WOW !! Sorry about that !
As you may have figured out, if you checked in recently, I blew up the website!!
Fortunately, I found a young man in Devonport, Tasmania, who has saved me! It will take a few days to catch up -- Patty and I have spent more time in the bush lately than Mathew Brady (not the Matt Brady many of you know -- but a legendary character from Tasmania!!) -- but we will recover. Hopefully all of the good folks we've been with the past few weeks will recover, too!!!
MORE adventures to follow!!
2/26/04 or 26/02/04 for you Aussies!
OK - I'm back at it! I left off with our great visit to Streaky Bay! The next day (2/3) we headed out south toward Port Clinton, at the southern tip of the Eyre Peninsula. A beautiful drive , punctuated by some richly soiled farmland and huge sheep stations. Lunch at the Oyster Bed Restaurant in Coffin Bay, owned by a great young couple.
I deemed the last one a cliff that a 21 stone bloke ought not venture out on for a photo! This is BIG fishing country, and I found it interesting that our friend Kathy must have known that the Saab can stay right up there with the big boys! Fair warning for the off road crowd - and they mean it! A little more of the Aussie humour, and a fair use of an old tree! A young (cute!) South Australian entrepreneur! A fix-up I wanted, but Patty nixed! No worries! On to Whyalla for the night.
Up and at 'em, and heading for Port Augusta where we stop in, unanounced, to see Vince Coulthard (see Australia 2001), who runs Umeewarra, the Aboriginal Radio and TV company there. Vince is visiting his home area of Iggawarta (about 400 Km north of PA), and I talk with him on the phone, and then his Administrative Assistant, Sue Butler (Sorry about the picture, Sue!), who REALLY runs things, is kind enough to give us a tour of their new facilities. Also met Vince's daughter, Rehanna, and enjoyed chatting briefly with her. Quite an upgrade from their original digs which I saw in 2001, and a REALLY nice setup, supported by some great technology! Last - a small Uniting Church (combined Methodist and Presbyterian) in Port Germain, and another fix-up nixed by Patty!
- - - and then we're off to Adelaide where we have some great accommodations in North Adelaide at The O'Connell Inn, owned by two brothers, John & Geoff Roberts -- a couple of great blokes! Now, since this website is getting a bit chock a block with pictures (and verbiage?), we'll not cover you up with N. Adelaide, but just as a teaser, here are a few of the old homes, sites, and of course a lunch spot within an easy stroll from the O'Connell Inn. (Also met a great guy by the name of Brett Gill, who was staying at the hotel with a few of his mates who were there for a bowling competition - lawn, not ten pin! Brett, and his wife Jane have a beautiful place on the north shore of Kangaroo Island, called Lathami Lodge. Patty and I drove by there on Saturday 2/7, and if we had planned a longer stay it would be an ideal spot!)
Friday morning, and we're off early to catch the ferry for Kangaroo Island. This is a first for both Patty and me, as I had avoided it in the past, thinking it was a very commercial and touristy area. Gayle and Dick Smith educated us! It is hardly commercial. A beautifully remote spot with quaint small towns, farming areas, and a relatively young, but now quite successful, wine producing area. KI has a normal population of several thousand people, is 150 Km long, and 30 Km wide. Since these folks require trucks of merchandise to support them, and trucks to carry off the wine and sheep produced on KI, the ferrys are not small ones! Then, meet Antechamber Beach! Not a bad 1st KI impression! Then a trip out to Cape Willoughby Lighthouse, and Dudley Island. Driving some KI bush, and gum trees and vineyards
Now for John, and his nightly Australian Pelican feed - - - - on your mark, get set, GO!!
KI has an American River, and then on Saturday, we spend time on both the S and N coasts (Friday had been all on the S coast). A drive through some "bush gums", "Greenhorn Station", Hanson Bay surf, Murray Lagoon swans, and Pt. Ellen.
Great beaches, Wallabies, and Sea Lions! I have 4000 more shots from this week, but that ought to hold you! Let's move on to Week 5. Are you kidding me? We're less than half way home! There will be prizes for those of you who can hang in there through to the finish! (Or there should be ??)