We had a great night sleep last night at The Granites, no one else around except one other 4WD. It was so peaceful and quiet, we only heard the waves crashing. Although there isnt anything here this would have been a spot and we would have stayed another night if the weather wasnt so bad. Its cloudy, rainy and blowing a gale.
So we set off for Kingston for a look around. Much bigger than it looks on the map. Its another fishing town that is also home to the Big Lobster!
We kept going to Robe on the Limestone Coast, people have been telling us that this is a beuatiful spot and they are not wrong. I met a couple back at Parham and they were meant to be travelling north but they couldnt get Robe out of their minds so they were heading back here. Its a one street town but there is lots to see.
Will come back tomorrow and explore.
We are camping tonight in the Little Dip Conservation Park which costs $11 per night. There is not another person in sight and we have a huge grassed camping bay so we are happy. We just hope the wind will stop and the sun will shine tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Night 129- The Granites
We awoke to some more rain for a change but we are determined to leave Adelaide.
As we start to pack up, the clouds start to break up so we decide we will head to Monarto Zoo which is about 45min out of Adelaide towards Murray Bridge.
Monarto Zoo is part of Adelaide Zoo much like Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo and is set up in the same way except here they have a shuttle bus that takes you to all of the different exhibits....no bike riding around this one. They have a lot of the African animals here including Hyenas, black and white Rhino, chimps, cheetah, lions, eland plus lots of other animals from around the globe.
Here are some of the shots during the visit......see if you can pick the two wee shots!!
The chimps enclosure was a favourite as well as the cheetah. One of the cheetah actually took a shine to Bailey when it was just us two there. It was chasing him under the veiwing platform and I had to tell him to stand back from the railing as it looked like it would try and grab him for lunch!!
It was a great day there and then we drove for about 2 hours to our next free camp called "The Granites" which were just behind a huge beach just to the north of Robe.
As we start to pack up, the clouds start to break up so we decide we will head to Monarto Zoo which is about 45min out of Adelaide towards Murray Bridge.
Monarto Zoo is part of Adelaide Zoo much like Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo and is set up in the same way except here they have a shuttle bus that takes you to all of the different exhibits....no bike riding around this one. They have a lot of the African animals here including Hyenas, black and white Rhino, chimps, cheetah, lions, eland plus lots of other animals from around the globe.
Here are some of the shots during the visit......see if you can pick the two wee shots!!
The chimps enclosure was a favourite as well as the cheetah. One of the cheetah actually took a shine to Bailey when it was just us two there. It was chasing him under the veiwing platform and I had to tell him to stand back from the railing as it looked like it would try and grab him for lunch!!
It was a great day there and then we drove for about 2 hours to our next free camp called "The Granites" which were just behind a huge beach just to the north of Robe.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Night 128 - Adelaide
Ahhh yes the huntsman spider incident! Let me tell the story. We were in the car about to start driving when I heard a shriek....sounded like Ellie but no its my husband! Lise help me, get this spider off me he says. I jumped straight out of the car (not because I was scared but because I wanted to grab something to flick it off him!!) I grabbed a stick flicked it off and saved the day.
He also neglected to mention when we were on our bush walk he was chatting away on the phone and he swallowed a bug of some sort. He coughed and spluttered then vomited twice (all while still talking away). We then get back to the van and an ant crawls up his leg, he shook that leg like it was on fire!! Gee ants are massively scary out here, you should have seen it...huge bulging eyes and razor sharp teeth!
So the rain started at 3am and by 9am it was still raining so we decided to stay another day. Craig went to the office to pay while I put all of our washing that was on the line getting wet into the dryer. We drive out of the caravan park gates and all of a sudden the rain stops and the sun shines. Typical!
We decided to drive into Port Adelaide and go to the Sea Horse farm then the Maritime Museum.
First stop was lunch at the wharf in front of the lighthouse...
We went to the Sea Horse farm that we had seen in all of the brochures but it was closing down due to high rent so we missed out.
Next stop was the S.A maritime Museum, only cost $22 for the family and it was worth every cent. We were here for hours exploring the different exhibits.
They had a dolphin exhibit which was really cool, they had interactive games (right up Kai's alley!) and a huge dolphin skeleton.
They also had a kids play area with some caves, a pirate ship, a tunnel that went through a wooden sea serpent and heaps of pirate treasure boxes and wall displays. The kids absolutely loved it.
Downstairs was a display of life on board sailing ships from the early 1800's. Very interesting. Upstairs was a display of old swimwear from the 1950's, old fishing rods and more interactive games.
They also had a naval exhibit covering different eras, alot of sunken treasure that had been recovered and plenty of replica ships.
Couple more pics from the day...
We drove the long way home to see some more of Adelaide's beaches, Semaphore, Henley Beach, Glenelg and Brighton.
He also neglected to mention when we were on our bush walk he was chatting away on the phone and he swallowed a bug of some sort. He coughed and spluttered then vomited twice (all while still talking away). We then get back to the van and an ant crawls up his leg, he shook that leg like it was on fire!! Gee ants are massively scary out here, you should have seen it...huge bulging eyes and razor sharp teeth!
So the rain started at 3am and by 9am it was still raining so we decided to stay another day. Craig went to the office to pay while I put all of our washing that was on the line getting wet into the dryer. We drive out of the caravan park gates and all of a sudden the rain stops and the sun shines. Typical!
We decided to drive into Port Adelaide and go to the Sea Horse farm then the Maritime Museum.
First stop was lunch at the wharf in front of the lighthouse...
We went to the Sea Horse farm that we had seen in all of the brochures but it was closing down due to high rent so we missed out.
Next stop was the S.A maritime Museum, only cost $22 for the family and it was worth every cent. We were here for hours exploring the different exhibits.
They had a dolphin exhibit which was really cool, they had interactive games (right up Kai's alley!) and a huge dolphin skeleton.
They also had a kids play area with some caves, a pirate ship, a tunnel that went through a wooden sea serpent and heaps of pirate treasure boxes and wall displays. The kids absolutely loved it.
Downstairs was a display of life on board sailing ships from the early 1800's. Very interesting. Upstairs was a display of old swimwear from the 1950's, old fishing rods and more interactive games.
They also had a naval exhibit covering different eras, alot of sunken treasure that had been recovered and plenty of replica ships.
Couple more pics from the day...
We drove the long way home to see some more of Adelaide's beaches, Semaphore, Henley Beach, Glenelg and Brighton.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Night 127- Adelaide
The morning started off pretty wet so, to the boys excitement, we knocked over some school work.
After a quick trip to the shops to buy stores (Lisa eats us out of house & van!) and another gourmet lunch, we put on our hiking thongs and head into the national park next to our campground. Oh, and I have been reminded to mention the huge huntsman that walked over my shoulder, under my chin and on down to my elbow as I sat in the drivers seat........apparently I screamed......please...I just requested some immediate help from my fearless co-pilot....thats all!!
There are huge gum trees on the walk in as we pass about 20 tennis courts walking down the 'lorrikeet and rosella' walk. We got the kids on the lookout for koalas which kept them occupied.
The forest then opened up to a big park called.........wait for it.....'The Adventure Playground'....woo hoo!! Yep, a big park for the kids. Mum & Dad's time to kick back on the grass.
It was great until we were rudely interrupted by a furry critter deciding to change trees next to us....it was awesome to watch and no doubt the kids will remember for a long time!!
I think I do have a new favourite photo subject!
After a quick trip to the shops to buy stores (Lisa eats us out of house & van!) and another gourmet lunch, we put on our hiking thongs and head into the national park next to our campground. Oh, and I have been reminded to mention the huge huntsman that walked over my shoulder, under my chin and on down to my elbow as I sat in the drivers seat........apparently I screamed......please...I just requested some immediate help from my fearless co-pilot....thats all!!
There are huge gum trees on the walk in as we pass about 20 tennis courts walking down the 'lorrikeet and rosella' walk. We got the kids on the lookout for koalas which kept them occupied.
The forest then opened up to a big park called.........wait for it.....'The Adventure Playground'....woo hoo!! Yep, a big park for the kids. Mum & Dad's time to kick back on the grass.
It was great until we were rudely interrupted by a furry critter deciding to change trees next to us....it was awesome to watch and no doubt the kids will remember for a long time!!
I think I do have a new favourite photo subject!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Night 126 - Adelaide
Today we drove into Adelaide and had a look around. Amazing that we parked in the middle of the city for 85 cents per hour! We walked up and down Rundle Mall, Ive been a bit excited to shop here because I had a ball shopping here years ago with my mum. I did pick up a few bargains too and Ive had my retail therapy until we get to Melbourne!
I really like Adeliade... its like a smaller, cheaper version of Melbourne. Its really pretty with lots of parks and trees. I like that we are only staying 20 mins from the centre of the city but you would think we were hours away.
The kids have never been on a tram before so it was another new experience for them. Pretty happy to find out that the trams are free if you stay within the city.
After lunch in Rundle Mall we drove down to Glenelg Beach for a look around. It wasnt a beautiful sunny day but the beach was still packed. The town is great, its exactly like Manly with the corso area, cafe's and Norfolk pine trees.
After dinner it was time for more koala spotting, found a few more.
I really like Adeliade... its like a smaller, cheaper version of Melbourne. Its really pretty with lots of parks and trees. I like that we are only staying 20 mins from the centre of the city but you would think we were hours away.
The kids have never been on a tram before so it was another new experience for them. Pretty happy to find out that the trams are free if you stay within the city.
After lunch in Rundle Mall we drove down to Glenelg Beach for a look around. It wasnt a beautiful sunny day but the beach was still packed. The town is great, its exactly like Manly with the corso area, cafe's and Norfolk pine trees.
After dinner it was time for more koala spotting, found a few more.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Night 125 - Adelaide
We had a fantastic day today despite the rain! Went to Adelaide Zoo which was lots of fun. So exciting to see the only Giant Pandas in the southern hemisphere, Wang Wang and Funi. When we got to the zoo they gave us a ticket to view them at 11:45, they only let about 50 people at a time to view them. They were out and about exploring their new enclosures and they ate non stop.
Pandas...
We also saw a red panda fast asleep in a tree
Other pics from the day...
Apart from the Pandas the highlight of the day was being invited into the animal hospital to watch the vets monitoring a pregnant wallaby. The zoo has this big glass window (like a maternity ward) that you can stand outside and watch them operate. We were standing in the rain and the vet opens the door, feeling very sorry for us, and invites us in. The rock wallaby was under anesthetic and the vets were checking its weight and also the joey. The vet tells us to come closer and he opened up the pouch so we could see the joey. It was a month old and about 5cms long. He gets out his torch and shines it inside the pouch so we could see the joey sucking the milk. Kai, being a bit squeamish, was a bit grossed out....I hope the vet didnt see the look on his face. What an experience though! We only wished we had remembered to take some photos.
We got back to the caravan to put our feet up, it was another long day.
Pandas...
We also saw a red panda fast asleep in a tree
Other pics from the day...
Apart from the Pandas the highlight of the day was being invited into the animal hospital to watch the vets monitoring a pregnant wallaby. The zoo has this big glass window (like a maternity ward) that you can stand outside and watch them operate. We were standing in the rain and the vet opens the door, feeling very sorry for us, and invites us in. The rock wallaby was under anesthetic and the vets were checking its weight and also the joey. The vet tells us to come closer and he opened up the pouch so we could see the joey. It was a month old and about 5cms long. He gets out his torch and shines it inside the pouch so we could see the joey sucking the milk. Kai, being a bit squeamish, was a bit grossed out....I hope the vet didnt see the look on his face. What an experience though! We only wished we had remembered to take some photos.
We got back to the caravan to put our feet up, it was another long day.
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