Apr 17, Paringa, Renmark, Berri, Barmera, Kingston on Murray

Up early this morning to watch the Paringa Bridge go up. It only lifts twice a day at 9:30 and 2:30. One section of road on the bridge raises straight up by means of wheels, pulleys and counterweights, very interesting.
Driving through Renmark we came upon a Greek Orthodox Church. It was close, but as fate would have it, 2 men drove up in a truck to do some work and they let us in. It was a beautiful church with magnificent chandeliers and paintings and icons. It was built in the 1970, but looked new.
Renmark is home to the southern hemisphere's largest rose garden, so we stopped for a look. It's autumn here and the roses weren't at peak, but there was enough in bloom to see many of the over 4000 varieties there. It was laid out in several sections with tea roses, climbing, etc. and was quite overwhelming.
Outside of town we found Almondco, an almond grower, distributor, exporter. They had a sale room, so we bought some slivered almonds and tamari almonds, but we tasted salt & vinegar, cinnamon and smoked. Loved the salt & vinegar.

Outside of town we went across the Murray on a ferry - this one had a wooden deck. It took us to Lyrup and on to Berri. Under the bridge was an Aboriginal mural of the local people's dreamtime story. Unfortunately the text was illegible, but the mural was beautiful. Then we went to 'A Special Place for Jimmy James'. It was a memorial to an Aborigine who was an extraordinary tracker. He worked with police departments all over Australia and found criminals, escapees and people who were lost. Some of the stories of his expertise were amazing.

There was a 4 km walk along the Murray in Berri, so we decided to take it. The Lions Club had made it and all over Australia we have seen the work of Lions and Rotary Clubs. The projects range from parks to walks, zoos to campgrounds. They're extremely active and do much to enhance their towns. This walk was measured in steps, I suppose to encourage people to walk. There was a marker every 250 steps and at the end a 4500 step marker!

Outside of town there were several fruit stands. These were large and had people manning them. Earlier we came across fruit & vegetable stands with produce in bags, marked with the price and a box for money - all on the honor system.

In Barmera we had wanted to go to Rocky's Country Music Hall of Fame, but it was closed. So we climbed the lookout on the town Water Tower. Then we drove around Lake Bonney and decided to do something we almost never ever do - go backwards. We went west to Kingston on Murray to find out about an ecotour in a game reserve. It took some doing, since our cell phone just doesn't work in remote areas, but with the help of the general store owner we contacted the tour operator and set it up for tomorrow.

Now we're in another campsite on the Murray, watching pelicans float down the river.

Pictures - Paringa Bridge, Greek Church, Jimmy James memorial, Jeanne and mural, Samson & Water Tower Lookout

Apr 15, Nuriootpa, Blanchetown, Waikerie

We said goodbye to Anna, Hanneli and Peter in Tanunda and headed northeast from the Barossa Valley. We left hills that were lined with vineyards for the Murray River.

We drove through Nuriooptpa, an olive growing area, then on to Blanchetown. The first lock on the Murray was there. At the lock there were flood markers and in 956 the water was 25ft above flood stage. It was strange to see a flock of pelicans in the water by the dam, waiting for the fish that came through the fish ladders. From the bridge across the river we could see the tall yellow cliffs that line the Murray in this region.
In Waikerie we had lunch in a park by the river and took a cliff walk up to a lookout tower. We could see bends in the river and wetlands beyond the banks. It's very dry country, but is heavily irrigated for citrus fruit and other fruits and vegetables.

We took the ferry across to drive along the cliffs, then took the ferry back. We drove toward Kingston on Murray to go to Banrock Wetlands, but the walk there is 8 km and it was almost closing time. So we stopped for an early evening at a rest stop nearby. We'll do the walk tomorrow.

Was just listening to the news. The Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard has been fighting against a strong opposition and declining public ratings. The announcer just said that she had jumped the shark! Google the phrase, amazing to me that it made it to Australia.

Pictures - Pelicans at the lock, Jeanne with the ferry on the Murray

Apr 14, Hahndorf, Woodside, Birdwood, Williamstown, Lyndoch

We left Adelaide and Anna's lovely home and drove out to through Adelaide Hills. It is autumn here and on the drive we saw leaves changing color. The eucalyptus don't change color, so the trees were probably nonnative, but with the cool weather this morning, it really felt and looked like fall.

Hahndorf, a community settled by German Lutherans fleeing religious persecution, was a charming village. We stopped for a coffee and chocolate croissant and walked around looking at the shops and stone buildings. At Woodside we went to a chocolate factory and watched a man kneading a big pile of licorice. There was a cheese factory next door and we sampled a few and bought a triple cream Brie that was rich and delicious.

We went to Birdwood to go to the National Car and Motor Museum and when we came into the town there were signs announcing a community event today. It turned out to be a Rock and Roll Rendezvous at the museum. We toured the museum first. It had a gallery of Australian made cars with a large collection of Holdens. There was a good representation of cars from Britain, Europe and the US, as well as a motorcycle collection.
The Rendezvous was a car show with perhaps 300 or 400 cars, including many US cars from the 50s and 60s. People were dressed up in the clothing of the time frames of their cars - lots of poodle skirts. There was 50s music playing and a full dance floor. It was one big party and we had fun looking at the cars and talking to the owners.
I did learn that the term "station wagon" came from the early days of automobiles. It referred to a car that was large enough to carry passengers and luggage to the railway station.

Beyond there we stopped for a look at the Williamstown mural and a listen at the Whispering Wall in Lyndoch. The Wall was actually the dam across the Barossa Reservoir, a long curved concrete dam. A person standing at one end of the dam could hear a person at the far end just as clearly as if they were standing next to them - quite impressive.

Lastly, we came into Tanunda in the heart of the Barossa Valley wine country. We stopped in the caravan park for the night so we could meet Hanneli and Peter and see Anna again. They had met here with their children to celebrate Anna's birthday. When we arrived the children had gone their ways. Hanneli is Anna and Hester's sister and we were fortunate to be able to meet them before they started their trip to eastern Australia. We had a lovely meal and good visit at their caravan.

Pictures - Huge chocolate croissant, Telephone car that can be used to make phone calls, Dancing at the Car Show, Interesting sign on the Williamstown mural

Apr 13, Adelaide

Not such a busy day today. We went to the South Australia Art Museum and there was a special exhibit of Turner Pieces from the Tate in London. We took a tour that showed the evolution of his work from age 13 till his death. It is his representation of light that draws people to his work and it was wonderful to see in person. We also took in the rest of the museum and its extensive collection.

When we drove into town, we saw some Rolls Royces parked behind Government House, so we walked back there. It was the 55th National Rolls Royce Owners Rally and there were maybe 60 Rolls and Bentleys on display. They ranged from the early 1920s to present day.

We wanted to get to the market before it closed, so we rushed down there. It was a frantic place, mobs of people buying and the sellers anxious to sell there produce before it closed. We managed to get some fresh fish. Then we had lunch at a cafe there - Morrocan spinach lentil soup.

We drove by the Greek Orthodox Cathedral and went to St Peter's Cathedral. There was a wedding just ending when we got there, but we only had a short time to look at the interior because there was another wedding in just 15 minutes.

We drove back to Anna's and she was just setting off for the Barossa Valley. We had a little laundry to do, so we did that and worked on the blog.

Since it was Saturday night, we thought it would be good to have pizza. I had seen a wood fired pizza place on Melbourne Street and we were able to find it again, Bliss Pizzeria. We started talking to the owner, Sharkey. He had traveled to 43 states and knew South Bend, Nashville, even Clarksville,TN (where Samson & I met).
There was another man waiting for a pizza, talking to Sharkey, and he was going to a conference in Chicago in May. So we all started talking and he asked us to join him. His name was Brent and he was a Wing Commander in the Royal Australian Air Force, in Aviation Medicine. We had a great night talking about his trip and our trip - he had lived in Darwin, so had suggestions for us. What was going to be take home pizza in front of Anna's tv, ended up being great conversation and really good pizza at the Bliss.

Pictures - Aboriginal bark painting of the Pleiades and Orion, Turner painting of Venice

Apr 10, Cleland Wildlife Park, Adelaide

We drove up to the summit of Mt Lofty and close to it was the Cleland Wildlife Park. When I got out of the camper I dropped my camera and it stopped working properly. Now, I can't download pictures to the iPad. We can still use Samson's big camera, but the memory card won't fit in the card reader I have. There's an Apple store in Adelaide, so we'll check it tomorrow.

At the park we saw lots and lots of kangaroos and wallabies. What's the difference? Well, one difference between them is size. Wallabies are smaller, generally only reaching 2ft in height and kangaroos can get up to 8ft tall. If you can get a look at their teeth, you will see another difference. Wallabies eat leaves and don't need to tear things, so most of their teeth are flat for grinding with one cutting tooth. Kangaroos need to tear grass, so they have tearing and cutting teeth.

There were red and grey kangaroos, yellow-footed swamp and red necked wallabies all in big enclosures that people could walk in and feed the animals. We saw an echidna, a sleeping wombat (they had put a window in the burrow), Tasmanian Devils, monitors and dingoes. There was an enclosure for emus that you could walk through and they seemed much tamer than those we saw at Tower Hill. There were aviaries for bush birds, swamp birds, birds of the forest, and a wetlands filled with birds. It was a large wildlife park with very large enclosures and a wide variety of animals. Because people are allowed to feed them, the animals didn't seem as wild and they would come up to you, looking for food.

From there we drove into Adelaide to the home of Anna Muller, Hester Muller's sister. Anna was at work, but her nephew, Stuart, welcomed us and kept us company until she arrived. We caught Anna during a busy week, but she graciously invited us to stay with her so we could have a little break from the rv. She also offered the use of her washer and dryer and I spent the afternoon doing laundry. The motorhome is parked in front of Anna's house.

Was able to download pictures from Samson's camera with a new USB connector for the iPad. When I damaged my camera I also lost the sun filter for his camera and the viewfinder stopped working. It still has the panel to look at, but it's hard to see in the sunlight. So we're limping along with one camera.

Pictures - Samson with wallabies, Frogmouth birds that look like little stumps, Map of the 5400km dingo fence that stretches across the country to keep dingoes out of the areas where sheep and cattle are raised

Apr 12, Adelaide

Anna arranged a wonderful tour of the Central Market for us. First we had a huge breakfast at Lucia's. Not sure of the name of the dish, there was crunchy toast covered with a homemade tomato and red pepper sauce and topped with poached eggs.

John told us about the origins of the market and the present day operations and her took us to several shops. We had samples of yogurt, apples, lemon tarts, coffee, melted chocolate with strawberries and Russian peroshkis (like perogies, but made with yeast dough and fried - ours were ricotta and spinach). We watched a woman stretch mozzarella. She added salt and hot water to cheese curds and used paddles to pull the cheese together. She used her hands to pull on the cheese and smooth it, then squeezed small balls out and placed them in salted water. What a great tour.

After the market, Anna joined us and we went to St Francis Xavier Cathedral. Then we drove to Himeji Japanese Gardens. It was a beautiful and peaceful place to wander around. Himedji is one of Adelaide's sister cities, another is Austin TX.

Then the three of us went for a tour of Parliament Building. There are 2 houses in the legislature, the Legislative Council has 22 members and the House of Assembly has 47. The population of South Australia is about 1.6 million. In 1856 South Australia granted all men the right to vote, including Aborigines. In 1894, all women were granted that right. South Australia was the first place in the world where women could become members of Parliament. We didn't learn much of this from our guide, she wasn't very good.

Our last stop was the Jam Factory, an art space where we watched people blowing and shaping glass. There was also a shop where they sold art works by local artists.

Tonight was another special night in Adelaide. We went out with Anna and Beverly. First dinner at a bistro near the Festival Centre. It was a very lively place with an after work crowd. Delicious food. Then we went to see Cirque at the Symphony. The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra played and there were spectacular performances onstage at the same time. They were the Cirque artists who almost defy description: working with things hung from the ceiling, like ropes and silks and a hoop; a juggler, a contortionist who also did a quick change act, and men who performed feats of strength in slow motion. The acts were amazing and the audience was wildly enthusiastic. It was a wonderful evening.

Pictures - Woman stretching mozzarella, Jeanne & Anna at Himedji Gardens, Glassworker

Apr 11, Adelaide

Today we did a lot of sightseeing in Adelaide. We walked to the Parliament House, but Parliament was in session so there weren't any tours. Then we went to Trinity Church (Anglican), the oldest church in the state. Beside the church there was a sign pointing the way to the crèche. I asked about it and found that it is the place where young children go during the church service.

We went back to Parliament House so we could watch the session for a bit. We were directed to the Strangers Gallery, for observers. One man was speaking on the merits of a committee to oversee emergencies, we only stayed a short time.

Several of the museums were along North Terrace, so next we went to the State Library. We were just in time for a tour. There was a modern glass entrance with exhibit space and computers, but the old part was beautiful. It was a tall, narrow open hall with 3 levels of stacks. On the bottom floor there were exhibits about South Australia exploration, Adelaide history, the wine industry, etc.

One picture showed people filling boxes with books, weighing them and readying them for shipment. Up until the 1960s one of the services of the library was to ship books to people out on the stations (ranches). It would be like Christmas for them, getting books to read. The books in the stacks were the ones that had been shipped out. They were coated with a varnish or something so they could withstand the treatment, so they're still in good shape. They're mostly general fiction, but other state libraries got rid of their collections and this is the only one left.

We walked down to Rundle Street, a large shopping mall, to look around and have lunch. There was a sculpture of two large metal balls in the middle of the mall. They are called the Malls Balls.

Next to the Library was the South Australia Museum, with a little of everything in it. There were stuffed animals, Aboriginal artifacts, displays about the diversity of wildlife in South Australia. At one time the Library housed museum items and had a taxidermy workshop in the basement. One of the tigers at the SA Museum was prepared at the Library in the 1880s.

At the end of North Terrace we toured Ayres House, owned by Henry Ayres, prominent citizen and Prime Minister. Ayres Rock was named for him, but is now known by its original name, Uluru. It was a grand home and the guide was excellent. We found out that the women of the 1880s wore whale bone corsets that deformed their rib cages and damaged their lungs. They had to sleep with bolsters on the beds in order to breathe.

We walked over to the Botanic Gardens and wandered to the Conservatory and the Palm House, beautiful park.

For dinner we joined Anna's friends, Beverly, Renee and Ed at the Red Orchre Grill. The chef specializes in using native ingredients. We had a conserve made of bush tomatoes with the bread that was excellent and an interesting lemon myrtle butter. Samson & I had barramundi from the Northern Territory that just melted in our mouths. For dessert there was Pavlova, an Australian dessert made with meringue. This one had wattle seeds in it. It was all delicious and very inventive and the best meal we've had in weeks. Even better than the food was the company. We received some guidance for our trip into the outback and lots of lively conversation. The evening ended much too quickly.

Pictures - State Library, Librarians packing books, Samson & the Malls Balls, Palm House