borossa valley

Hi, so I'll just start off by saying that another thing on my must-do list was to go on a wine tour. I had the Borossa Valley in mind and have heard a lot of good things about it from the locals as well. Alison, Steve, and I decided to go for it! The Borossa Valley is about an hour drive north of Adelaide and through the Adelaide Hills. On our way to the vineyards, we stopped at the 'World's Largest Rocking Horse' and a local fruit and nut market. Both were interesting in their own way. Our tour took us to four different places; Wolf Blass, Stanley Lambert, Grant Burg, & Kies Family wineries. These were all different experiences, but were all similar in that they were more wine tastings opposed to tours of the wineries. Not exactly what I expected as a first-timer, but good just the same. 

Our first stop was for a three course lunch at a nice place a can’t remember the name of. I had a vegetarian risotto, Alison had beef and vegetables, and Steve had Barramundi on rice. We all had dessert. Wolf Blass, which was one of the larger and fancier places. We had a formal wine tasting of about seven different types. The only thing we didn’t try was their platinum label, because it was $15 for a taste. It must have been good! As far as the scenery goes, this place was probably the dullest.. It’s not that it was hard to look at, it was open and muddy and not the Borossa-Valley-picturesque I had imagined. The wine was good though and the people were nice! The next stop was Stanley Lambert. This was a smaller winery with some very interesting wine names, including Mustang Sally Shiraz. On the way to the next place, we drove past a very sketchy looking warehouse that said Penfold Grange on it. It is the company that produces a wine that is $500 a bottle. Insane, you should look it up on google! Anyway, Grant Burg was our next stop, and it was my least favourite because of the atmosphere. We were really rushed and I don’t think the people could wait until we were gone! I tried a bubbly there and then went outside to explore a little. This winery was on a hill and we could see pretty far into the Valley. The Kies Family Winery is family owned and operated. There is a small store where we tasted some of their famous dessert wines. I bought myself a nice apron with a wine glass on it and we called it a day. 

On the way back to Adelaide, we stopped at the Whispering Wall, which is really a lake and dam. When you stand at one side of the curved wall, you can whisper to the other side and it comes out perfectly clear! So that's where the name comes from. This was a nice little pit stop to break up the drive home because even though we had an awesome time on the tour, we were all pretty tired and hungry from our busy day!

the Worlds Tallest Rocking Horse

Alison at Stanley Lambert

Steve at Stanley Lambert

the Mustang Sally bottle

some barrels

leaves changing in the fall

Borossa Valley from Grant Burg

the Whispering Wall

wicked

Alison and I decided, long before Steve joined us, that we should go to the Adelaide Festival and see a play. We had walked by the theatre via the River Torrens and also via North Terrace. It was a nice looking place with a lot of bright coloured flags, naturally, we were drawn in. So we looked up shows that were playing when Steve was with us, and we found Wicked. Neither of us had seen it before, so we thought, oh heck yes, let's get some tickets! The night of the show, we got all dressed up and made a nice dinner at home. We even had a glass or two of red wine. Classy, I know. The show itself was very good. The singers were awesome and the set was very cool, oh and I had (and have) songs stuck in my head all the time from it! I wasn't going to mention this, but we sat so far up in the back that we thought we should have brought our binoculars, but it was actually great! We were so caught up in the moment that we forgot to take any pictures, so I'm sorry for that! I hope you like reading about it just the same!

oh hi

As many of you know, I am back in Ontario and loving it! There are still a few stories I would like to tell you, so my plan is to continue writing blogs about the last month of my time in Australia. Keep viewing! I was just getting settled, I promise!

deep sea fishing

For this blog post I thought I would try something a little different. Steve is going to be telling you about our deep sea fishing trip because it was one of the tours that we got to do as a group and because he is maybe a little more passionate about it than I am. Don't get me wrong though, I had a wonderful time out on the water! I also like pictures, so I have added some of our photos to the end of his blurb. Here it goes ..

Last weekend Em, Alison and I decided that we would like to go deep sea fishing on a charted fishing boat. I had been deep sea fishing in the Florida Keys before and I thought it would be a fishing trip that the girls would enjoy as you normally catch plenty of fish on chartered boats in salt water. 

Em, Alison, Steve, and I ended up booking a trip with Reel Screamer Fishing Charters out of North Haven, South Australia. We had one guide on the boat with us and he had all of our live bait ready to go when we arrived in the harbour at seven Saturday morning. The main kind of fish we were going for were called King George Whiting which average between 30-40cm long and are one of Australia’s top eating fish. We headed out of the harbour and tried two different spots where we only managed to catch a few fish between the four of us. I was a little worried when we weren’t catching many fish as I figured it would just be a slow day of fishing. Our guide was getting frustrated as well and decided to take a different approach and head to deeper water than we had previously been fishing. When we got out there all we would have to do is drop out lines to the bottom and there would be a fish on. I would like to say that we all caught an even amount of fish at this spot but I think Em and Alison beat Steve and I by quite a bit. Both of them had a few double headers and Em and Alison caught the two biggest Whiting of the day. After a few hours at this spot the girls were actually getting tired from catching fish which is a very good problem to have!

Overall our day on the water was great. We managed to catch many types of fish including whiting, red mullet, blowfish, boxfish, mackerel and many others. Steve and I had a great time out there even though we were out fished by the girls, but without a doubt, all four of us would go again the next chance we got.

just leaving North Haven

back of our boat, you can see some of our raw bait

Steve and Steve ready to fish!

Alison and I .. can you tell it's early?

Me holding my first King George Whiting

Steve and I competing

some red mullet, squid, and mackerel

squid

what a nice fillet

kangaroo island

One of the first things that I knew I wanted to do while I was in Australia was go to Kangaroo Island. I didn't really know anything about it except the name. I thought it would be a cool place to see kangaroos in the wild and in mass populations or something. So I started looking into trips from Cape Jervis over Investigator Strait and to Kangaroo Island. I realized pretty quickly that the small little island I thought was KI was actually a very big island with a lot to see! So Alison, Steve, and I planned a two day guided trip so that we could make it to all the sights. We were also told that driving at night on KI is a bad idea because there aren't lights and there is a lot more wildlife than on the mainland. 

So, our trip begins at 6:00am in Adelaide City where we get on our mini bus and pick everyone else up in the city. We drive for about an hour and a half to Cape Jervis, where we get on the Sea Link and ferry over to Penneshaw, KI. This is the biggest city on Kangaroo Island and this is where we can buy our snacks for the rest of the trip. So we stop and stock up and get back on our bus on our way to Prospect Hill. This area of the island is called the bottleneck because it is the narrowest part of the island. Because of this, and because this was the highest point on the island, we could see water on both sides of the land. The story goes that Captain Matthew Flinders thought he discovered mainland Australia, but he was really on Kangaroo Island. He didn't realize this until he climbed up Prospect Hill and could see the large mass of land that was really Australia in the distance. Tough luck for Captain Flinders, I'd say. But hey, he at least has a National Park named after him. Next stop, Little Sahara for some sand boarding! This wasn't reallllly sand boarding because it had sort of rained earlier so the sand was a lot stickier than normal. Apparently! We rode the boards down like toboggans to make the most of it, and it was still very exciting. It was also very good exercise running up that hill so many times! Speaking of which, when we got to the top of the hill, we were all surprised to find no water near us. This giant sand dune and no water? .. crazy! Anyway, now we are all really hungry and find ourselves at The Woolshed next. This is our little farm stay, where we are going to be staying tonight. We drop off our bags and have lunch as a group and get ready to go to the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch, which are both in Flinders Chase National Park. This is when I really notice for the first time just how crazy our driver is, how fast he goes on these bumpy red dirt roads. 

The Remarkable Rocks are really cool and really big! They have been sculpted naturally into their cool formations, and there is this orange lichen all over them, which makes them even better looking! The lichen plus the rain equals a very slippery place. On the other side of the rocks, it just sort of slopes down almost 100 metres to the ocean waters. We had some time to take pictures and explore the rocks and surrounding vegetation. By the way, the vegetation on Kangaroo Island is a lot different than on mainland Australia in that it is generally lower to the ground. For some areas, the guide mentioned a fire, but in others along the coast it is because of the thin layer of soil and the windy conditions. After we see the Remarkables, we head further into Flinders Chase National Park to the New Zealand Fur Seal colony and Admirals Arch. The coast line here is very rugged and has slowly been eroding to create small islands off of Kangaroo Island. Admirals Arch is apparently going to be the next breaking point. It is also the home to many NZ Fur Seals. We were at the arch to see the seals and to see the sun set through the arch. It was a cloudy night though, so we couldn't see it through the arch, but we saw some beautiful colours out on the coast.  Later tonight we go to see the Little Penguins down a side road and at a small rocky beach. It was pitch black out, so we used a flash light and saw the cutest little penguin family sitting in a circle. It was a cold night and so we got back to The Woolshed and had a bonfire with the group before bed. 

Steve and I at Prospect Hill

Alison and Steve sand-tobogganing at Little Sahara

some nice vegetation/scenery on the way to the Remarkable Rocks

Alison and I celebrating life

Alison and I on one of the vibrant (lichen covered) rocks

are you thinking what Steve and I were? .. I AM IRONNN MAN!!

the Remarkable Rocks

Steve and I walking to Admirals Arch

Admirals Arch

Alison and I watching the sun set by Admirals Arch 

coast line sun set at Admirals Arch

The second day of our trip was cut a little short, but I'll get to that soon. We started the day with breakfast and packing up. We are on our way to Seal Bay to see some wild Australian Sea Lions. When we get there, we are guided by a park leader and told not to get within ten metres of the sea lions because they are actually very fast and if they get spooked, they will chase you off! Hm, so I didn't know that before. We also learned that the sea lions have hips which gives them something like four legs, and that they are descendants of the dog family. They are also named because of their distinct markings around their necks, which makes them look like lions from the sea. The next stop on our trip was the birds of prey show. This was something I hadn't seen in a long time and was very happy with. Our guide told us that it was being taken out of the itinerary for next year, which is kind of sad. There was a barn owl, a 'screaming woman owl', a wedge tail eagle, falcons, and even a couple kookaburras. After the show was over, we had some lunch (sausages and kangaroo meat) and got back on the bus, which was taking us to Stokes Bay. 

Stokes Bay is beautiful. It is on the northern shore of Kangaroo Island and is a lot calmer and more beach-like than the other places we have been so far. The interesting things about this place is that when explorers were here, there was no access to the beach. You could only see the beach from the top of the cliffs that surround it unless you waited for the tides to be perfectly low, that is until somebody deemed this unacceptable. The explorers decided that dynamite in the part of the cliff that was blocking the beach was the best option. And so they blew it up. Now there is a (claustrophobic) tunnel and pathway that leads to the beach. Look at the picture I have of it, and find the sign that says 'Beach ->'. It was definitely a unique experience, but once we got on the beach it was great! There were rocks along the beach with the same lichen that was on the Remarkable Rocks, and the sand was nice. Alison, Steve, and I wondered around taking pictures and doing cartwheels for about an hour or so until we noticed that the group was leaving. Hm, I guess it's time to go we thought and so ran after them and got back in our seats at the back. I wonder if they think now that all Canadians are slow or late or something. That would not be ideal. We were off to Penneshaw again to have dinner and take the Sea Link back to the mainland. All I can say is that it's a good thing the group left early because we had an unexpected mishap on our way...

Remember that time when I said the driver was a little dare-devil-ish. Well he was driving down these bump ridden dirt roads and taking corners WAY too fast so I think it was only a matter of time until part of the bus broke off. I laugh now, but at the time we were all .. okay we were laughing then too. All I remember is fish-tailing down the road a little lower than normal. 

Steve: Hm, flat tire?

Alison: NO TIRE!!!!

Alison had seen the tire fly off and bounce down the road. Sure enough, once we finally, and I say finally because we lost the brakes with the tire, got stopped, the tire rolled by my window! It was strange but also unfortunate because it took about an hour to get a spare bus to us and so we had to miss out on the emu farm tour. It's okay thought because we were all safe back in Adelaide and nobody got hurt. Well, that's more than I can say for our poor old bus.

the sea lion line up at Seal Bay

Casper the barn owl at being a socialite the birds of prey show

the entrance to the beach at Stokes Bay

Steve and I at Stokes Bay

um, wuhhhh?

KI, success.

great ocean road trip, day three & four

Day three begins at the Port Campbell Motor Inn. We planned to stay here the night before so that we could enjoy as much of Port Campbell National Park as we could! So first on our must see list was Loch Ard Gorge. We got here pretty early (after breakfast and check out) and the sun was shining in all the right places. The walls of the gorge are limestone and so are a nice orange-brown, which looks great against the blue of the ocean. The sand was also very orange, but very cold! It was seriously so cold we had to run to the places where the sun was on the sand. The story behind Loch Ard Gorge is worth hearing, but just not in my words so I have taken a picture of the sign and am recommending you read it! So from here Mom, Sara, and I travelled on the left side of the road to the 12 Apostles. This was definitely one of the popular stops. There was even a pedestrian under-pass to avoid tourist casualties or something. The Twelve Apostles actually aren't all there either. The reason the ocean has carved the coast this way is because the limestone is a relatively soft rock. This is also the reason that the Twelve Apostles aren't all there. Some of them have been eroded down below the water level. All this being said, the view was very cool! Next, about 300 metres down the road, was Gibson's Steps. I thought seeing the coast line from the top of the cliffs was cool until I got down and even with the water. Sara and I climbed down the steps and had some fun taking pictures in the sun on the beach. I think the tide was fairly high and so it was intimidating being stuck between the raging waves and the face of a cliff. So far, this was a very good day! ..until ..

Great Otway National Park and Triplet Falls was in our minds since we were told about it in one of the information centres. Little did we know that getting there involved driving switch-back mountain style through the forest for an hour. The speed limit was 20 km/hr. It was a good experience because I now appreciate all other roads much more now. Once we got near the falls, it was about a thirty minute hike. We were all very paranoid of snakes and spiders and things. Which reminds me, on the way down to the beach at Discovery Bay, go figure, there was a boardwalk through some scrubby brush and on the way back, mother got stalked by a snake. I didn't actually see it, but from the fear in her eyes and the way she described it, I have no doubts at all that it was actually following her. She said that she was walking and the whole way there was black tarp draped from the railing to the ground and she was hearing movement (the snake!). THEN, there was a hole in the tarp and the snake flew out in front of her and was hissing and everything. She sort of backed up and started calling GIRLS, COME HERE!! At this point, the snake looked kind of scared and was trying to get back past the tarp but it couldn't find the hole it had come out of so it was getting irritated and was hissing. When it finally got back through, and when we finally got there, a man was asking mom what the snake looked like and where it went and just said its okay because it was gone now and it was probably more scared than she was. Fair enough. Anyway, after this scare walking through the woods and on narrow trails was a little more tense than before the snake incident. Luckily, no more snakes, just nice waterfalls. For us, Triplet Falls was kind of a hidden gem in the forest with the sun shining down on it. Anyway, back to the car and back on the road. 


Our flight from Melbourne to Adelaide leaves tomorrow at noon, so we wanted to get a close as possible in the day light to be able to see everything form here on. We drive through Apollo Bay and stop in Lorne for a snack. Wait a minute, not a single thing is open... Are we missing something? It's like 3:45 pm and all cafes and restaurants are closed. That's another thing about Australia that is different to home. The restaurants generally open at 5:30 or 6:00pm and the cafes close at 2:00 or 3:00pm. So we were out of luck here. We settle for watching some noisy cockatoos and walking down to see the water. The waterfront was very dynamic and active, with a skate park, a playground, a pool, a (closed) restaurant, and even trampolines! It was a nice town but I guess we just came at the wrong time. So we drive some more and stop at Aireys Inlet for some coffee and hot chocolate to bring us through Torquay to Geelong for the night. After taking a peek at the harbour front, we try navigating the city's one way street system to find us a place to stay. The Best Western it is and the Texas Burger (I know, how Americanized) for the biggest bowl of 'chips' ever. This was a very deep-friend meal that left us feeling a little too full. Sara and I swam in the pool because the hot tub water was overflowing into the pool water and it was soooo warm. Our time in Geelong wasn't much, but we were getting tired anyway and enjoyed the time that we had just hanging out. Off to the airport soon, where we returned our originally white car back in looking black from all of the bug guts on the bumper. 


When we get back to Adelaide, we eat and talk and play another game of Canesta before bed. In the morning, we get to go to the airport again to pick up Steve! The four of us get to spend one afternoon and evening together before Mom and Sara have to leave for home. I knew our time together would fly by because we would be having so much fun together, enjoying each other's company in Australia! .. but I didn't know it would go by THAT fast! I had a great time with you mom and Sar, and I'm very glad that you had the opportunity to come see (parts of) this beautiful country with me! 

Loch Ard Gorge on a sunny morning

Mom and I at Loch Ard Gorge

the story of Loch Ard Gorge

Sissy and I at the 12 Apostles

the almost 12 Apostles

down Gibson's Steps on a windy day. can you see the dolphin at the top of the rocks?

:)

so obviously excited!

a part of the Triplet Falls in Great Otway National Park

some more trees

those noisy cockatoooos in Lorne

Geelong Harbour at sunset