South Australia

 20 February 2017

This is the first time I have had access to WIFI so I will try and catch you up on what has been happening.

We arrived in Adelaide at approx. 9:30am and went straight to our hotel and dropped off our bags then went exploring the CBD.  As it turns out Guns n Roses were in town playing on Saturday night which coincided with the start of the Fringe Festival which was having a parade through town on Saturday night.  As a result, the population of the town quadrupled and there were bodies everywhere.

We continued on our mammoth stroll through town, all of the usual places Rundle Mall etc. admiring all of the architecture - combination of old and new.  Some of the old stone buildings are fabulous.  We eventually ended up at the Botanical Gardens and made our way to the café just as it started to rain.

We then made our way back to the hotel and checked into our room.  The room was very disappointing - sure it had a bed and a bathroom but no window, was as dark as Hades and you could not swing a cat in it.  Something we have learned from other people on our trips - complain and you get upgraded.  Tried that and because of Gun n Roses and the Fringe Festival the place was booked out and no chance of a room change.  Check back tomorrow to see if it has changed.

Off we go looking for somewhere to have dinner and everything is backed solid.  It took us about 10 minutes to walk past The Strathmore Hotel next door because of all the patrons spilling out on to the footpath.  It was like Claxton Street on State of Origin night and these folks were loading up big time.

Eventually found a place called the Black Bull which is one of the oldest pubs in town and started its life as a butcher shop.  Apparently selling alcohol is more profitable than selling meat.  By the time we were fed and watered we were ready for bed.

Sunday arrives and I go downstairs fairly early for a lung buster and could not believe the number of drunks still wandering around the city - unbelievable.  We also see about changing rooms and were told that after lunch it will all be sorted.  We had a City Highlights tour thrown in with our package so away we went looking at all of the sights - after 10 minutes we wondered what we were going to do next.  Ha ha.  We crossed over a little creek that the guided called the Torrents River - you’re kidding.

As Adelaide is known as the city of churches we had to go and have a look at St Peter’s Cathedral which was very impressive.  Tour is over and we make our way to Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant for lunch.  Very nice.  Back to the hotel to change rooms and we have been upgraded to a suite with its own balcony - very nice.  Little bit more shopping as it has been a bit cooler here than we expected.

We had dinner at the Strathmore Hotel, and it was a lot quieter tonight than last night - food was OK too.

Monday finds us getting ready for our Murray River cruise.  More later.

22 February 2017

We were collected from the hotel in the Motorcoach and away we went towards Mannum where we were to meet up with the mighty Murray Princess which was going to be our home for the next 7 days.

The boat is a lot larger than we thought and is completely booked out.  As I predicted it is the “Woman’s Weekly” tour.  We are by far the youngest on board but most of the folks are lively and a lot of fun.  We found a playmate on the first night and were awarded a medal each for the “Going Hard Award”.  Apparently, this award is issued on the first night of each cruise for the people who leave the bar last.  Go figure.

The scenery along the river is spectacular but it is very hard country.  Without the Murray to irrigate from there would be very little grown around here.

Day 2 saw us go through one of the locks at Blanchetown which was pretty exciting.  We then docked for the rest of the day and were taken to one of the local vineyards for a bit of wine tasting etc.  After dinner we did the usual and had a fairly late night.  There is nothing else to do as there are no TVs on board.  You know you are getting old when you worry about TVs to watch.

More tomorrow

23 February 2017

This morning, we headed off through the lock at Weir 1 heading towards Swan Reach where we made a stop to have a look at their museum.  For such a small place the museum had a very good collection of items from past days and appeared to be very well run and maintained.

We left Swan Reach and cruised down the river heading for a sheep station called Sunnyvale at Big Bend.  Here we were given a demonstration in the woodshed on sheep shearing and were shown a lot of the equipment used.  We also had an auction for 3 racing sheep with the winning owner collecting the total of the auction dollars.  Bit of fun.

Sunnyvale is also a native wildlife shelter and cares for sick and injured wildlife before being returned to the wild. 

The cruise company own a bush camp where we were moored and commenced setting up for a bush barbeque which was followed by some Australian style entertainment provided by the crew of the boat.  This was a hoot and also involved a fair bit of drinking.  Following is a photo of the famous Table 4 posse.

After we had carried on for a little bit the numbers dwindled, and we then moved our chairs around the fire.  When we noticed that the staff were packing up the bar stuff, we decided that it would be a good idea to return to the boat and meet at the proper bar.  Some of the young guys from the crew joined us and we learnt how to skull a stubble using a straw - you never know when this skill may come in handy.  The young guy knocked his second one over in 4.32 seconds - unbelievable.

More tomorrow

25 February 2017

OK.  I’m a couple of days behind so I will try and catch you up.

Thursday, we had the opportunity to go and have a bush breakfast.  Faced with the option of having wichity grubs etc. or bacon and eggs I opted for bacon and eggs.  After breakfast we motored up to the Ngaut Ngaut Aboriginal Conservation Park where the tribal elders took us for a guided tour around one of their ancestral camping areas.  The guide we had was extremely funny and made the tour very interesting.

We left the park and headed back downstream and during the afternoon we attended Part 2 of the trivia competition - the winner would be announced at tonight's Captain’s Dinner.

Dinner time and everyone put of their best clobber, and we were presented with a Hugh seafood smorgasbord with the works.  For some reason the pensioners were not keen on the oysters - ah well somebody had to do it.

Friday, we tied up in Mannum where the departing passengers left, and the boat was made ready for the new ones.  While this was going on the passengers remaining on board were put on a couple of vans and we were sent to the Barossa Valley for a day out in the vineyards.

Our first stop was at a place where a German settler decided to set up home in a tree as he had nowhere else to live.  He then married and while they were still living in the tree had the first 2 of their 16 children.  The family have reunions at the tree very couple of years and at the last one about 840 people turned up.

From here we made our way to the homestead where the Angaston family lived.  This place is a magnificent mansion which is now in the hands of the National Trust and used for wedding receptions and is also a bed and breakfast.

From here we made our way to the original Yalumba vineyard for lunch which consisted of platters of local produce.  From here we went to 2 vineyards for tasting and then back to the boat for dinner and drinks.

More tomorrow

26 February 2017

We moored in the township of Murray Bridge which is where the first permanent bridge crossing of the Murray River was built.  The building supervisor’s house was built on the small hill overlooking the bridge and is now known as the Roundhouse and has been converted into a museum.  We had a quick look through here and then set off to have a look at the rest of the town.  Very nice place - clean and tidy with all the necessary amenities.

From here we cruised upstream to Mannum where the captain leads a walk-through town to the historic museum full of information about the early days of life on the Murray River.

Gentleman Tourist

The internet here is not very good so I cannot post any photos (sorry about that)

28 February 2017

We left the Murray Princess yesterday morning and were bussed back to Adelaide to prepare for our tour of Kangaroo Island.  Once we had checked in, we decided to jump a tram and head for Glenelg for a look around.  Somebody told us that seniors travelled for free at that time of the day so we both acted really old and got away with it.  Glenelg is a beautiful suburb of Adelaide with a beautiful beach and a nice foreshore.  The was a pub across from the beach so this is where we had lunch along with a heap of other old farts.

We ordered fish and chips and a plate arrived that we couldn’t jump - dinner was sorted as well.

We trammed our way back to the hotel and had a nana nap before catching up with some of the others for a few beers.  None of us felt like dinner as we were all full from lunch so they departed while we went to the local convenience shop and grabbed a bit stuff for breakfast the next morning - we were being picked up by Sea Link at 6:20 the next morning.

We all struggled out and boarded the bus that took us to the ferry at Cape Jervis.  After a 45-minute cruise we were on Kangaroo Island.  Once we found the correct bus off, we went to our first attraction which was Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery.  As soon as I saw the word distillery, I thought we were in for a bit of a drink but unfortunately it was a place that produce eucalyptus oil - bugger.

Next stop was Vivonne Bay Bistro for lunch which was delicious.  Then we went to Seal Bay which is the home of an Australian sea lion breeding colony.  Really nice beach with heaps of sea lions basking in the sun.  The only way you can get on the beach is with a park ranger.  This is for your safety as well as the safety of the sea lions.

Next port of call was the Raptor Domain Birds of Prey where we were treated to a display of owls, kestrel, kookaburra and wedge-tailed eagles.  Fantastic.

8 March 2017

Back in Adelaide for a night staying at the Stamford Plaza.  What a waste of a good hotel room as we were only there for a short time.  In the morning, we picked up our rental car and made tracks for Victor Harbour which is a cute little tourist town.

From here we made our way to Hahndorf which is a small town originally settled by Germans and has maintained its Germanic ways to attract tourists.  I felt that it was a little overdone and a bit of a trap, but a nice one.

We had some lunch here then headed off to the Barossa for our second time to check out a few things.  We made our way to a place called Nuriootpa where Maggie Beer has her farm shop and films her show “The Cook and The Chef”.  We had a look around the shop and Charmaine made her way into the kitchen where all the filming takes place.

Having dragged Charmaine away from the shop we went to Tanunda where we found some digs at the hotel for the night.  The next morning a headed off towards the Yorke Peninsula via Clare to meet up with Charmaine’s sister in a small place called Coobowie.  We stayed here for the next 2 nights and explored the bottom of the peninsula with Robyn and Alex - fun times were had by all.

8 March 2017

We set off and explored the western side of the Yorke Peninsula going through Wallaroo, Port Wakefield and Balaklava before eventually making our way to Burra.  Burra is an old copper mining town and had the first open cut mine in Australia.  The place has heaps of history and plenty of old stone houses that are prevalent in South Australia.  The film “The Water Diviner” was made here and the locals told us that Russell Crowe had a good time will he was here, and they could not say enough good things about him.

The above photo depicts the original miners' dugouts where they lived until accommodation could be built - they would have done it tough in those days.  We however, stayed in the renovated miners' quarters which were salubrious compared to these.  We had dinner at the local pub which looked very dodgy when going in but turned out to be fantastic.  Charmaine’s steak was hanging off the edges of her plate and I was flat out trying to eat my bangers and mash.

Next day when set off for Glenelg to have a relaxing last 2 days of our holiday.  Booked into the Stamford with an ocean view balcony and kicked back for the rest of our time.

So, until our next trip, see you later.

Gentleman Tourist