Saturday 27th January 2018
Was it an early morning or a late night? In any case, at 3.30 am we had all our gear packed into the rental car and were on our way to the airport. Anisia’s directions were very clear and drove straight to the airport, however we had some difficulty trying to locate the return parking for our rental car – and who do you ask at 4 am? There is no one in sight. Anyway Gerry unpacked the car at the terminal and took the car to the returns parking area 2.5km further away. No problem getting there with google maps but walking back took quite some time and there I was, without any phone as Gerry had taken my iPhone with the directions to the car park Anyway, after that, it was smooth travelling – till we got to Melbourne, our first point of contact in Australia. Passport control and customs, those are so cumbersome but got through on time to catch our domestic flight to Adelaide.
The flight to Adelaide went off without a hitch and once we collected our luggage, we were picked up by the rental car shuttle to go and pick up our car. We also bought a TomTom navigator and we were at our hotel without any problems.
After having explored the Central Market area with its China Town, we decided that we really needed to go to the beach. Gerry’s maritime background and my roots in Malta, make us both crave for the blue sea. So off we went in our rental car and using our new TomTom navigator. We started driving and thought of making our way to Port Adelaide but we got stranded at Semaphore……
Beachside Semaphore has a nostalgic vibe, a boulevard lined with Victorian houses, quirky organic cafes and historic pubs serving craft beers. Although we were there late afternoon, Semaphore Beach attracted families to its shallow waters, especially settling down under the pier for shade. After a walk on the beach, we made our way into the town centre which is full with quirky shops, café’s and hotels – by this time we were quite hungry and we were attracted to Greek music playing and found ourselves ordering a souvlaki at a Greek fast food kiosk with tables on the sidewalk – really enjoyed watching the crowd and trying to make out their origins…..
The following day was Sunday! We woke up to a bright sunny day and we were promised quite high temperatures – 35 degrees – and we haven’t had that yet since Singapore!!
We planned a road trip along the coast going down to Victor Harbour and then Cape Jervis via the MacLaren Valley. This is where we saw some vineyards but unfortunately didn’t have time to stop as we planned to do the Barossa Hills the following day! Instead at Victor Harbour we spent some time on the boulder strewn Granite Island which was connected to the mainland by a causeway built back in 1875. Normally there is a horse drawn tram which goes across but today there wasn’t any service – either because it was Sunday or because it was too hot……
Leaving Granite Island, we continued our trip to Cape Jervis and on the way we came along a lookout point at Yankalilla, to mark the scuttling of navy ship, HMAS Hobart which had done a number of years duty in the Vietnam war. The ship was laid to rest in 2002 and the anchor points to the spot where the vessel was laid to rest.
And now it was time to have a swim and we ended up in Normansville, a pretty holiday town with a really wide sandy beach. By the time we decided to get into the water, the wind had turned up and for us the water was quite cold even though there was a warm wind blowing. But it was very refreshing…….. and then dried ourselves up with the warm wind and the sun that was still visible even though the clouds were thickening. By the time we were dressed and ready to have a bite to eat the clouds looked very menacing……
Back at our hotel, we did not stay up too long – we were dead tired and we planned to visit the Barossa Hills the following day so I had some research work to do. Gerry has become very fond of Serena, our TomTom girl – she brings us everywhere without making any mistakes – the only times we went wrong wa because we did not listen carefully.
So after a Nespresso coffee for Gerry and a green tea for me, we wet off on our expedition. The weather was really grey and although we kept our fingers crossed and hoped there would be no rain, our prayers were not answered! Anyway, we started off by heading off to Hahndorf – A germanic town with loads of German features and the oldest German surviving settlement founded by 50 Lutheran families back in 1839. Here we had breakfast before heading on with our trip.
By the time we left Hahndorf, the raindrops were gathering momentum….. So even here in Adelaide and the Barossa hills, we just could not keep it dry!!! The rain is really following us…….
Our next stop was at Gumeracha, which actually is only a village of about 400 people but why did we stop here? This village boasts of having the biggest wooden pony (like a rocking horse) built by the local wooden toys factory. However what we found more interesting here was the animal park, which for 1 Australian dollar you could go in a walk around in the park – and for me the most interesting animals were the kangaroos!! We’ve seen many road signs on the way warning us of kangaroos but these were the first real kangaroos we were seeing on our trip to Australia – I am sure we will encounter some more!
After taking a few pictures we were on our way again and this time we stopped at Birdwood – not for any special winery here although we did see some vineyards on the way, but for its interesting National Motor Museum. Of course this was a museum, which we could not skip – there were some 400 vehicles showcasing Australia’s motoring and social history. Well even I found this an interesting exhibition.
By this time it was pouring with rain and right at the moment when the beautiful vine covered hills came into sight. Acres and acres of emerald green hills – it was amazing! We made our way to Eden Valley and actually right here on top we had a fantastic view – this must be a place we will have to return to when the weather is much better.
It was nearly 4 pm when we made our way back to Adelaide and by that time, the traffic jams had started – we thought it would be better weather in Adelaide as we heard over the radio that it was 23 degrees while up in the hills we barely had 17 degrees. So we decided to make our way to Glenelg and go for a beach walk. What a lovely seaside resort with its town hall from 1870 converted to a discovery centre. Nowadays the sea front is lined with both Victorian villas and beautiful modern summerhouses. A great pity that we saw this beautiful beach on a rainy and blustery afternoon. By now we were quite famished and cold so a hot plate of pasta was what we really needed to warm us up before we walked back to the car. That evening we recorded that we had walked 7km.
And then it’s Tuesday morning – we were going to have a leisure day today and meeting up with an old school friend of mine who has been living in Adelaide for the past 24 years. Margarette and I were Sacred Heart girls and it was just great to catch up over coffee and then afterwards went to the Central Market – it’s a shame we did not have enough time to enjoy each other’s company somewhat longer – but then Gerry was stuck with two Maltese women who couldn’t shut up for one moment….. At the market while Margarette bought some fish for her dinner, Gerry got some oysters that we slurped away when we got back to our hotel sitting at our balcony. They were super delicious!!! Later we went out again as we wanted to visit the Aboriginal Cultural Centre – which we had mistaken for the museum – by then we were dead tired from walking around so we made our way back to the Central Market but first stopped at the Town Hall which was built in 1866. We had to stop here as there was an invitation to come and take a look at where the Beatles had greeted the crowds of fans back in June 1964. There is still a perplex photo of the Beatles on the Town Hall balcony but we were really surprised at the beauty of this town hall with its auditoriums and hallways and stairs! Later on Queen Victoria square took some more pictures of the surrounding areas and then made our way to China Town for dinner – but it was no Chinese food but rather we went to Gauchos for steak and lamb!
WILL PUT ON MORE PICTURES ONCE WIFI IS WORKING BETTER BUT NOW IT’S TIME FOR ME TO GO TO BED…….. and now waiting for our flight to Alice Springs, Airport WIFI is really good so I’ve added more pictures!
Tomorrow we leave our hotel bright and early as we have a flight to catch to Alice Springs! Our next adventure is coming up – we will be going on a safari to Ayers Rock – am very excited about this trip! You will hear from me after we get back……..
