The Fleurieu Peninsula 26/1 to 27/1

We took a couple of days to explore the wider area of the Fleurieu Peninsula. First to the east of Victor Harbor and the coastal towns and villages such as Goolwa, Port Elliot and Middleton. It was Australia Day so we had a day off for a change ! As at home the weather on a public holiday wasn't perfect but we still had a BBQ and a few drinks to celebrate.



The 'Cockle Train' ran along the route from Victor Harbor to Goolwa. The train was used to transport cockles and goods from the riverboats at Goolwa to Port Elliot and is the oldest public steel track in Australia.



This is Waitpinga Beach. Just another deserted beach on a summer public holiday !



The following day we ventured to the west of Victor Harbor as far as Cape Jervis. You could see Kangaroo Island in the distance. Unfortunately the weather and the expensive ferry cost prevented us from the crossing.



This is Yankalilla Bay at the site of the sunken HMAS Hobart, on part of the 'Fleurieu Way' scenic drive.



We drove up the coast through Normanville and Myponga to Aldinga Beach. Here we followed the locals and went for a drive on the large beach.



We returned via the hilly inland route and the town of Willunga.

Victor Harbor 25/1

We arrived to stay at Victor Harbor 80 Km South of Adelaide and part of the Fleurieu Peninsula. No we have not made a spelling mistake, all Harbor's in South Australia are spelt this way due to a Goverment official's mistake. You just can't trust those Government worker's to get things right can you !!



Victor Harbor is known for it's 632 metre long causeway to Granite Island. You can walk across the causeway or take the horse drawn tram.



The trams began in 1875. They transported goods such as wool and grain into Victor Harbor because the water was too shallow for boats to dock there. Instead they would dock on Granite Island and the horses would transport the goods. The first passenger tram began in 1894.



The trams are drawn by Clydesdale horses of which there are ten. They are used in rotation working just 3 hour shifts. This one is called Misty who is 10 years old. She had unusually pale blue eyes because of her light colouring. The one above drawing the tram is Carmen who is 17 years old. The horses are well looked after and live on 100 acres of pasture and are ridden to and from the tram site every day.



We walked around the hilly coastline of Granite Island after taking the tram ride over there.



We spotted a seal swimming in the crashing waves around the rugged Granite rocks but we couldn't get a picture of him as he was moving so fast diving in and out of the waves.



As usual during our walk Jayne was on the look out for reptiles, especially as there had been news of a snake bite just along the coast. To her pleasure she didn't see any real ones but did spot this rock on the cliff edge that resembled a pre-historic sized lizard.

Hahndorf & Strathalbyn 24/1

We drove into the Adelaide Hills, first to Hahndorf the oldest surviving German settlement in Australia, dating back to 1839. The town sells German products and has German themed bars and cafes.



Unfornately we didn't bring our German costumes so had to blend in using the following diguises.





We spent some time wandering up and down the main street with 'ye olde worlde' buildings.



The town was also home to lots of antique and gift shops.



After our trip to 'Germany' we ventured along the Angas River Scenic Drive. However there was no river to be seen, but we ended up in Scotland in the town of Strathalbyn. The town was established by Scottish immigrants in 1839. Here is St. Andrews Church.



The town is a heritage town with manicured gardens besides the river.



On our return journey to the camp site we drove through Callington and came across the Bremer Copper Mine. Callington was named after a Copper mining town in Cornwall. The Bremer Mine itself was established by a Cornish family in 1850 and the district became known as 'The Cornwall of the Colony'.

Murray Bridge and the River Murray 22/1 - 23/1

We stayed at Murray Bridge. This is Murray Bridge itself which was originally built between 1873 & 1879 and apart from the arches being replaced for higher ones after some damage, it is still in daily use today. The bridge spans the 'Mighty' Murray River.



We stayed at a caravan park that backed onto a marina where many houseboats were docked. People can live on these boats or hire them for holidays along the Murray.



Other larger boats can also be hired on the Murray either for day trips or for cruises. This is an old paddle cruiser that sails along the river. There used to be lots of paddle cruisers along the Murray but now they are quite rare.



This is a mechanical version of the mythical aboriginal river creature known as a Bunyip. The aboriginies were very fearful of the Bunyip and would not go near any waterways that were believed to contain them. European settlers were also very scared of this mythical creature when they heard unfamiliar sounds from the waterways of the region, and there were several reported sightings. It was not until the 19th Century that the physical existance of the Bunyip was disproved.



We took a drive into the Murraylands along the Murray River stopping along the way to take in the beautiful views. We stopped at Mannum which is the houseboat capital of South Australia.



The river is reminiscent of the River Nile but without the ancient monuments.



There are a number of car ferries which allow you to cross the river and take shortcuts. This is the one at Purnong which we used and which operates 24 hours a day.



The Big Bend is where the cliffs are the steepest near the town of Swan Reach.



Stops along the way included Walker's Flat, Kroehn's Landing and eventually Blanchetown.

Limestone Coast 17/1 - 21/1

Whilst staying in Mount Gambier we travelled to Port Macdonnell and Nelson along the Limestone Coast.

We completed a scenic drive around Cape Northumberland near Port Macdonnell, as you can see it was a rocky coastline.



There were a number of natural rock formations that were named after animals that they resembled. There were two camels, one large and one small, a rhino and a frog. Can you guess which one this is ?



Nelson was a very small township on the banks of the Glenelg River, but the estuary below was very attractive.



Our next trip along the Limestone Coast was from our next campsite in Kingston S.E.

We travelled back down the coast to Beachport and followed another tourist drive around the coastline. The weather was very dull and overcast as we had torrential rains during the night (in the driest state of Australia), but it was extremely humid and very warm.



We then continued our journey along the cost to Robe, which was a scenic seaside resort. Robe has retained lots of it's original buildings from around 1850's and it gave the town a nice feel as they were so well preserved.



Just look how well preserved this one is !



Robe also has an unusual Obelisk at Cape Dombey which was built in 1853 as a navigational aid to assist boats entry into the bay. As was so often the case along this coastline it was not always successful and some disasters still occurred.



On the way back to Kingston we called into Cape Jaffa. This is Cape Jaffa, literally. There was just a jetty a number of crayfishing vessels and a couple of houses. Even the lighthouse no longer resides here and has been moved to Kingston.



As with the rest of our journey so far Kingston has been no exception with the extremes weatherwise. On our arrival we had torrential rainfall which continued overnight. Some parts of South Australia had record rainfall classed as a '1 in 50 year rainstorm', and major flooding.

The following night we had a severe weather warning in our area with winds of 50km/h gusting upto 90km/h. We couldn't sleep and had to go out at 1am to bring down the pop-top roof of the caravan and close up one of the expanding ends to prevent us from rattling around so much. The movement was making us feel seasick and the sound of the sea on our doorstep didn't help much either. We both admit it got a little scary when the wind was howling around us, but everything was OK.

The next morning it was still very windy as you can tell from Jayne's clothes, and our caravan is safe and secure in the background just over her shoulder.



This is the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse now located on the foreshore of Kingston next to our caravan site.



And this is one of the 'Big Things' that Kingston is famous for - The Big Lobster. Can you spot David ? He's in there somewhere.

Mount Gambier 15/1 - 18/1

We entered our fifth state/territory having crossed the border into South Australia. Our campsite is at Mount Gambier, home of the Crater Lakes and is the second largest city of South Australia.



This is the Blue Lake which turns a vivid shade of blue every summer from November onwards before returning to a grey colour in winter. The lake is based in an extinct volcano and also provides the water for the local area.

As the sun decided to come out Jayne pulled out the flowery festival hat to match the sunny mood.



This is not the Great Wall of China but one of the lookout posts onto the lake.



There are a couple of other extinct volcanic lakes in the region, this is Valley Lake which is now used for recreational purposes and whose colour is noticeably different with a shade of pale green.



We completed our daily climb to the top of the hill to view Valley Lake from Centenary Tower.





With temperatures now touching 40 degrees we took an opportunity to use our barbie and relax in the sunshine.



Also in the region are a number of sinkholes. These are basically limestone caves where the roof has collapsed inwards creating a sunken hole in the ground. This is Cave Gardens which is in the heart of the town centre.



The Umpherston Sinkhole is very attractive as it has been made into a public garden including barbeque facilities under the rock face behind the overhanging plants.



Here's David embarking upon a new career in another popular timber logging area.