamstown to Kim & Adin's for a BBQ, lots of lovely food sitting in the sun and chatting, all their children & grandchildren were there plus some other friends, had a laugh at Adin's magpie again, she'd gone missing overnight and he had been so worried but she turned up this morning, she is frightened of the wild birds as they attack her.
Mon 5th Jan
Shirley and I took the bus to the Marion shopping centre, it took about an hour and a half. There were sales on but they were much the same as in the city and Tea Tree Plaza, different branches of the same shops, still we had a good mooch round and a bit of lunch. We were looking for Harvey Norman as we had seen MP3 players advertised very cheap, on asking we were told that it was not in the centre so we got back on the bus and the driver dropped us where we could walk to it, we both bought a 2gig MP3 player for $48 (£24) which we thought was good value. It was a lovely hot day. When we got back I packed for tomorrow .
Tue 6th Jan
We got up very early and Derek took us to the bus station to catch the coach for a trip to Kangaroo Island, off the coast of South Australia it is 90 miles long x40 miles wide. There was a bit of a mix up to start as there were 3 coaches and the man in the ticket office told us bay 2 but none of the buses were in there, eventually it got sorted out and we got on the last one (having been almost first to arrive!) A long journey to Cape Jervis down the Fleurie Peninsular, we saw a few kangaroos. As we got further down the scenery changed and was quite hilly, low rounded hills and yellow with dry grass. When we arrived at the ferry office we had to put our cases on a van then go aboard as foot passengers. It was a lovely hot sunny day so we spent the 40 mins journey on the deck, we ate the sandwiches we had brought with us and enjoyed the sunshine, we spotted some dolphins as we neared Kangaroo Island.
When we got off the ferry we reclaimed our case and got allocated to one of three coaches, two passengers were missing and turned up after about ten minutes and we were the last coach to leave. Our driver was Les, who turned out to be the very friendly and informative making the trip most enjoyable for us.
The first stop was at Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery. http://www.emuridge.com.au/
We were shown round by the owner, Larry, and it was interesting to see how they distill the oil from eucalyptus leaves using only materials that are local and sustainable, the process is just like distilling alcohol , Larry had taken over the farm from his father but changed it from sheep rearing when they were struggling in the 90s reviving the oil distilling industry that had once been the major industry on the island.
We then went on to Seal Bay Cafe for lunch, it was a good lunch, meat, salad, veg and finished with a pavlova. After lunch we went to Vivonne Bay, a beautiful spot with turquoise sea and gentle surf, Les told us his family used to have a shack there when they were boys.
We then went on to a Birds of Prey Free Flight demonstration, this was interesting, only a small place with birds that seemed very happy and quite tame.
Les made a short stop to show us the local "Post Office" which consisted of various post boxes for families that lived away from the road, the "post boxes" were various, an old washing machine drum, a tumble dryer, plastic containers, oil drums and what looked like small kennels on poles, the people would come and collect their mail and the post man would take any to be posted.
We carried on to Seal Bay where we were taken to the beach to see sealions, these have come back since being almost wiped out by fur traders in the first years of colonization, they are wild and we could only go within 8 metres of them so as not to disturb them.
Then we continued to Parndana Wildlife Park. With a quick detour around the town of Parndana.
http://bestofkangarooisland.com.au/parndarna/index.html
This is a small park where it is possible to feed kangaroos and get close to them and koalas as well as other animals and birds, it is a refuge for injured and orphaned animals.
Next stop was Island Pure Sheep Dairy.
http://goodfoodkangarooisland.com/midnortheast/islandpure/index.asp
Here they milk sheep in a milking parlour which is a small version of a cattle parlour, they make cheese and yoghurt, we watched the sheep being milked and tasted the cheese and yoghurt, some of the cheese was very nice.
At the end of this busy day we started dropping people off at their accomodation, most people were staying in Kingscote so there were just 6 of us to go on to Penneshaw which was about an hours drive We booked in to our B & B, Seaview Lodge, this was very nice, an old homestead renovated to modern standard, we had a small room with en suite, Barbara, the owner, was very welcoming and friendly, it was more like being a guest in someones very elegant home.
Barbara took us in to town after we had freshened up a bit. We had a meal in the pub and then went on a Penguin Watch walk. We saw a few penguins but as there was quite a few children it was not a very sucessful trip. We walked a couple of times round the very small town before we found the way back!
Wed 7th Jan
Up early to a super cooked breakfast and out ready to be picked up at 07.30, it had rained overnight and was still raining lightly. There were only 4 of us a one couple had gone back on the ferry last night so we were lucky enought to get the front seat. On the journey to Kingscote Les was as entertaining as ever giving us information and stopping when he saw kangaroos for us to film, he also took us to Pennington Bay which we hadn't time to go to yesterday.
Once we had picked up all the other people we went to Clifford's Honey Farm where the owner gave us a talk about bee keeping and honey production, the bees on Kangaroo Island are Ligurian bees and are protected with other bees being excluded, we tasted various products, bought a honey ice cream and were off again. Les told us that he had been full of arthritis but one day he got caught in a swarm of bees and stung many times and althought this was not pleasant at the time since then he had been free from arthritis! Someone wanted to buy something from the Eucalyptus Distillery so Les made a detour then on to Kelly Hill Caves. These are Limestone caves which we were taken down to see stalactites and stalegmites, then on for lunch at Beckwiths Farm, by this time the day had cleared and it was sunny again. The lunch was good again, soup, meat, salad etc. When we had finished Les walked us through the gum trees to see koalas, unfortunately we didn't see any which Les said was very unusual, we did see a couple of wallabys. In the grounds there was a public phone box which was actually an old bakers van from about the 20s, it had shafts for a horse, apparently when they applied for a public phone they were told they would have to supply the booth so they utilised what they had available!
After lunch we went on to Flinders Chase National Park, this occupies one third of the island and has never been cleared of natural vegetation, there were winding, hilly roads like a switchback, Les amused us all by pretending to run at them and fly over the top! There had been a fire in 2007 which had destroyed many trees and thousands of animals (probably why we didn't see any wild koalas), the vegetation was starting to regenerate, the only plant that was not destroyed was the Yakka, Les told us how they harvested the gum from this plant which was then used as a fire retardent material. We stopped at Remarkable Rocks wierd granite formations weatherd by wind and sea, then on to Cape du Couedic lighthouse and down to Admirals Arch, another rock formation where there were dozens of seals lying and swimming around.
Back to Kingscote again to watch Pelicans being fed by an old chap who does it every day of the year.
We then drove back to Penneshaw where we had time for fish and chips before getting on the ferry. We got back to Adelaide about 10.20 and Derek was waiting to meet us at the bus staion.
We'd had a wonderful, if busy, couple of days, the trip was very good, the scenery was amazing and the roads so long and straight for most of the way, only one tarmacked road all the rest were graded tracks the trees are different to the mainland, lots of Mallee, which are multi trunk trees that regenerate if cut down. We saw kangaroos and guanas (lizards), cockatoos, we did not see any cats but apparently the island has a real problem with feral cats, descended from lost/abandoned domestic pets, they are killing many native small animals and everyone tries to kill as many as they can, there were cat skins on display at the Eucalyptus Distillery. The only downside to me was the amount of roadkill, there were literally dozens of dead kangaroos, wallabys, possums, guanas etc as well as piles of bones everywhere, there is a law on the island that you are not allowed to move any animal that you kill ??? which leaves the roads strewn with dead animals, this was apparently because some officials came for a day and took a drive round, they didn't see any kangaroos so they decided that they were endangered and forbade anyone to kill them or remove the carcass of any accidently killed. Les told us that they lived almost exclusivly on kangaroo meat when they first farmed, before they got stock fences up and had their own animals, he and his brother would get pocket money by preparing and selling the hides.
We (and everyone else on the bus) felt that the trip was made extra special by Les. He is a real character and so informative, he told us how his family came to the island in 1951, his father came as part of the Retired Soldiers Scheme (RSL). The government allocated land to any returned soldiers who wanted it. The first 15 came out in 1948, they stayed in a camp for 3 years and cleared land and built houses, they then moved onto the cleared land and the next 15 families came, they stayed in the camp for 3 years and so it carried on. There were 3 catagories catagory 1 they were completely reliant on the government who paid them an allowance, catagory 2 they were semi self reliant then catagory 3 they were self sufficient and had to pay back the loan. Les's father had died in his 50s from his war wounds, his brother took on the farm but he died in his 30s in a trailer accident so the farm was sold. Les started his own transport business when he was very young and ended up with the largest haulage firm on the island, he gave up when the ferry was stopped from Kingscote, he only had to put his trailers on the ferry then they would be hitched up on the mainland by someone else and taken to Adelaide. He told us so many stories about the old people on the island and their way of life, we told him he should write a book.
http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/SAKangarooIsland.shtml#Things%20to%20see
Thurs Jan 8th
Lovely sunny day, sorted photos and played about with new MP3s,didn't do a lot else, S & I went to get hair cut in the afternoon, a bit better than the last one.
Fri Jan 9th
Shirley went to work, I wrote this. A lovely hot sunny day.
Sat Jan 10th
Another scorcher, S & I went for groceries and got food ready for tomorrow.
Sun Jan 11th
Set off early for Victor Harbour,
Derek had a F.F. meeting so we all went, it was a drive of about an hour and a half, we dropped Derek off and aftre dropping the food off at Tim's into the town, Tim is Karen's son and he and his partner have 3 little girls. We had a look around the market first, it was mostly fresh fruit, crafts and second hand stalls. We then walked over the causway to Granite Island just off the coast, the causway is a wooden walkway - like a jetty- but it has tram tracks for the horse drawn tram that rund back and forth.
We had a walk round the small island and then caught the tram back. Then we drove to the Bluff, an old whalers lookout point, we then went to Tim's for lunch. Tim's little girls were not at all shy and very well mannered for ones so young, I'd taken them a book each and they were thrilled and wanted to read them straight away, they are very bright.
We then went to see if Derek was ready but as he wasn't we went to look around Port Elliot, another small town nearby, there were craft and second hand shops and a small market, lovely old style houses and shops, I got some "Croc" sandals, we stopped for a drink then went back for Derek, he still hadn't finished - 6 hours later!! we waited about half an hour for him then set off for home. When we got back to Adelaide we called at Vili's, a very famous pie shop, for supper. Vili is Hungarian and when he arrived he was a poor immigrant but after eating a bought pie decided he could make them better himself so he did. http://www.vilis.com/
Mon Jan 12th
Another hot day, did not do much, S & I went to the library to see if we could get some CDs or crochet patterns. The library is amazing, very big, they supply mini shopping trollies to collect your books in, there were a couple of dozen computers, nearly all being used, and as well as books, CDs & DVDs they loan magazines, games and jigsaw puzzles, they also have a large section of talking books, it was quite an eye opener. We borrowed some CDS and books, you can have as many as you like and they give you a list on a till roll of what you have taken.
Rich and Derek started cutting down the palm trees, cut the first one by hand, then went and hired a chain saw.
Tue Jan 13th
Very hot day, R & D started on the trees very early, had them finished and logged by 09.30.
We went to supermarket for groceries and when we got back it was so hot - over 100c we had to stay in with air con. on.
There was a bush fire reported up in Port Lincoln, no fatalities but at least 2 homes destroyed. In the evening we watched an awful film we'd got from the library, a Western with Fred Astaire in it!
Wed Jan 14th
Another hot day, Rich tidied up the front garden while it was relatively cool, S & I went to Spotlight, a large craft store. Did not do much else as it was too hot again.
Another hot day, not quite as hot as yesterday
Thurs Jan 15th
Rich & I decided to go to Carrick Hill, a house and gardens just outside the city. We got the bus into the city and when we got on the bus to go there the driver said it was not open today so we decided to take a bus to Port Adelaide, we waited almost 3/4hr for a bus but finally got there, we had lunch in the Lighthouse pub, it was lovely, we sat and watched the river for a while then got the bus back, it had been very hot again.
Fri Jan 16th
Shirley at work today so did not do much, another hot day
Sat Jan 17th
Derek took us to Cuddly Creek wildlife park, it was super, lots of kangaroos to walk amongst and feed and we were able to hold a koala, beautiful birds and animals, a super hot day.
In the evening we went into the city to the Strathmore Hotel for a meal for our birthdays, it was great, we had stonegrilled meals, raw meat brought to you with a stone heated to 400 degrees and you cooked your meat as you wanted it, great.
Sun Jan 18th
Derek drove us to the railway station in good time to book in, we booked in then looked around the place took some pics etc. The train left spot on time, 12.20, we were welcomed on board by Jessica the cabin steward, she showed us to our cabin & explained how to make up the bunks, the cabin was snug but private. not long after we'd started we stopped for about half an hour to let the Indian Pacific and a goods train pass, we passed through Snowtown then Crystal Brook, this is where the railway lines for three services converge, we then passed through Coonamia near Port Pirie and on to Port Augusta where we stopped for 5 minutes & could get off to stretch our legs and for smokers to have their last cigarette before Alice Springs in 24 hours! The scenery was various types of bush and scrub and beyond Port Augusta the earth was red, we saw salt lakes but little water and what we did see looked muddy and brackish, we saw some sheep , emus and 3 Major Mitchell's Cockatoos, it became ovrecast as the day went on. We had the sandwiches we had taken for lunch then a cup of tea and a snack about 4pm and a "meal" at 7,30. Jessica saw Rich with a bottle of beer and said we were not allowed to bring our own drink on board, she was very good about it and said she hadn't seen it, we told her it was all we had (liars) we made sure the door was closed whenever we got it out after that! The food was very disappointing, in a plastic takeaway container with plastic cutlery, like airline food only worse. The dining car was pleasant with large windows with views to either side, our cabin had a smaller window with a view of just one side. Rich got the bunks sorted and we settled down for the night, Rich did not sleep well as he had the top bunk and no window, it was very close to the roof and claustrophobic. We stopped for 3 hours during the night, this was to change from South Australian driver to Northern Territories driver, we also had to change watches by an hour.
Mon 19th Jan
Woke early and managed to get washed and dressed in very confined space, we had wash basin in the cabinRich went for a cup of tea, he met Jessica who was bringing us a cha,pagne breakfast to our cabin for my birthday which was very nice, consequently I dozed for a while! The scenery was much the same as yesterday, various scrub, red, sandy earth , a few small hills and a little brackish water, we saw 4 horses, quite a few birds of prey and some cattle also more Major Mitchells, there were also quite a few rusted cars beside the track, there seemed to be a track running alongside the railway most of the way. We passed into the Northern Territory at about 11 AM and it became overcast and started to rain just south of Alice Springs, had another not very good snack, we passed through Heavitree Gap and arrived in Alice at 1.40 N.T. time.
We got a taxi to our hotel, Heavitree Gap Outback Lodge, as we booked in we enquired about the shuttle bus and were told that it was not running, we wanted to go and film the Ghan leaving. We settled in our room which was ok, there were hundreds of crickets jumpoing all over the place, we then had a swim in the pool and decided to walk into town, it took us over an hour and even though it was trying to rain it was very humid (over 2 miles) we had to wait for the train to leave and when we had filmed it walked back, again over an hour.
We went to the Tavern which was attached to the hotel and had a marvelous steak, the tavern was a proper outback pub with pokies, there was one old chap sitting at the pokies all the time we were there and he kept dropping off, we felt sure he would end up on the floor as he was on a high bar stool. After the meal we went to see the Black Footed Rock Wallabies that come down to feed.
Tue 20th Jan
http://www.aptouring.com.au/content.asp?Document_ID=25107
We had to be up early to be picked up for our trip at 06.15 but as I'd forgotten to change the time on my phone we were up at 0400 instead of 0500!! then the bus did not arrive si I rang up and was told it was not due until 0650. It had rained over night. The bus finally arrived and it was a nice new air conditioned one, there were only 15 people on board. We sat just behind the driver but regreted it as he was the most fidgety driver we'd ever seen, he was constantly shifting position, running his hands through his hair, scratching his head, leaning back then hunching forward and steering with his arms whilst he cracked all his knuckles or picked at his finger nails, it was very off putting, especially as he spent most of his time driving over the white line on the wrong side of the road then yanking back to the right side, we felt he was an accident waiting to happen, luckily the roads were long and straight with very little other traffic. His name was Karl and he was a nice enough chap and gave us lots of interesting information throughout the trip. We drove along the Stuart Highway, named after John MacDouall Stuart an explorer, then turned onto the Lasseter Highway, named after a man named Lasseter who claimed to have found a fabulous gold reef in the centre of Australia, he never was able to find it again even though he mounted several expeditions, he died in the outback on his last attempt and his journal said he had found it again but no one else has ever seen it. We stopped at the Ebenezer Road House for a drink, there were camel rides available but no one took the offer up, there were lots of crickets around again and Rainbow Bee Eaters were swooping down in a flash of iridescant green and catching them in flight. We then stopped and climbed a red sand dune beside the road to take pictures of Conners Mount, a large, flat topped mountain in the distance and also a salt lake the other side of the dune.
The bus stopped at the junction to let two people off to get onto another coach so we moved back to their seats. We crossed the Finke River, which had a few puddles in it only, it is said to be one of the pldest rivers in the world, it forms in the MacDonnell Ranges and runs only when it rains but only occasionaly it's entire length where it disappears into the Simpson Desert. We continued to Kata Tjuta and took a walk through Walpa Gorge,
this was quite a steep climb in 40 degree heat, it was hard going and not a lot to see at the end, but spectacular views, we had bought fly nets and thought we would look daft wearing them but we were so glad of them as the flies were awful, also nearly everyone was wearing them.
We then continued to the Outback Pioneers Lodge at Ayers Rock Resort and booked in, the room was basic but adequate, we had been worried that we would have to share as our itinery said "shared accomodation" but it was the washing/toilet facilities that were shared, like on camp sites, so we were very relieved to have a cabin to ourselves. We got on the shuttle bus that ran around the resort to a small shopping mall and got a bit of food which was very expensive as all that was there were three or four hotels. We were picked up later to go to watch Uluru at sunset, we had chairs provided to sit down and nibbles and wine, we chatted to people off the coach, Jan & Gene and two other couples, all doing as we're doing and having a "pensioners gap year", as we were sitting there Rich spotted a small insect that looked just like a grass seed head blowing around, we showed it to Karl and he hadn't seen one before and afterwards he told us he'd asked all the other guides if they recognised it but they didn't, he said we should have caught it as it may be a previously unknown species. The sunset was spectacular and the colours ovre Uluru wonderful, we had been worried we would not see a lot as it was quite cloudy. We were back in the resort by 8.30 had a snack and bed.
Wed 21st Jan
We were picked up at 0545 to go to see Uluru at sunrise, again we had the chairs and cups of tea and biscuits, the sunrise colours were not as spectacular as last night but the sky behind was vrey pretty. We then went on the Mala walk, this took us along the base of Uluru and Karl explained about the geology, Uluru is one gigantic stone called an inselberg with more below ground than above, it was formed as sandstone in a vast inland sea that once covered Australia and was uptilted to 90 degrees by tectonic plate movement then worn away by the elements.
Karl also told us about various plants and also about the Mala, a small kangaroo that almost became extinct but is now in a breeding programme trying to reintroduce it to the wild, but they don't think they will be successful as the few they had set loose were soon killed by, feral cats, foxes etc.
We then went on another short walk to a water hole it was very hot around 38 - 40 degrees, we then went on to the Cultural Centre where they were selling items made by Abotiginals, there were two sitting doing dot paintings, the Aboriginals now own Uluru but allow tours to go there with various restrictions. We booked out of the Pioneer Lodge and travelled on to Watarrka National Park
we stopped at Kings Creek Station for a drink and then on to our accomodation at Kings Canyon Lodge, again basic with shared facilities, much more basic though just like a garage! but they had a nice pool, we hadn't brought ou swimming costumes with us so we went in in our clothes it was that hot! We then went to watch the sunset over the George Gill Range behind our site, it was another spectacular sunset, then an early night.
Thurs 22nd Jan
Picked up at 0545 again for a walk into Kings Canyon,
again Karl was very interesting about the geology,vegetation, bush tucker and Aboriginal beliefs, there were lovely flowes magnificant Red River Gums and Desert Oaks, we saw a Grey Shrike Thrush and another small bird also a Kangroo with her young, it started off quite cool but was very hot by the time we finished.
We went back to the accomodation and had another swim before being picked up at 11.30we travelled back by the Lasseter Highway and Stuart Highway, calling again at Kings Creek Roadhouse and Erldunda Roadhouse, we also picked up some more people, it was another hot day 40 degrees again, scenery much as it had been, Spinifax, Desert Oaks Wattle, and scrub on red earth, it was a lot greener than usual as they had had rain. We arrived back in Heavitree Gap by 5.30.
We went for a swim but the pool was crowded with people who were there for a wedding of a staff member and was full of childrenb jumping and splashing, we had a cool down though then went for a steak at the Tavern again.
Fri 23rd Jan
We were picked up by the Alice Shuttle, a hop on hop off bus, our first stop was at the Old Telegraph Station,
Alice Springs grew from this site, they set up an overland telegraph line from Darwin in 1872 and this was the first European settlement in the outback, in the 1930s when the telegraph station closed the site was used as a "home" called "The Bungalow" for the half caste children that were taken from their parents (known as the lost generation) the authorities thought that they would be better off being brought up in European ways, some children never saw their families again.
We called at Anzac Hill, the war memorial, wonderful views over the whole town and then went on to the School of the Air, this was very interesting providing education for children living up to a thousand Kms away, it started by using the Flying Doctor radio but now is all done by satellite and computer, it was lovely and cool in there and we got a cup of tea. Then we went on to the National Transport Hall of Fame and Kenworth Dealer Hall of Fame, Kenworth present them with a new model each year for the collection, with only delivery mileage on! this was very interesting again, especially to Rich,
they had the original Road Train converted from an ex army vehicle,
we stopped for a snack and had an interesting chat with the lady volunteer who told us that they all got free lodgings while they worked there, she also told us that a road was out because of rain so supplies were not getting through, and Darwin had run out of milk! you cannot got East or West out of Alice only up or down so it is a long way round if you want to go East or West. We did not have time to see the Old Ghan museum. We then went to the Cultural Centre where we met up with Jan & Gene from our bus, we'd passed them a couple of times during the day. We looked round the Old Gaol, very grim , and the Pioneer Womens Heritage Centre, we then went to Todd Mall the old town centre, now pedestrianised,
we stopped for a cool drink and I bought a bag, it was a very hot day again and then we got on the shuttle again and went to pick Jan & Gene up at the Aviation Museum (he was in aviation and had wanted to see the DC3, the plane he'd first worked on) and they had been hanging around as it had closed at 4.00. The driver told us that property prices in Alice are very high as there is a shortage of building land, the town has now spread out as far as it can go and meets the Aboriginal lands or Pastoral leases (farms) so there is no more land available for the town to grow, they are trying to negotiate witht the Aboriginals but it is proving difficult. The Todd River begins in the Mac Donnell Ranges and goes through Heavitree Gap and Alice Springs, this is a dry, sandy river bed most of the year until it rains. We went back to Hotel had another dip in pool full of kids. We went for a takeawy but it was closed so had a meal in the tavern again, then went to feed the Black Footed Rock Wallabies, so cute! and a Kangaroo came down to drink.
Some insects seen at Heavitree Gap
Sat 24th Jan
Picked up at 0700 by Groovy Grape tour bus, mini bus! We got on board and there were youngsters asleep all over the place and backpacks all over the floor, we were just wondering where on earth we would be able to sit when a lad got up and gave us his seat ( 2 seats) there were 12 young girls, mostly Dutch and 2 boys, Danny, an Asustralian who gave us his seat, and a Dutch lad and Mark the driver. It is 950 miles from Alice to Adelaide. We set off at 0700 and our first stop was at Erldunda Roadhouse at 0900, most of the youngsters slept all the way. We stopped at Marla at about 1 pm for a picnic,
there was a tin roof propped up with tree trunks with a table and about 6 chairs - all very dirty and dusty - a sink of sorts and a bench. Mark got boxes out of the trailer and passed out chopping boards, we all helped to chop up tomatoes, cucumber, peppers & lettuce and he produced packs of cooked meat, bread & Wraps, Mayonaise & sauces with apples for after, we all had our snack, I attempted to make a wrap but was not very successful and got laughed at for it, it was also difficult trying to eat through a fly net ! we then cleared up, throwing away all the unused food, and were on the road again by 2 pm. We arrived at Coober Pedy at about 4.30 ( 428 miles)
Mark took us to our accomodation,
it was an underground bunk house carved out of the hillside with curtained alcoves all along and bunk beds, we were issued with a pillow, pillow case, top sheet and bottom sheet to make our beds up, it was a cross between a prison and a hospital! We were then taken to an opal mine where we had a film about opals and how they are formed and mined & then for a look down a mine where we could see the opal in the rock,
you first see "potch" and that, hopefully, leads you to an opal seam. Coober Pedy only exists because of opals being found there and as it is so hot people decided it is better to live underground in the old mine openings, Coober Pedy is Aborigine for white man's burrows, the majority of people still live underground as it is just too hot otherwise.
We were taken into an underground house and it has all modern comforts, fitted kitchen etc, they have no heating or cooling bills but water is very expensive.
It is against the law to mine within the town limits now (they blast with home made explosives) but if you say that you are "improving" your house you can still dig by hand, apparently there is one house with 21 rooms! After the mine tour we had a look round the shop where they sell the opals, I happened to see a pair of earings that had the same setting as my opal ring so I had to buy them! We went for a drink in an underground bar before meeting Mark again at a pizza place for our tea (food was provided on this trip) we had quite a jolly evening with all the youngsters, especially Danny who was a bit nuts!
Straight to bed and actually slept! it was quite, dark & cool.
Sun 25th Jan
Up at 4 am,
stripped our beds and got breakfast, cereal & toast and on the road by 05.15, had a bit of a doze until the first stop at Glendambo at 0800, the youngsters were all asleep again, they'd been partying till all hours. We carried on and stopped at Lake Hart, a vast salt lake, where we got out to have a look, we had to cross the Ghan track to get to it.
When we got back on the bus we realised that a bottle of pop, new and unopened, had burst all over my leather rucksack, it was a terrible mess, everything sticky and swimming in pop!!, we mopped up as best we could but when we got home and checked it out had to throw my organiser and all the photos in it away, managed to save addresses and phone no's though. We carried on and arrived at Port Germain at 1.30where we stopped for lunch,
today we were on the sea front in a huge shed by the longest jetty in Australia, the jetty is so long because pearls used to be brought by boat from Broome and the sea is so shallow and goes out so far, the shed we had our picnic in was an old pearl sorting shed. When the boats had delivered the pearls they would take fleeces back from the farmers in the Flinders. We had our picnic and chatted to Mark, he used to drive road trains, we then got on the road again, Mark played "On the Road Again" from my MP3 player and I had to find 'Danny Boy" for Danny and play that. The youngsters all slept again, we arrived in Adelaide at 4.30 (525 miles), we dropped some of the girls off at hostels, they mostly seemed to be travelling alone, and Derek picked us up from the bus station.
Mon 26th Jan
Australia Day, we went into the city with S & D as they were in the parade with the Friendship Force, we left them in Hindmarch Square and walked to Elder Park where the parade ended, it was very hot.
We watched the parade which was very colourful, various ethnic groups in national costume, Koreans, Poles, Nepalese, German, Chinese, Japanese, Cook Islanders, Iranians and many more, there were old cars, MGs, Fords, re-enactment societies, Australian Marines, Australian Light Horse, a coopers dray and other horses, pipe bands.
It was very interesting, good natured and colourful. When the parade was finished we stayed at the park for a while for the formalities, including a 21 gun salute, and new Australians taking the vow. We then went to Glenelg, it was VERY busy and VERY hot, you could hardly move for people, mostly youngsters, we made our way to the beach and found a spot, Derek went into the town, S paddled and R & I swam but it was so noisy and packed with people, mostly teens yelling at the top of their voices showing off to each other, when you looked up to the jetty it was like ants continually going to and fro. Lads where jumping off the jetty despite being told not to by the police, it is an offence. We met up with Deek again and had a drink in a pub before going home.
Tue Jan 27th
Very hot again, S & I went to a cheap grocery shop and got some bargains, then back and started sorting her fabric out, Karen is having a "Garage Sale" as she is moving so S decided to get rid of fabric she no longer wants. Temprature in the 43c
Wed Jan 28th
S had to go to meeting in the city so I went with her and went round Ayres House, a mansion of one of the early settlers who made good, got in free with my National Trust membership. I then met Shirley and we had a quick look round shops and back. It had been the hottest day for 70 yrs.
Thurs Jan 29th
Restless night as so hot, 35 degrees at midnight. Finished sorting fabric then went grocery shopping. In the evening we went to Bobbi & Robin's, Robin's sister and her husband were there also and two students, one Korean and one Chinese, the chinese lad was very interested in learning about our culture and asked a lot of questions about England and the seasons, he told us a lot about how he and his family live as well, he was very enthusiastic, we had a very good evening.
Fri Jan 30th
Another very hot night, S went to work but came home at 2 oclock as it was so hot, it was a couple of degrees cooler than yesterday though. In the afternoon Derek "tested" the sprinklers in the shade house and we all happened to be standing there at the time!!!
Sat Jan 31st
Another very hot day. In the afternon we ent to Adelaide Central Market where there is a large Chinse/Asian section and there were Chinese New Year celebrations going on which we watched for a while, very colouful.
Sun Feb 1st
Stayed in with air con an all day as another very hot day.
Mon Feb 2nd
Derek had a meeting for Friendship Force so S took us to the beach, great fun, surf quite rough and could hardly stand but enjoyed it and cooled of fine.
Tue Feb 3rd
Stayed in, baked a cake, hot again.
Wed Feb 4th
It was just a bit cooler today, I was able to eat my breakfast on the veranda. Derek took us to the Barossa Valley up through Jacobs Creek, we called at Angaston first, this was where Uncle Harry had his last ministry, a lovely old town where the buildings seemed to have not changed for 100 years, we had a walk round got a bit of lunch then walked down to the war memorial and a statue to a Clydsedale horse, the horse had been very important to the history of the town as in the early days everything had to be brought in by horse and farmers needed them for ploughing.
"Angaston is perhaps the most uncharacteristic of the Barossa's major towns. Nestled in the Barossa Ranges at the eastern end of the valley, it has two beautiful parks a small creek flows through its centre and good examples of colonial architecture are dotted throughout the town. Its main industries are wine and dried fruit, principally apricots and other stone fruit. It boasts two of the Barossa's oldest wineries, and a dried fruit outlet. The valley's German influence is over shadowed here by the character of George Fife Angas, a founder of South Australia and sponsor of many of the valley's early German settlers. "
We then went on to Peter Lehman's Winery and had a tasting, it was set by a creek with a lovely garden and they were setting the grounds up for a concert by Simply Red at the weekend, we then on to Richmond Grove Winery which was almost next door, then Cockatoo Ridge and Vine Estates, a smaller concern, we bought some wine at Vine Estates. We were heading for Bethany when Shirley spotted a patchwork shop, in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, we stopped there and S & I had a look round, there were classes being held and some wonderful quilts. We went on to Bethany;
"BETHANY
This is the valley's oldest German settlement, founded in 1842 by a group of Lutheran families - the settlements biblical name an indication of their devotion. They mapped out their village along prussian lines. The cottages facing the road replicate those the settlers lived in before coming to Australia. Several have been restored and are open to the public in the form of craft shops and art galleries. The village reserve is a great spot for a picnic, even down to the idyllic creek flowing through it. It has a strong resemblance to villages in northern Germany and Poland."
We called at the family run winery there, it was set on the hillside and had wonderful views. We travelled back via Tanunda, Lyndoch and Gawler.
"Population: l5.000 Gawler is South Australia's oldest country town, and boasts more grand colonial buildings than most. It was laid out in 1839 and is one of the many places in the state to bear the second South Australian governor's name. In the I9th century it was known as the 'Modern Athens' a reference to the literary nature of its early residents. The 'Song of Australia' was written here by Carl Linger. The town's importance can be seen in its many old classic colonial buildings. Of special note is the entire Church Hill district, one of the few declared heritage areas in the state."
Thurs Feb 5th
Another hot day, just a bit cooler but not much. S & D had a meeting in the city so we decided to go to Glenelg on the tram.
We got there about 12.30 and had a nice Chinese meal then walked slowly down to the beach, there was a very heavy surf and we had fun trying, but not succeeeding, to stand up in it, there was a very strong, but hot, wind on the beach and the sea was very warm. We watched a couple with two Jack Russells throwing a ball into the waves over and over again, both little dogs would pounce over the strong surf to fetch it back but only one got it every time the other just acted as escort, just like Jilly & Janey used to.
We sat on a bench and watched Malaysia Air fly out at 3.30 thinking that next week we would be abourd it looking down saying farewell. We got back first with S & D following soon after.
Fri Feb 6th
Hot again, S went to work I sorted photos. Shirl started to show me how to make patchwork place mats with a piece I had bought the other day.
Sat Feb 7th
Another very hot day, early afternoon there was a terrific dust storm blowing across the valley and it started to cool down. S D & I went to supermarket and to take stuff to Karen's. Called at the cemetery. Did a bit more sewing.
Sun Feb 8th
S & I went to Karen's and helped her do a bit of packing, when we got home I started to pack our cases and S started to pack for their visit to Perth. We did a bit more sewing. It was an overcast, cooler day, high of 27/28, there had been a slight shower overnight and a very few spots of rain fell during the morning. The news was full of the devastating bush fires in Victoria, whole towns wiped out, 65 people dead and many homes lost.
Mon Feb 9th
It was sunny again but definately cooler, in the morning D & R struggled to get their old 3 piece suite out of the house, took about 2 hours!! we cleared the unit and after lunch Paul & Alex arrived with their suite which they were giving to S & D. Spent afternoon rearranging furniture. R & I took a short walk down to creek after dinner, saw a kookaburru, went to look how they were getting on on the building site, quite cool.
Tue Feb 10th
Went to Tee Tree Plaza, S, D & I had hair cut. In the evening we went to the Friendship Force meeting. A cooler day.
Wed Feb 11th
We all went over to Karen's to help her move, a very busyday with the men moving furniture and boxes and us cleaning, it's a good job that it was a cooler day. Karen's new house is lovely, very light and airy and modern, backing on to a park.
In the evening we went to a Japanese restaurant in town which was very different but nice.
Thurs 12th
Finished packing then hung around waiting for it to be time to go. Bob picked us up at 12.00 and took us all to the airport, S & D were flying to Perth at the same time as us (coincedence). We sat and chatted until it was time to go through to departures then we made a tearful farewell.
We took off a bit late but it was a good flight, although there was quite a bit of turbulence plane half empty so were able to spread out, nice food and good service, we slept a bit. We had to wait in Kuala Lumpur airport for more than the 3 hours scheduled as the flight had missed it's slot over Afghanistan so had wait for the next one. We had to cross the airport on a speedy little train, the toilets in the airport, although modern, were hole in the floor type!
A long flight, again with quite a bit of turbulence but managed to sleep a bit. We landed early at 0515 (3.45 pm in Adelaide) The taxi was waiting and made good time and we were home by 0830
We had had a fantastic holiday and the three months seemed to have gone by so fast, we enjoyed staying with Shirley & Derek and meeting their friends, they were very good and took us out somewhere interesting most weeks so apart from the trips we made we saw so many interesting places. The scenery was fantastic, the gum trees are magnificent and there is such a variety of them with many different coloured bark, I could never get enough of them, also koalas and kangaroos.
Interesting things that I noticed:-
Stobie poles, these are instead of out wooden telegraph poles, wood gets eaten by termites so a man called Stobie from Kangaroo Island, invented them by putting 2 RSJs side by side and infilling with concrete.
White cars, the majority of cars seemed to be white, the cheapest colour according to Derek, also no MOT so lots of dented and old cars around. "P" plates, obligatory for the first year after passing the test. Driving on 3 or 4 lanes and using any lane and passing on either side - scary!
Lots of Bottle Shops, drive ins.
Car washes big business, it is illegal to wash your own car with a hose, there are also dog washes and "Puppy pre-school"
Pokies - fruit machines/one armed bandits to us, most pubs provided cheap food and had Pokies going all day and night, gambling laws must be different.
Manchester - what they call linen or bedding.
Lounge - what they call a three piece suite - lounge room is where they put it.
Garden plants covered up as we would cover them against frost but covered against excessive heat.
Dogs for sale in shop windows, various mixed breeds, Laboodles, Caveloodles, Moodles (Maltes/Poodle?) Maltese very popular breed.
