Radelaide!

So yes, I got a bit distracted playing Mahjong, eating cake and throwing around sarcastic lines with Grandpa. But now we're away from the awesomeness and excitement and scorching heat that is Adelaide, so as I'm sitting in Cowell's school library drinking free soup, I shall tell you all about it!

We stayed at my Grandparent's house which happens to be in a retirement village. They are very relaxed, enjoy sitting, reading, listening to classical music, watching midsomer murders on mute and feeding the cat (a one eyed, twenty year old, tabby cat with hyperphagia).

Jack's cousins Jo and Nat were also in Adelaide working at the Fringe's Garden of Unearthly Delights. We met them there and during the week we saw four very different, very entertaining shows involving singing, dancing, acrobatics, comedy, beat-boxing and a little nudity.

The rooster from 'Lovebirds'

I got to an op-shop! I was in heaven, although after the second hour, Jack was not enjoying himself that much... He compensated for the lost time by going to Adelaide's Caravaning and Camping show for half a day and brought back MaxTrax, a yabbie trap and some squidjigs.

We explored the city, getting a bit lost. We discovered we were in the wrong part when we realised what every second and third shop was... We ate some sushi, then made our way to the central markets, where we bought some chocolate (of course) and ate the most delicious lunch!

Bento Box

Jo met us at Gleneng (closest beach to Adelaide) and then we drove down to Port Norlunga.

We drove down to Victor Harbour and walked over to Granite Island. It was 39.2 degrees; too hot to even make it the whole way round the island. We also saw some seal guts floating near the shore. (?!). On the way back to shore I found some jewellery! Granted, the anklet was only worth about three dollars, but it was jewellery none the less. It made my day =)

I baked another cake! This one also turned out well!

We ate at the Pagoda Chinese Restaurant where mum actually got her first job and is still good friends with the owners Peter and Ping Pong (her real name is Wendy). The food is delicious! Jack and I got a banquet and it certainly was! So-oo much food.


We met up with my great Uncle Peter and Aunt Elaine. I very much enjoy their company as two genuine, intelligent people. They sent us off for a walk in the national park next to their house and in my hope to spot a koala, we actually saw 11! After their house we headed out of Adelaide and made our way up to Port Germein (home to the longest wooden jetty in Aus) where we stayed the night on the side of the road. Next to the railway line. Never again.

From there we stopped in Port Augusta for a mammoth $250 shop (which hopefully will last us a month or two), and Whyalla where we found a great spot along the coast of Point Lowly. I sat and read my 'The Psychopath Test' book (given to me by Uncle Peter - I highly recommend it) while Jack took out his new squidjigs for a test run. And ta da!

We're having calamari for dinner!

Chow!

South Oz

One of Robes beaches.

48 days and 4500 kilometres later, we are finally in our fourth state, (a bloody hot) South Australia. Its about 40 today and I have been at a camping show in Adelaide to buy some 'MaxTrax' (story to follow) and to see how I can keep my freezer from overheating in this insane heat, the answer, a computer fan.

But back to where we left you.

Mt Schank Volcano, view from the top across.

So from Port Campbell we headed along the Great Ocean Road to Port McDonnel, well that was the plan, we actually ended up in Mount Gambia, we had dinner there at the brown lake, the famous Blue Lakes low profile brother. We then headed to Mt Schank, a dormant Volcano for the night where we stayed with numerous other campers (who obviously all had the book 'camps').

Sarah braving the cool water of little blue lake
(she had an allergic reaction to the algae and developed red welts all over her body

From there we headed back to the coast, stopped into a few small fishing towns along the way and ended up in Lobster town, Robe. Robe is another town I would recommend visiting if you are around the area, beautiful beaches, headlands, historic buildings and some rather hefty sand dunes (this is where the MaxTrax would have come in handy). We found some national parks on the map (little dip) so off we went to find a place to set up camp.  At the entrance of the park there was the biggest lobster head I have ever seen.

Killer dune, Picture does not do justice to the size.

The track leading to the first camp was rather hairy with many rocks and tree branches is bad spot and quiet a few hills and drops. The first camp looked rather average so we kept going and eventually hit the beach, well sand dunes and then a rocky headland. We got through the first series of dunes with minimal trouble, tyres were on 20psi the dunes were very soft and steep, like nothing I had experienced. We eventually got to the beach after the maze of dunes, but the beach was also very soft, if not softer, so momentum was hard to gather. We stopped in the hardest bit and I let the tyres down to 15psi. It was getting dark and I didn’t want to be stuck with such a rough sea on the incoming tide. We very quickly realised that all three cuttings/dunes were rather steep, so we proceeded to charge this one dune, it wasn’t the steepest nor the least steep but it went straight to the camp we needed to get to, after 40 mins of charging and getting ever so close I got the shovel out and Sarah and I cleared the track and finally after a loud ‘whoosh’ noise coming from the engine at one stage where I thought I had blown a hose we got over the dune and cruised back to camp where we had celebratory rums and the car got some cool coolant.

We were off again that morning, stopping by more interesting little towns until we got to Coorong National Park where we stayed the night. Coorong is quiet large and consists of thick bush land, winding water networks and lakes, soaring sand dunes and then an exposed rugged beach. We didn't stay long, regret that now but i'm too eager to get to Western Australia and sarah was excited to see her GrandParents.

Malcolm Douglas look alike taking a photo of the rig.

We powered on through to Adelaide, set back by an hour detour which we thought was a short cut but was just a very long dirt road to a locked gate.

Stay tuned as Sarah will have your Adelaide fix tomorrow.

Hope you get some enjoyment from reading this, we are having a ball!

Jack.

Time in Birre

Our view from the kitchen (for Mandy)

Sarah's first cake & wild blackberries

Crikey Moses I have had a busy, but relaxing and fun 2 weeks. I have been meaning to come down to the farm on my holidays for the last few years and I don’t know why I haven’t. I have had a ball catching up with my cousins and uncles and aunties, we have eaten so much that we could live off dry biscuits for the next month. 

I think uncle Noels ‘home grown’ lamb could sway a vegetarian, that’s if you have room after eating Auntie Julies potatoes and salads. Uncle don and Auntie Jane put on a similar spread every Monday night for the ‘boys’ Sim, Rod and whoever else is around. That’s one thing I will miss in a few months I think, a nice family roast, I think the camp oven will start getting a good work out. 

Uncle Don and Eliza's kiddos Harry and Clive

I have done a fair bit of work on my car including replacing the rear axel seals, changing hoses, fixing Sarah’s door so she can get out, plumed in an auxiliary diesel tank, sealed the roof and a few other bits and pieces. The old bullet proof hilux is starting to show its age, at least parts are cheap and I can do most repairs myself.

As well as that I have been helping out around the farm a bit, learning heaps of useful things like how to shoot, drive a tractor, how to mill flour and my favourite, how to slaughter a cow, which we did on Wednesday with my uncle Jim and cousin Steve, that’s an experience I will never forget and hopefully put the skills to use if we hit a roo. There is never a dull moment when you’re on the farm and there is always something that needs to be done or story that needs to be told.

We stayed the night last night in Port Campbell, the coastline here is bloody beautiful and I would recommend spending time here to anyone who is interested.

I’ll let the photos do the talking, I can see surf on he horizon and I’m itching to get wet.

Jack.

Melbourne

(written on the 4th of February)

It’s been quite a busy couple of weeks. We’ve reached the one month mark, and we haven’t had any major injuries or troubles and we even still kind of like each other! We’ve spent time in Blairgowry, Mornington, Abbotsford, Melbourne, Fitzroy and Lorne.

We had a great Aus Day with Jack's family, lazing in the pool, attempting a game of tennis and wandering along Blairgowrie back beach. We headed up to Melbourne to stay with Em the next day and stopped at a winery on the way.

Once in Melbourne, we ate burritos from a cool little taco shack, and went to a club where it was a lesbian night. The next few days were so blistering hot we couldn’t do anything other than lay about the house and sweat. When it had finally cooled down we spent a couple of days in the city and Queen Victoria markets.

If you go to Melbourne there are some foods you have got to try:

Duck and Plum Crepe @ Creperie in the alley opposite Flinders St Station

Pork dumplings in china town

Watermelon Granitas @ Pelegrini’s on Bourke St

Visit the Sweet and Nut Shop on Russel St

Bratwurst w/ onion, sour crout, cheese and mustard in Vic markets Deli

Buy 6 for $6 hot Jam doughnuts bottom of clothes section at Vic markets

Jack and I ended up swapping shoes to help with the blisters so wear appropriate footwear. 

I somehow managed to have an unheard of amount of self control and only bought one pair of sunnies (which I did need)! Go me! But we splurged a little on strawberries, blackberries, avocados, tomatoes, triple cream brie, dips and olive bread =)

We had an absolutely delicious dinner with John and Peirs; an entree of scallops (in their shell) with butter and rum, for dinner we had whole snapper with orange and fennel and coconut mash with a side of rocket and tomato. Yummy! We then headed out to a bar opening nearby.

We left Melbourne and ventured to Lorne where we stayed for a night next to the beach. Next stop is Birregurra!

S.