http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Oceania , Australia , South Australia en-us Sun, 06 Dec 09 05:22:57 +0000 Sun, 06 Dec 09 05:22:57 +0000 Hello to all It is 930am on Easter Saturday and I am up waiting to go to the famous Barossa Farmerst Markets...once the two boys including steve get out of bed so i thort that i would take this opportunity to quickly write.All is good over. It has been an interesting first week...cannot believe that we've been here a week already. we've only worked 4 days out of that week. our first day we o http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-458407.html Well we've made it safe and sound to adelaide. last minute decision to come here we loved port lincoln we just couldnt find any work there and we're getting desperate for work rite now. we almost were gona work in a tuna farm filled out applications and everything but they didnt get back to us quick enuf and we didnt wana risk going without work again. so we got up at 5am this morning to catc http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/blog-458270.html Yesterday was spent leisurely walking around Adelaide Zoo. The first animals you come across as you entre the zoo are the Barbary Sheep. Rather strangely in the next enclosure are the alligators There were two in the enclosure the first was smaller and didn't seem so threatening. The larger one although half submerged and standing completely still terrified me. The five foot wall didn't qui http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Adelaide/blog-457580.html Yesterday I decided to check out the Adelaide Gaol. It was built on the outskirts of Adelaide in 1841 and as Adelaide is one of the only colonial towns not be settled by convicts local people scoffed at the idea of needing a prison. They were soon proved to be less that law abiding citizens and a number of various people began filling up the jail. The layout is a semicircle with the womens yar http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Adelaide/blog-457392.html Our last day on Kangaroo Island was going to be a remarkable one. Because we got to see the Remarkable Rocks Haha We started by going on the Snake Lagoon Hike. This little trek took us through what seemed to be some notsorecently burned bush. Australia has a lot of this and you can distinguish it by the vegetation. The taller trees may be scarred and leaf less but closer to the ground th http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Kangaroo-Island/blog-457107.html The second day on our Kangaroo Island tour was just as busy as the first. A few of our group members went for an early morning ATV drive. The rest of us were able to enjoy an extra hourrsquos worth of sleep so it was an even trade. Once all back together we went to Seal Bay. This is where a colony of Australian Sealions live. Itrsquos a rough life being a sealion. They spend days out http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Kangaroo-Island/blog-457105.html Well we have arrived in Melbourne for what is possible the shortest visit every to Oz we are here fore 1.5 days on our way to NZ.Hong Kong was a very vibrant place with lots of different architecture and parks. We were staying in Kowloon with a hotel room overlooking the amazing harbour views of HK Island and its many skyscrapers of the finance district. First night was spent exploring the nigh http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/blog-456819.html Hey I'm waiting for the taxi to the airport at the moment. Will fly to New Zealand and meet with Michael. So I thought I could use the time to give you a short update. Adelaide was really nice. Friendly people hot weather and a nice beach. I just uploaded some pictures Wolfgang and me've taken at the Cleveland Wildlife park. We even fed the Wallabies and the Emus those were more interested in t http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Adelaide/blog-456371.html Hiya Adelaide's nice I even saw my first wild Koala There're grapes everywhere. The weather's hot and sunny. CheersStefan http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Adelaide/blog-455504.html Friday we started our 3day tour of Kangaroo Island. Itrsquos a small island off the mainland in South Australia. We drove a couple of hours from Adelaide to the ferry which is the only way to get to the island. Supposedly itrsquos one of the most expensive ferries in the world in terms of fares especially for vehicular transport which keeps the island fairly free of too many tourists http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Kangaroo-Island/blog-455242.html We arrived bright and early to Adelaide that Tuesday morning. Unfortunately a little too early for check in. But most hostels are used to it and many have of them have free bag storage. We got rid of our stuff and chilled out in the common room for a bit. Another great thing about YHAs is that most of them host daily activities to help make people feel more welcome and Tuesday just happen http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Adelaide/blog-455239.html The last few days have been fairly busy so he's the update as to what I've been doing.On saturday night I had my first experience of going out into the town at night. We took the bus which turns in to a train in to town to go to this party that someone was throwing. We weren't really invited but nobody minded that we came to visit friends. It was a christmas party and they had hired a marquee f http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/blog-455227.html Oh my. Has it really been 4 years since smelling the green grass of Riley Park 2010 is fast approaching and a return to Cowtown all but guranteed. Kirby Dim Sim Dillon has been outofstate in the surrounds of Kelowna and other random North American locations for the past 18 months and it is well time that someone chipped up and visited her. The past 3 and a half years have been well spent pa http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Adelaide/Glenelg/blog-454605.html I experienced my first dry electrical storm last night. There was fork and sheet lightning across the sky for most of the evening with only a little rain. The temp today has varied from 23 30 degrees and we've actually had some proper rain now.As it became bearable to be outside we went for a drive and then I went in to town to have a look around the shops and then the museum. Up in the hills http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/blog-454602.html There's not really alot to update since the previous entry. The weather has been gorgeous but far too hot to actually go out and do anything. I did have a mooch around the town the other day and have a walk through some gardens. Lots of the native plants to Oz are amazing and the trees grow to enormous heights. The birds and other wildlife take a little getting used to instead of seaguls that http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/blog-454246.html So ive been very slack with this... i never finished my europe stuff but do not fear theyre sitting in a note book that ive put some where PAnywho ill be back travelling os in january so hopefully i can continue this Note i said HOPEFULLY http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/blog-449367.html After leaving the majestic Grampians we made our way back to the coast our first port of call being Mount Gambier. After two beautiful sunny days in the Grampians NP we were not expecting the nice weather to last and we were not disappointed Driving through hail to get there it continued to rain for pretty much the next week with only a few brief sunny periods. Mount Gambier appears to be famou http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Fleurieu-Peninsula/blog-448348.html A short trip to the Barossa Valley staying in the Novotel Resort. The view from the room and from the Restaurant is great. A wonderful layout of buildings just below the rim of the hill arced around the valley leading down to the river. The grounds were landscaped with a mixture of Australian natives and small groups of vines. During dinner we watched the weather pass over the hills on the ot http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Barossa-Valley/Nuriootpa/blog-448235.html Our recent trip to Arkaroola included a couple of days at the Mt. Gammon Ranges National Park located on the southern boundary of the Arkaroola Wildlife Sanctuary. The park has several bush camping areas and we decided to stay at the site near Grindells Hut because of its proximity to several hiking trails. It is one of the more isolated camping areas and we had to traverse a 17 km 4wd road http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Flinders-Ranges-National-Park/blog-446241.html It is not uncommon to hear people in Adelaide claim that they live in the driest city in the driest state in the driest continent on Earth. There have been drought conditions in this part of the world for the last several years. Often when I walk the streets of my new hometown I reflect on this fact. As I look around me and see all the beautiful gardens and flowering trees I find it hard to http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/South-Australia/Arkaroola/blog-446228.html