Today we got to see what the Outback looks like, at least for the area between Coober Pedy and Alice Springs. The next few days will be quite different, as we explore Uluru (Ayers Rock). Coober Pedy got a lot of rain and thunderstorms overnight. Lots of puddles all over, since it’s pretty flat here. We heard several smaller landing strips are closed until the runway water evaporates. Evidence of the rain is all over for the first 4 hours of our bus ride towards Alice Springs. We heard of power outages and Internet interruptions. But everybody survived! The landscape today varies a lot. From trees to no trees, from rock to soil, from brown soil to red soil, from fenced grazing lands to unfenced areas. Several times our bus driver needed to slow down for ... read more

Sunday was a day of rest. A big brunch was planned for today by our friends so that we’d be well fed to go on the 11-hour bus ride from Adelaide to Coober Pedy. And well fed we were! Musli/yogurt, bacon and eggs, beef sliders, lamb and roo on the Barbie, with lots of veggies and fruits, cheeses and breads, wine and coffee. The bus was on time and the driver reminded us of a few things, like: you drink, you walk; once in the outback he likes to drive in the middle of the road (when safe) to maximize his vision and wildlife evasion techniques, although he will not do major swerving since that could cause a roll-over because of the mail/cargo trailer towed behind the bus; kangaroos can be an issue, but they can ... read more

Today we will explore the area south of Adelaide with Joy and Geoff, including several wineries in the Maclaren Vale region. Last time we here back in 1998 we had explored the Barossa Valley with them. But before a taste, we have lunch in typical Australian style. The Cottage Baker serves some really good meat pies, Marion’s was a traditional beef pie, Ferdy’s was jalapeño (you might have guessed). Then, Chapel Hill Winery for the first stop. Their 2016 Bush Vine Grenache was just released this day, and was the gold medal Grenache winner for Maclaren Vale region. No wonder! Additional Cellar Doors visited were Coriole Winery, S.C. Parnell, and Leconfield/ Richard Hamilton Winery, the latter featuring incredible rose displays. In between, Joy presented to us a picnic consisting of cheeses, pates, fruits and crackers. Just ... read more

Ferdy is not much interested in big cities. Can Melbourne, with a population of 4 million plus, be an exception? Certainly the impressive skyscrapers, highway architecture, interesting cityscapes and shopping arcades all try hard to make it impressive. The use of trams cause it to have less downtown car traffic than Ottawa. And, this being Melbourne Cup Day, a Victoria State holiday, creates a level of excitement. Many folk dress up in period dresses, tuxedos and hats, and many will end up drunk and unruly by the end of the day. Seeing a friendly demonstration to celebrate the 8-hour work day initiated here in 1856, and chatting with some of the participants, was cool. Cool, very cool indeed, was the weather, unseasonably cold (about 14C) and rain for Melbourne, good thing we actually brought our rain ... read more

The flight from Vancouver to Brisbane was a long one, even though it was only 13 hours, less than the advertised 14 1/2 hours. Air Canada was good to us though, three meals over the course of the flight, including free wine. Sleep was difficult. The seats were not very comfortable, a pain in the neck literally. Arrived in Brisbane in the morning, with the temperature predicted at 30C. That great news was short lived however, as the pilot of our next flight to Melbourne announced it would be only 15C there. Even Australians on the flight were gasping. We were being singled out for a dog sniffing at Brisbane. Must be the imminent legalization of weed that made them pick us Canadians. Thankfully, Marion did not carry any fruit, as she did once in New ... read more