Wiskeys

Mike was going over to the CRCSI conference about 11 a.m. to give his presentation this afternoon, so we had a lazy morning and relaxing breakfast at the B&B. Once he left I spent some time catching up on the blog, then ventured out on the trolley to get in some more city sights before we leave for home tomorrow. It is a windy and cloudy day, but still very hot and humid. I met Mike at his conference site and we took the trolley back "home" so he could change clothes before we went out for dinner. The free trolley stops at 6 p.m. so we made sure we were back on it and on our way to Chinatown before then. We wandered the street for a bit looking at menus, then decided to follow ... read more

Today we decided to spend exploring the city. There is a free trolley that circles the city center and provides commentary on the sites and landmarks. Somewhat unfortunately, the weather decided to turn hot today. But not to be deterred, we lathered ourselves in sunscreen and set out for the day's adventures. We decided to get off the trolley at Federation Square--a busy intersection of railroad station, downtown businesses, parks and visitor information center. We took photos and wandered along the Yarra River for awhile, ultimately finding ourselves at the Sports Complex--Rod Laver Tennis Stadium and the Cricket Grounds. No sporting events were going on, however. We almost took the tour of the Cricket Grounds but didn't want to spend the 1 1/2 hours it would take (at least one of us didn't). Waiting for the ... read more

Today we started off with a quick look at Mount Gambier's Blue Lake. We were in luck, as the lake had already started its annual November turning to turquoise color. A very brisk morning air and bright sunshine added to the enjoyment of the views of this crater lake. Then we hit the road so we could take our time on the Great Ocean Road. We still had to drive a good distance to pick up the eastern end of it in Warrnambool, however, so we headed east on the Princes Highway, making a quick stop in Portland for fuel (our GPS sent us into a residential section in search of a non-existent gas station, but we did stumble upon quite a nice ocean view from the hilltop) and went into Port Fairy for a look-see ... read more

What a fantastic day (again!). Today we drove to Barossa Valley to check out some wineries. We had a newspaper section reviewing Australian wines but managed to leave it in our room. Probably worked out even better for us without it because we happened upon some amazing wineries and some great people we might not have otherwise encountered. We arrived in the town of Lyndoch with the hope of finding an area winery map. A beautiful little place with many restaurants and roses everywhere but no visitor center. So we went into the Post Office to ask where we could find information. The woman there sent us to the Kies Family Winery for a map. At the Kies winery we found a charming Cellar Door (tasting room) and a very friendly tasting hostess. Tastings are usually ... read more

We had a few hours more hours to spend in Canberra before catching the plane to Adelaide. We took in the Royal Rose Garden, the Old Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial. While learned quite a bit about the structure and history of the Australian government and Australia's participation in World Wars I and II, the Korean conflict, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Actually got pretty tired walking around so left for the airport early. When we landed in Adelaide we found out the time there is 1/2 hour earlier than in Canberra! Had never heard of time changes other than in 1 hour increments. We found our lodgings uneventfully--a first!... read more