Back to Adelaide

Glenelg

Rundle Mall pigs Teddy shop

the weir on lake Torrens

Red Ochre restaurant

waterfront - Elder Park

Visiting black swan

Had a nice day in the city on our return from the Limestone coast tour. Took the 'Popeye Boat along the river, shopped in Rundle Mall then took the tram to Glenelg

Limestone Coast - Naracoorte

It was good to be back in South Australia again but their strict quarantine rules meant we couldn't bring any fruit or veg (including this cucumber) over the border.The rural township of Naracoorte is famous for its World Heritage Fossil caves. You can visit several different caves including the bat cave - home to 36000 southern bent wing bats - so cute. We watched their antics on infra red cameras. The first picture show the 'wet cave' which was being prepared for an Opera night - great setting and acoustics.

The Alexandra Cave system

The ranger moved but you may be able to see some bones of an extinct type of kangaroo (with a head like a koala) still in good condition after millions of years and the crevice where they were found.

Its hard to capture the detail but the formations were stunning - as well as the usual stalactites and stalagmites we saw hermatites (growning sideways like spurs on straws), shawls and blankets, straws (thin hollow stalactites) and 'ripple pools'

This large dragonfly was getting its breath back on our porchWe loved staying in the luxurious 'Robin's Retreat' at Carolynnes Cottages. It was set in beautiful gardens overlooking vineyards and a popular setting for weddings (the dull morning and early rain shower cleared in time for this one)The lounge was spacious and tastefully decorated and wine, chocolates, cheese and biscuits and fruit were provided along with the usual bread, sauages, bacon and eggs for breakfast

I have seen a 'Jeriboam' but not the full range of sizes!

After the giant lobster in Kingston (Larry) Here's the giant Koala near Horsham

Graffitti on the police station!

Limestone Coast - Halls Gap

Halls Gap is in Victoria and situated in the Grampian Highlands half an hour different in time from South Australia and very frustrating when they both show the same TV channels. We missed the start of the evening news on several occasions.

Tree tops and the Pinnacles from our veranda on a fine day - We did have a torrential downpour on our way back from Ararat and had to sit in the car for 10 minutes to avoid getting soaked.
View from the lookout point above Ararat

The route to Hall Gap should have taken us from Dunkeld along a 60k scenic route but recent flooding had was washed away parts of the road and caused huge landslides. Many of the sites we hoped to see - McKenzie Falls, The Pinnacles etc. could not be reached.

Each morning and evening flocks of cockatoos descended on our balcony looking for an easy meal - they were so tame and comical to watchWe were hoping to see kangaroos in the wild but didn't expect to wake up and find them grazing by the front door!We stayed at Gang Gang villas - named after the local parrots but sadly they were not in evidence. The other wildlife certainly made up for it. In the early evening we saw a fied with 20 kangaroos in and 3 emus in another. Four kookaburras were regular noisy visitors.

Ararat is on the Victorian Gold field. This mine at Stawell employs 500 peopleThe view from the Big Hill in Stawell

On our detour to Halls Gap we passed through Moyston - where Aussie Rules footie began. The roads around there were covered with locusts and it was disconcerting crunching over them as we drove along. Luckily they weren't swarming and the crops had been safely gathered in!

Limestone Coast Tour - around Mount Gambier

Our home for the next 4 days was on Lemon Gum farm. Our hosts Vanessa and Gene treated us well supplying plenty of homecured bacon, eggs (hours old) from their 'chooks' and nectarines, apples, pears, tomatoes, cucumbers and mulberries from their garden. (Haven't eaten mulberries for years and had forgotten how good they tasted) We also received a freshly baked loaf of bread each morning. 'Breakfast' ingredients provided more than enough for sandwiches at lunchtime and I cooked steaks on the BBQ as the sun went down.

The Limestone coast is famous for its caves - Naracoorte is a world heritage site and many rare fossils have been discovered there. These pictures are from a smaller site we visited just half an hour from Mount Gambier and reach by road or by boat from Nelson. Princess Margaret Rose Caves on the river Glenelg near Nelson - just over the border in Victoria

another cave .... more to come when we get to Naracoorte!

Not just kangaroos and koalas but wombats too! There are numerous signs like this along these forest bordered roads which stretch for 100s of kilometres.

At $55 a kilo (this one weighs nearly 4) we decided lobster sadly isn't on our menu! Rock lobsters from this coastline are abundant from December to April and are sent all over Australia but most of them are exported to China and Japan. They don't have huge front claws but the tails are very meaty - giant crayfish really.

Donovan's Landing - a picturesque little village perched on the cliffs above the River Glenelg

Yet another deserted white beach. The water behind Clive is fresh and bubbles up through the sands or flows down from the nearby Piccaninnie Ponds - a famous spot for cave diving

These old cottages are in Penola - home of saint Mary McKillop who founded schools for poor children and a place of pilgrimage for many. The town has several good wineries and many beautiful art galleries

Mount Gambier is famous for its Blue Lake. Yes... it really is this colour! Every late November - early March it changes colour from deep blue to a brilliant turquoise - This was taken on a slightly cloudy day and the colour is just beginning to change back.

Coonawarra is the centre of a wine region specialising in full bodied red wines - Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir - we tasted several! The old station has seen better days but was very busy before the new highways were built. (Clive is holding a picture of how it looked a few years ago but you need a magnifying glass to see it!)

These iconic wind pumps are found everywhere - from open pastures, bushland, and outback to people's back gardens.

Around Mount Gambier are numerous sinkholes - some filled with water, some rocky with trickling waterfalls but dry except in the rainy season and others containing lush gardens which are full of possums at night. We went possum hunting one night and lured a few out of the caves with overripe nectarines from the garden. They are hard to photograph with my little camera so you will just have to use your imagination!

Port Northumberland - the furthest point south in South Australia. A bit blustery but amazing views and the site of many ship wrecks in the past.

Limestone Coast Tour - Strathalbyn to Robe

Drove out to Strathalbyn via Hahndorf for our first night away.

The Victoria hotel was very comfortable and the special dinner was fab. Wine and spa bath included - a great start to the holiday.

We ventured across the Murray on the Wellington ferry then headed along the Coorong National Park via Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert, Meningie and Kingston - home of the giant lobster.

Our home for 2 days was this great little cabin on Lakes ridge. Robe is a quaint and pretty touristy resort which attracts all sorts - wealthy people with boats to caravanners and campers travelling on a budget.

(more pictures to follow)

Time passes

Can't believe we've been here a month. The scorching hot days have gone for a while and the mornings feel quite Autumnal at times (a cool 14) but it still gets up to the high 20s most days.

Went to Burnside Village, east of the city, then on to Waterfall Gully. Its usually dry at this time of year but there was still a sizable trickle coming down the cliff.Heading for the Limestone Coast and Victoria over the next 2 weeks - Strathalbyn, Robe, Mount Gambier, Hall's Gap, Naracoorte and back to Adelaide for a couple of days before the long journey home via a Singapore stopover.
May pop out to Glenelg later, have a walk on the beach and catch the tram into the city for a quick troll around Central Market before returning to pack for our trip.