24 Feb: Today we woke up to pouring rain in Mount Gambier. We headed off for Meningie via Robe. 5 hours on the road with a stop for breakfast at the seaside town and fishing port of Robe which, for a wet Wednesday was quite bustling. 

Extreme scenery throughout the drive, open plains, dense forestry and by the time we get to the Coorong National Park, miles and miles of salt lakes. We stopped off at the Salt Lake Creek Roadhouse for a coffee but, Pete was denied a stubbie or sticker.

Arriving in Meningie the first impression was like a ‘one horse town’ but this place is on the lake, in the the heart of the Coorong Wetlands and is teaming with bird life. Lovely locals and a chance to chill.

An industrious afternoon in the laundrette & supermarket and we are ready for pasta and red wine. After dinner it was time for a rather spectacular sunset viewed across the lake from where the Pelicans were settling down for the evening. An unexpected plus!

25 Feb: We have pretty much completed the road trip now, being within easy reach of Adelaide, but still with 3 days on the car hire, we headed for Hahndorf, the earliest German settlement in Australia via Strathalbyn the earliest Scottish settlement in SA.

Strathalbyn is a beautiful town and we did venture another 30km down to the coast to Goolwa which had a superb surfing beach. Locals just seemed to turn up in their 4×4’s, drive along the beach, park up and hit the waves. What a life eh?

Hahndorf looks just how a German village would look like back in Germany itself so, it’s a bit weird being in the Adelaide Hills at the same time! Lots of history and expensive shops. The main local beerkeller stocks German beer, which I guess being imported makes 2 beers more expensive than lunch! We settle for ( very nice) fish & chips for tea.

26 Feb: We decide to take the car back a day early and spend the extra day day in Adelaide. We call in to Stirling, another nice town in the Adelaide Hills for coffee on the way to Mount Lofty which gives incredible views of the city from it’s peak. A hazy day but still a great view and you can also go on walks in the bush from the top to the bottom or vice versa. Many locals jog up or bike up daily.

We are settled into our apartment in Adelaide just after lunch and head out to explore the City which we were under the impression was a quiet place. Strolling down Rundle Street and that elusion is quickly shattered. We have arrived in the middle of the Adelaide Arts Festival and the Fringe has taken over the City with comedy, dance, music and general good vibes. 

After a bit of shopping and tea we head out to Kent Town for a gig by John McCarthy, a £10 pom and longtime Canberra resident. I think it’s a bit too far out of town for most people as in the end the audience only totals 10. So we get an intimate gig. The guy has a 10 year back  catalogue, so it’s close to a 2 hour show. 

We called in at one of the parks where the fringe is being held on the way back to the apartment to see what is going on and the place was buzzing.

Saturday: First time we are staying in the same place for more than one night for a while, so no rush this morning. We head out around 10am and just walk around the city till early afternoon taking in the city landscape, Central Market (where everyone seems to go for breakfast on a Saturday) various churches and the very impressive Oval Stadium (can’t persuade Julie to take a tour) and we end up at Adelaide Writer’s Festival.

This is a very walkable city with everywhere signposted and times it take to get to places when walking. It’s a beautiful day and a cloudless blue sky as we head back through the main City Centre to Rundle Park where the Fringe is progressing. There is great music on the Bandstand from Glenn Skuthope. His Australian brand of Americana is perfect for a sunny afternoon and a cold beer.

All the shops shut at 5pm on a Saturday and Saturday night seems to be the night for going out, crowds were the equivalent of 6th St in Austin at SXSW with the fringe on so, we left this Saturday night to the kids 🙂 

It’s the Ghan train to Alice Springs tomorrow.

Pete & Julie