Adios Adelaide

We woke up soon after sunrise on Monday 2nd September; our swag bags were ideal for watching kangaroos walking around near us! We soon got the fire roaring again ready to cook our bacon and eggs, and (slightly more Australian) damper. Having eaten our fill we followed a trail down to a nearby waterfall where we decided it would be a good idea to swim, having been convinced by Ben it was not too cold! It was hands down the coldest water I had swum in in Australia - it chilled through to the bones and while I did not stay in the water very long, Ben did and got out with numb hands! After our walk we relaxed a while, soon realising we were in fact camped under a magpie nest; we ate lunch and sat around a while before heading home...

Ice cold swimming location

We took it easy on Tuesday, sorting things out and cleaning camping gear. As an interlude we all decided to jump in the swimming pool. It was (a bit) warmer than the waterfall...

Swimming, with Franzi and Bene

I travelled up to North Adelaide in the morning to meet mum's friends from her days in Perth, Tim and Joy. We chatted and they took me to a Thai restaurant for lunch. I wandered around North Adelaide and back through the Botanic Gardens before meeting a prospective future travel partner. The evening meant birthday celebrations for Angus with the customary ice cream cake with a picture drawn using sweets. Thursday was largely spent doing not much...

With Tim and Joy

With my awesome Belair hosts

I prepared my things the following day for a roadtrip with Cherina, Melanie and Camille in a rather nice car acquired in a relocation deal (it even had cruise control). After a supermarket stop at Murray Bridge we made a further short stop at Christmas Rocks before we proceeded on to Mt Gambier to spend the night in the gaol (converted into a hostel a few years ago). After check-in we made dinner and took the recommended trips to Cave Gardens and Umpherston Sinkhole, where we fed an awesome friendly possum!

Going directly to gaol

My new pet (I wish...)

We went for a short walk around nearby Blue Lake (an extinct volcano crater) the following morning and took a look at the sinkhole by daytime before continuing on our way to the Grampians, stopping en route at several places including Wannon Falls.

Impressive Wannon Falls

After a quick stop at the information centre to devise a strategy offering the best viewing opportunities (given current low cloud conditions) we motored on along picturesque mountain roads to Halls Gap. A fair way into the Grampians, there were fields full of kangaroos and hills all around so we opted for a walk up a recommended hill; after climbing past many strangely shaped boulders the pinnacle at the top gave excellent views over the surrounding area in spite of the grey sky.

Kangaroo with Joey

Ominous clouds up top

We decided to turn in at a nearby hostel with the living room fire a deal-maker considering the wilderness chill factor. The tricky part was finding someone to book the accommodation through - there was noone at reception, the phone number provided did not work and there was noone across the road (where it had been suggested we look). Eventually we found someone who knew the hostel owner and sorted everything out for us; we are still unsure whether the owner is fictional...

Dinner by the fire

Votes, boats and bicycles...

I decided to try out the Adelaide free cycle hire scheme on Monday 26th August, taking a leisurely ride down along the Torrens to the sea. It was a pleasant trip only slightly marred by swooping magpies (breeding season is just beginning and they get rather protective...) and something of a speed limit on the 3.5 gear bike... Through the day I also took care of a few things, including making my mandatory vote in the upcoming Australian election - being unsure of my whereabouts on 7th September I thought it best to get it out of the way and took the time to order all 82 Senate candidates (possibly not my most informed vote...)

Garden by the Torrens

On Tuesday I cadged a lift with Paul down to Noarlunga, where he works. Following his advice I took a walk along the Onkaparinga river to the sea and back to town along the beach (winner of Australia's cleanest beach awards). Another walk along the coast showed scenic red cliffs while the Noarlunga reef and bobbing seals were visible from the end of the pier. Post work Paul kindly took me for a drive down the coast and along the beach as far as Sellicks Beach (just in time not to get washed away!) to make the most of the view of late afternoon sunshine on the hills and sea. The return through McLaren Vale gave excellent rainbows and sunset.

Noarlunga Reef

Tara picked me up next day to take me mountain biking (especially kind seeing as she had somehow packed the bikes herself) and we went to Craigburn Farm to give the bikes a go. I found it fairly scary but exhilarating and once we had worn Honey (Tara's dog) out sufficiently we returned to her house in Kilburn for afternoon tea with Tara's English neighbour. It was soon time to prepare for the evening's activity, and once Tara's husband Brad, Aaron, Elysa and James had arrived, pizza had been collected and many cushions and blankets had been loaded into the car, we headed along to the nearby drive-in cinema. This is something one cannot seem to do in the UK and I gather it has something to do with the inferior weather; the last one left in Adelaide, I cannot understand why it does not seem more popular... Having waited for a rain-free day to enjoy our evening it was a little disappointing when the drizzle started part way through our second film!

Too tired to internet

At the drive-in

Tara dropped me off in the town centre the following morning and I just missed out on a free bike hire at the first place I looked - there would have been two left had I been 30 seconds earlier... Not taking this as I sign to discontinue my search I traipsed with my luggage along to the next place I could find - they had one bike left, although the rain had started by this point! Sure it would ease I followed through with my plans to explore the Torrens in the other direction. It did not, and quite a lot of time was spent taking cover from rain and magpies, and having to find new routes when paths were closed for no apparent reason. Sadly I did not make it as far as the hills as hoped but still managed to return to Belair exhausted...

Bridge over the Torrens

I took it easy on Friday, doing some catch-up and taking a tour of the garden, looking for but not finding and redback spiders! Next day we took a family outing to see some guest tallships at Port Adelaide with recently returned Ben, Bene and Franzi. There were also lots of dolphins swimming around in the Port and I even found myself a boat trip to Melbourne leaving that evening - only $1330! In the evening we enjoyed seeing Angus' band play a gig in town!

The Lord Nelson at Port Adelaide

We started preparations for a camping trip on Sunday morning, before a meaty lunch in celebration of Father's Day. After some shopping and piano moving Ben, Bene, Franzi and I were ready to embark on the trip down to Deep Creek Conservation Park, where we set up camp and started up a fire to cook our pasta. Through the evening we spotted kangaroos and enjoyed the clear view of the stars...

Cooking dinner

Adelaide Hills

19th August was spend sorting a few things, doing some research and revisiting the Botanic Gardens, with a trip the day after with Alison to The Cedars, home to famous local artist Hans Heysen, for a short (and cold) walk around the grounds to admire the inspiration for some of his works. This was followed by a drive through Hahndorf, the oldest German settlement in Australia, and a return to Blackwood for lunch. I amused myself in the afternoon with a walk around Belair National Park and up to the centre of Blackwood; I only saw one koala on this occasion.

Wooden man in front of Hans Heysen's studio

On Wednesday morning I met up with some more relatives, Joanne and Masoud, who took me down to Glenelg for some brunch and kindly agreed to drive me down to Victor Harbor. This was another very rainy day and we were lucky to have some respite and even some rainbows as we wandered around nearby Granite Island. Sadly the local penguins were nowhere to be seen, except for possibly one (a mystery animal bobbing up and down in the sea). More pouring rain saw us back to Blackwood.

Joanne and Masoud on approach to Granite Island

Rainbow over Granite Island

Sue picked me up the next morning and we went on a scenic drive to Hahndorf, via Stirling, Aldgate and Mylor. We stopped off in the Hahndorf Art Gallery and went emu spotting in Belair National Park before lunch with Sue's parents in Coromandel. After lunch seemed the best opportunity so far for a reasonable view from Adelaide's highest point, Mount Lofty. Sadly the view down to the city was still non-existant so we went to Haigh's chocolate factory before returning home in the worsening weather.

Wild emus

The following morning I met up with relative Helen in Unley and we went into town to see the Waterhouse exhibition in the museum, and some of Helen's artwork. We also had a stroll around the central market before I went on for a tour of Parliament House and a bit more of a wander around town.

Helen with her artwork

Order, order

On Saturday Alison and I returned to Hahndorf to see the rest of the town not covered in the previous two brief visits, including cheese and beer tasting! Taking advantage of the clearest skies in some time we revisited Mount Lofty which was not completely cloud covered on this occasion, and explored the nearby Cleland Wildlife Park.

Yellow footed rock wallaby

A trip to Melbas chocolate and confectionery factory and nearby award winning cheese came the following morning before trips to Birdwood Motor Museum, and the Whispering Wall, a dam where it is possible to converse between one side and the other due to the curvature of the architecture. Following this I returned to Belair where the sun had miraculously come out and a lunch party was in full swing! Richard, a friend I met in Cairns, kindly took me for an enjoyable night drive to the top of Mount Lofty, where the cleared skies allowed an excellent view of Adelaide's lights.

Whispering wall

Kangaroo by side of road on night drive

Birthday week!

Alison graciously took me up to Barossa Valley on Wednesday 14th August for some more wine tasting, visiting Penfolds, Maggie Beer and Jacob's Creek. While in nearby Tanunda, we stopped at the Museum where we saw the oldest concert organ in Australia. On the return journey we spotted many kangaroos grazing by the side of the road and stopped at the world's biggest rocking horse where there were also various talking birds! In the evening I was taken to a production of Macbeth with Adeo and his father, Bruce. Shakespeare seemed odd spoken with an Australian accent...

Penfolds

Australia's oldest concert organ

Sue took me, Bene and Franzi to Montefiore Hill next morning so we could see the view over the city from the Colonel Light Statue before wending our way along the River Torrens to the Botanic Gardens where we spent a while climbing trees! In the afternoon we caught the tram across to Glenelg beach. We were lucky enough to see some fishermen catch a dog shark - the first shark sighting of my trip - and hung around to watch the sun set over the water. After dinner we had cake in celebration of Sue's birthday followed by playing some games.

River Torrens on the way to the Botanic Gardens

Dog shark

Friday was rather rainy and after a short morning of playing card game Canasta Sue thankfully gave me a lift in to town to meet relatives Stephen and Liz who took me on a scenic route to their house - the weather was not conducive to getting out at Port Adelaide but we made a quick stop at Ikea (apparently the same the world over)  to make a collection. Up in Salisbury we had delicious roast lamb for dinner, which had been cooking for 9 hours; son Aaron (who had visited us with Stephen and Liz in 1992), girlfriend Elysa and Aaron's cousin James joined us for dinner, after which they introduced me to card game Phase 10 (which I had also played on Fraser Island, struggling with the German rules!)

Liz and Stephen - on a clear day the sea should be visible...

Bit chilly in Adelaide

Next morning the weather was still not letting up as we embarked on another drive up towards Barossa Valley, stopping at a few 'viewpoints' which offered little to no visibility! We dropped in on Stephen's aunt Melva, and Trevor, in Tanunda; they gave a guided tour round some of the Barossa's sights, finishing by going up to one of the viewpoints of the morning, where we could now actually see down to the Valley as the weather had cleared up somewhat! Next stop was a visit to Stephen and Liz's daughter Tara's place - we went for a quick stroll along the beach at Semaphore to watch the sunset before it was time to return to Sue and Paul's place in Belair; Ben was having a party to celebrate his birthday the previous weekend... I was wished a happy birthday once it had passed midnight, and before we went to sleep!

With Melva and Trevor overlooking Barossa Valley

At the beach with Tara

As I have come to expect, the weather on my birthday was appalling and meant it would not be an outdoor day. After a drive to Marion Shopping Centre to stock up on some provisions for Ben, Bene and Franzi's travels of the next couple of weeks we stayed indoors chatting, playing games and looking at some slides of mum travelling around Europe. Dinner was pizza baked in the pizza oven, and my amazing hosts made me a chocolate cake, complete with candles!

Birthday cake!

I've never been this far away from home...

I accompanied Marie to church next morning, 11th August, after which we sampled some fig vinegar (acquired the previous day) on strawberries, and cheese and crackers with a sweet Rose (also from the Stanthorpe trip). Once we were done with lunch I relocated up to Ralph in Boondall; we had our customary game of pool and an early night. There was an unexpected phonecall from Jan, who had just been visited (very briefly) in Canberra by Hester and Colin, and who was due to meet me next morning in S.A. Unfortunately all was not well and Jan (my Godmother) would not be able to join me in Adelaide... Ralph once again kindly delivered me to Brisbane airport; this is most appreciated as to reach it by public transport is ridiculously expensive. My destination was S.A., which as every Australian knows is NOT South Africa.  It was of course very disappointing not to be met in Adelaide by Jan, but I made my way into the city by coach... Jan had given me contact details for friends, and I was soon on my way to start meeting them; all of them went out of their way to make me very welcome. A couple of hours later the flight made it to Adelaide. I think I managed more sleep than on the flight over from the UK! 

Another early morning flight

A quick look around the airport revealed the bus stop a little way away. Despite fears I would not recognise when to jump off (the planned structure of the city means the CBD is surrounded by parkland with a grid street structure inside), I ended up in a reasonably central spot. I spent some time around the centre, investigating the Museum and Art Gallery and wandering into the Botanic Gardens, before meeting up with Ben (son of Sue who travelled round Europe with Jan and mum in the early 80s), Bene and Franzi (German visitors of the family). We took the free tram down to the Central Market and Chinatown before Ben drove us back to Belair where we played Kubb, a tactical outdoor throwing game (at which I was rather unsuccessful), until a dinner of delicious roast beef. Afterwards Sue took me over to Blackwood where I stayed the night at Jan's cousin Alison's house and met her son, Adeo.

Adelaide's Parliament House

Next morning Alison took me round nearby Wittunga Botanic Garden before picking up Bene and Franzi for a journey down to McLaren Vale for some wine tasting at Chapel Hill. We returned home in time for a stroll in Belair National Park, where we counted 14 koalas!

Alison at Wittunga Botanic Gardens

Wine tasting with Franzi and Bene

The friendliest koala of the day

Job Hunting

My smart(ish) clothes saw their first outing on Thursday 8th August as I made my maiden voyage south to the Gold Coast, for an interview rather than to sightsee. The Gold Coast is quite a distance from Brisbane and was not the easiest trip on public transport - hours, and plenty of walk, bus and train travel later, I made it to Coomera train station! From here I took a bus to theme park Dreamworld for a quick look and walked to my interview location (some distance but the bus only runs hourly). I was glad to make it unscathed to Upper Coomera and once the business was done I met up with Ian, the cousin of mum's father, who mum has never met! He took me over to Helensvale for a chat and coffee before I headed off on the return journey... Marie kindly picked me up at Cooper Plains to save me some of the travel, and we found a Japanese place in Sunnybank for dinner, followed by a self-service frozen yoghurt shop.

Next morning I was dressed up once more for an interview - this time in the somewhat easier to reach Lutwyche area of Brisbane! From here I followed the tall buildings towards Fortitude Valley, passing the EKKA (Brisbane Show or Exhibition) but not feeling like forking out the $28 entry fee. I continued on through The Valley to the town centre, heading back to Oxley after picking up a few freebie drinks and confirming I would not be able to donate blood in Australia :( The Aussies have a long memory for anything concerning beef - mad cow disease, and the recent 'only fools eat horses' episode... 

Sneak peek of EKKA

On Saturday Marie and I travelled Southwest through Warwick to Stanthorpe, crossing the Great Dividing Range at Cunningham's Gap. We had a delicious lunch at the Barrell Room Cafe followed by wine tasting at Ballandean Estate, Hidden Creek, Twisted Gum and Symphony Hill wineries. Another enjoyable but long day saw us return well after dark...

Heading home from Stanthorpe

These legs are made for walking (and cycling)

I took my faithful but rusty bike out again on Friday 2nd August morning; cadging a lift with Ralph down to Toombul I cycled round Shaw Park then back to Boondall following a creek. I returned to Oxley where I finally had all my possessions in one place again! After a tough day I had an early night and a laid back Saturday...

Pleasant creek cycle

My Australian Oboe performance debut came the following day, at Queensland's Lutheran Synod, playing classic item Gabriel's Oboe! Following this I rambled around the city for a while before returning home with Marie to cook what turned out to be an extremely tasty and succulent steak marinaded in lemon myrtle, ginger and salt. Not much happened next day - Marie and I went shopping, had some sushi and I practiced some music. Most importantly we discovered the identity of the new Doctor; I am looking forward to see what Malcolm Tucker makes of the role...

Photo incorporating many of the Brisbane bridges

Marie took me to a local sushi restaurant for lunch on Tuesday and then dropped me off in Milton; I had decided to be adventurous and attempt to intuitively find my way back to Oxley from town. Easier said than done - the loops in the Brisbane river make for tricky navigation and it took a couple of attempts to get past the first hill at Highgate! Clearly I have not done enough walking around Brisbane! A few more times getting lost and several hours later I made it back, shortly after nightfall, and sat down for a long while... Dinner was very late!

View of Brisbane from Highgate Hill

My legs needed a relaxing day on Wednesday so I embarked on a short jaunt around Oxley Creek. I also spent a fair bit of the day catching up on my blogging, hoping to reduce the influx of angry emails, letters and phone calls ;) In the evening I was picked up by Marie's friends Kath and Des who drove me to Eight Mile Plains to answer any questions their son Matt (about to be studying in London) may have about how things work in England! After pizza and some time looking over a map of London I was ready to go back to Oxley with Marie.

Oxley creek