- Visiting the West Coast of Scotland
- This is it!!!
- On the road again
- Back Country – NZ
- NZ update – east coast
- Back Country – very different this time!
- Lake Taupo
- The Coromandel
- Mini-break
- More little adventures – NZ
- Getting out and about again!
- More holidays!!
- A new year of adventures
- The mountain cottage
- Ginny’s visit
- Another visit – Marni and Jodi
- More changes!
- First stop in Canada – Niagara Falls
- Quick visit – Toulouse and Venet les Bains
- Ffald-y-Brenen
- The Cotswolds
- Back in France again!!
- Barcelona
- A much more interesting path – crossing the Irish Sea!
- London to Loxton
- Enniscorthy – a quick visit
- County Donegal
- South Gippsland, Victoria
- Next port of call
- Victorian High Country
- Snowy River Country
- Reindeer Lodge – Tanjil Bren
- Hiccup to Blessing
- Have tent will travel!!
- Family and friends – hugs and kisses
- Road Trip to the West
- Very snail like!
Recently drove to South Australia to catch up with family. It’s only the next state but in Aussie that often means hours on the road. We had a meeting in Glen Waverley – suburb of Melbourne – on the way. AGM of the Order of St Luke – the group that owns Allansfield. Nice to see some familiar faces. Ended up driving through the centre of Melbourne, not our preferred option but just the way it worked out. Drove on towards the Grampians – bypassing Ballarat on the Western Highway. Stopped in Nhill overnight – basic cabin in the caravan park. Very social evening meal in one of the local pubs – lots of chatting with the locals – very friendly. Watched the Crows get thrashed on TV – fortunately the excellent company dulled the pain!!! Up the next morning – crossed the border – and headed to Adelaide. Arrived at Ben and Komala’s house in Vale Park early afternoon. So glad we broke the trip into two days!
We were immediately enlisted for “Grandparent Duties” – Will and Molly were on school holidays. What a wonderful time together. Off to the cinema to see the latest Spiderman movie. Drive into the Adelaide Hills to see my brother – looping through Hahndorf on the way. Freezing day! Lots of quiet times at home – watching TV, playing some sort of super-duper computer game – beyond me, cooking, baking, doing an incredibly frustrating jigsaw puzzle – made snail paced progress while we were there!!! Ben and Komala had a couple of nights away in the city – a romantic interlude in their busy lives. We also caught up with Reg’s daughter Ginny – met her new boyfriend Jeremy – thumbs up. Also granddaughter Ocea who’s studying at Adelaide Uni these days. Ben, Komala and family were leaving for a holiday in Singapore the next week. Ocea was flying out to London on the same day. Ginny and Jeremy were heading off to Thailand 2 weeks later. Feels like the roles have been changed of late!!!! The absent/hopping on planes grandparents have become the stay at home fuddy-duddies!! Putting in an official complaint!
Next port of call was Berri in the Riverland – Reg’s old stomping ground. Drove through the beautiful Barossa Valley – heading east. Left the hills behind after Truro – miles of flat arid farmland to navigate before reaching the vineyards/orchards of the Riverland. Reg’s Mum patiently awaiting our arrival. We snuggled into her little unit for the next week. Visited granddaughter Indi at her job at Banrock Station – she sells wine at their large cellar door/cafe complex. We had lunch there with daughter Marni – Indi’s mum. Hardly a quiet moment! So much to catch up on. Lots of socializing with family and friends over the next few days. Also enjoyed some early morning walks along the riverfront at Berri – regular routine from past visits. Always beautiful. Reg unexpectedly caught up with his three brothers at Heron’s Bend near Overland Corner. Geoff and wife Nat were staying there with a group of friends – all in their caravan/campers. Ross and Phil took an early minute from work and joined us for a late BBQ lunch. Heron’s Bend is such a peaceful spot – right on the River Murray. Lots of bird life and a variety of fish. Nat had fishing lines in the water – bells tied to the rod. Caught two callop that afternoon. One an absolute whopper!
Wasn’t long and we were on the road again – back of the car full of wine. Drove south through Pinnaroo and then east across the border into Victoria. Stayed overnight at Woodend – safely back to Rhyll the next day. Whew! The biggest highlight since we’ve been back is a trip to the MCG to watch the Crows play Carlton – another disappointing loss but great to see the very famous and rather huge arena. Holds over 100,000 people – not so many the day we were there. Avoided driving into Melbourne. Parked the car at Pakenham and caught the train. Train pretty empty on the way in. Packed with jubilant Carlton supporters after the game. Most were kind.
Love Di and Reg
This entry was posted in Australia