Wednesday, 24 April 2013

White Feather


Our final winery was the little known White Feather.  Driving down the driveway, you're greeted with ducks and geese in amongst the vines.
 There are fish swimming in an old wine barrel, dogs running around and even a stuffed crocodile!

The perfect end to a great day!



Wine Tour


A visit to Adelaide wouldn't be complete without a visit to at least of the area's many wine regions.  McLaren Vale is one of those such regions.

We visited a tiny winery called Settlement first then headed to Rosemount first which some of my local friends thought would be one of their least favourites but they loved it. 

We headed to D'Arenberg for lunch which was lovely - even when it decided to pour down just in time for our picnic lunch! 



 Hugh Hamilton was next with its stunning views over McLaren Vale from the hexagonal tasting room.

We then headed down to Pirramimma wines as a extra treat.  We managed to pic up some bargains there too!






Thursday, 18 April 2013

Big Lobster

The big lobster in Kingston SE is one of the famous 'big things' in Australia. 

Robe




Robe is a gorgeous little town along the coast.  It has a population of around 1500 people.  It is incredibly windy but the scenery is stunning.

It has a saltwater lake which creates formations around the edge of it.  The beach is absolutely stunning.


Mount Gambia



Mount Gambia has a sinkhole which is awesome during the day with hanging vines and water dribbling along the rocks.



At dusk, the possums come out and you can feed them which is really cute.


Mount Gambia also has a lake which changes colour throughout the year.  We got there just in time to see it with some blue still in it.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013

London Bridge


 More arches and beautiful scenery along the way.  What a great way to teach children about coastal erosion.  I think I should bring a group over here!!!

London Bridge was awesome.  People used to be able to walk on to the arched bit at the end until 1990 when the arch nearest the shoreline collapsed leaving 2 tourists stranded.  Luckily noone was hurt and the tourists were rescued by helicopter.  Quite an adventure for them! 



Port Fairy



Still on The Great Ocean Road is the gorgeous town of Port Fairy. 

The tiny town hosts many festivals throughout the year including a Spring Music Festival and Moyneyana Festival which is held over the Christmas period.
Port Fairy is a beautiful place with a real seaside feel to it.

Great Ocean Road Day 2 Contd...

The picture on the right is the view from the road side end of our walk.  Beautiful.  The road continued on winding along the coast until we got to our stopover for the night at Appollo Bay.  A cute little town with a couple of pubs, cafes and shops.  We stayed in a hostel which was great fun. 





 The place was obviously used to smaller visitors but this di1dn't deter Becky in the slightest, she felt right at home as you can see






Great Ocean Road Day 2

The drive itself is absolutely stunning.  The best way to do it is from Melbourne to Adelaide as you can't escape the breathtaking views on your side of the road.

Due to the rockiness of the coastline, there are many lamposts along the road.  Interestingly enough, we were about a day into the trip when we passed the Great Ocean Road sign.


 
 When we stopped for lunch in the picturesque town of Lorne, there was heaps of birdlife.  There must have been something very tasty in the grass as they were too busy to notice any distractions.


Lorne is surrounded by what they call rainforests, not at all like the rainforests of South America, in fact, when we decided to go for a walk to a waterfall along one of the tracks in the rainforest we found the waterfall completely dry!  It was a beautiful walk though.  As you near the road from this path, the sea becomes visible again which is stunning!



The Martyrs

  The Martyrs are lesser known point along the road than The Apostles but are equally as stunning.  The lighting might have had something to do with their beauty as we seemed to arrive at a perfect time with the sun beaming down through the clouds.  Awesome!

12 Apostles



 The 12 Apostles!!!


2003

What an iconic symbol.  Apparantly you can't see all of them from any vantage point as there are always some hidden behind others but word is that there are currently 8 left due to erosion. 

As you can see in the picture taken in 2003, there were certainly more 10 years ago. 

I would suggest that it is difficult not to be amazed by these rocks.  As you walk around the corner, they come in to view and it certainly took my breath away.   

As you drive along the coast, there are many more stacks, arches and caves to look at.  It is simply spectacular!
 


This picture of me and Becky really encompasses the great time we had on the road.