It's not really goodbye...

So, I still have a few posts to make after this to let you know all about my adventures to the outback and my remaining days in Adelaide, but since I am leaving for home tomorrow morning, I thought I would just write a short list on some of the things I am really going to miss about Australia.

1. Our lovely home stay with Steve and Marty. Marty really wants to come in my suitcase, I told him I was sorry but we would skype
2. 35+ degree weather in February
3. The Adelaide Zoo
4. The beautiful (& strangely lush) Outback
5. Weekday beach days with Em
6. Having visitors to share this awesome country with
7. The different wildlife
8. Masterchef Australia tv dinners
9. Walks along River Torrens
10. Saturday mornings at Semaphore
11. Learning to fish
12. Retail therapy along Rundle St.
13. Kangaroo Island adventures with Em & Steve
14. Cuddling koalas
15. Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef

Thanks for everything Steve & Marty!

Gonna miss this pup!

 

 

Enjoying hot weather on my birthday, rather than the usual snowfall

An Adelaidian we made friends with at the zoo!

Experiencing Uluru at Sunrise

Em at Semaphore Beach

Mike & I

Mom & Dad infront of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Emily along River Torrens

Catching my first fish!

Koala cuddles!

Ok Marty, you win!

Family Portait

There are so many more things that I am going to miss. And there are so many things that I have missed. Someday, I will come back, and do some more adventuring. But what I have seen and the memories I have made, I will treasure forever. Thanks Australia!! It's been Awesome, eh!

Catch your fish and eat it too.

On May 8th, I took on my first ever fishing experience... and success!

At 7am, Steve, Steve, Emily and I boarded the Reel Screamer fishing charters out of North Haven, very close to where we are living in Adelaide. The first area we tried, we had little luck. We managed to catch a few fish, but none for eating, so back in the water they went. Moving on to our next place, we were still having little luck getting them to bite. Emily and I were cold and our fun was yet to begin. Then we decided we would head out into deeper water, and WOW did we ever catch fish! I went from not knowing how to cast a line, to catching mostly double headers. I think Emily and I definitely showed the boys a thing or two! By the end I was starting to get pretty tired, reeling in all those fish was hard work you know! And, because I think fish have feelings too (fish our friends, not food), I started to feel a little bad because of the amount we were getting.

After 7 hours of fishing (phew!) and a cooler full of fish for dinner, we headed back to the harbour. We saw many different types of fish, including king george whiting (which is what we were targeting for), mackerel (turns out they are pretty hard to fillet so we wished we hadnt have caught so many), a good amount of blowfish which just kept taking our bait, boxfish, redmullet, zebra fish and some others which I can't remember the names of.

Emily, Steve and I cleaned the fish afterwards, and other Steve cooked it all up for us! It made for the most delicious meal of fish I have ever had! Definately catching your own fish is the way to go!

For my first time fishing, I have to say that I can't wait to go again!

Emily and I before we become pro fishers :)

first catch of the day!

Waiting to reel them in!

double header #??

Emily & Steve showing how it's done

now for the fun part...

mhmm... dig in Em!

our catch of the day!

Atleast I know it's fresh!

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and...

off...

On May 5th, Emily, Steve & I woke up before dawn to make our way to the train stop to head into Adelaide. Why this early you may ask? Well KI, that's why! We met our group in front of the train station and after a few more pick-up stops within the city, we headed down to Cape Jervis to catch the ferry over to Kangaroo Island. First, we made our way up Prospect Hill for a look out over the island. From here, we made our way to Little Sahara to try out our sand boarding skills. Turns out we were more in for sand sledding, as most boards were meant for only sitting. Steve tried out one standing up, but the board wasn't exactly in the best condition, and could only get it to move down the hill about a meter. Still, the experience was pretty neat and it was cool to see this great beach without any sight of nearby water!

Steve & Emily at the beginning of our trip

lookout from Prospect Hill

Emily, Steve and I at Little Sahara

Emily and I with our sand board!

After a quick lunch of sandwiches, it was off to see the Remarkable Rocks! We had a bit of time here to walk around the rocks and take in the sea. The rocks have been weathered over time and naturally sculpted into these cool formations. You just have to be careful to not get too close to the edge or you might slip and fall the 75 meters down to sea!

Emily & the Remarkables

Remarkables

Steve heading back for the bus, from the Remarkables

Although we would have liked to stay longer, it was time to head to Admirals Arch to watch the sunset. In the photo below you can see how there are two island out in the sea. These used to be attached to the main island, but slowly over a long period of time, where the waves would hit the point, an arch was slowly created, which eventually collapsed and created a new island. In the future Admirals Arch will do the same and become a third smaller island.

on our way to Admirals Arch

Steve & Emily at sunset

Admirals Arch at Sunset, where we also saw some baby seals playing!

After sunset, we made our way back to camp, but first to stop and see some little blue penguins. This was a quick stop, as we were all tired and cold, but still managed to see a small family under some rocks up off the water. On our drive back, we observed many kangaroos and wallabies sharing the road. If you drive on Kangaroo Island, it is best to do so during the day, as it can be quite dangerous at night with all of the noctural wildlife. Same goes for most of Australia actually. Our camp for the night was at the old sheering shed, where we had bunks inside the old sheep sheering corridors at a working farm. It was dinner and marshmallows around the campfire with the rest of the group before calling it a night.

On the morning of the 6th, it was off to Seal Bay, for a guided tour down to the sea lions resting on the beach. We had to stick together as a group because then the sea lions surprisingly won't feel threatened. Did you know they can out run you on a beach if they feel threatened enough to attack? They are actually really fast on the sand and I know I wouldn't one to come after me! The sea lions will fish out at sea for about 3 days straight, before coming into shore where they find a comfortable place to rest for 3 days, before going out for more food.

Seal Bay!

Next stop of the day was the Birds of Prey show. Unfortunatley this stop is being cut out of the tours itinary soon, but I am glad that we still got to get to it! It was probably my favorite stop of the day. The birds were very interactive with the audience and we had a good laugh with these interesting birds. My favorite was Casper, who was in a hollow of a tree nearby, so that when we all yelled "CASPER" he popped his head out from his hole and came over to greet us.

Casper, the barn owl at the Birds of Prey show

After the show, we had lunch (sausages and kangaroo) and then headed to Stokes Bay to spend the rest of the afternoon lounging at the beach.

Emily at Stokes Bay

Fisherman at Stokes Bay

I guess you could say our tour pretty well ended here. On our way over to the Koala Sanctury, we had a little bit of bus trouble. While driving, we started to fish tail, and then to my surprise I saw one of the tires flying past me. Steve was going "I think we have a flat tire" and I'm going "nooooo, noooo tire!!" haha. Luckily we were all safe, and with no brakes we came to a stop from the corner of the bus dragging into the road. After this we waited around for another bus to pick us up and take us back to have dinner before catching the ferry back. It was then a long drive back to Adelaide, and after missing the train at 10, we waited for another hour before finally getting back. It was a long day, but we had a great trip and made some awesome memories!

Now the real fun begins!

I'm still here!

Hey everyone, I know it's been a while, but I have been busy traveling and completing homework these last few weeks. Today Emily and I finished our design projects for Mount Barker which are due tomorrow and other than a take-home exam from the 7th-9th, we are done!! Helloooo summer (well kinda, it's starting to feel a lot like fall here)

Anyways, stay tuned for some more updates, they are on there way soon!

The Caldwells take on Australia! Part two: April 25-May 7

On April 25th, Mike, Dad & I made our way out to the Great Barrier Reef. Let me start off by saying that I don’t normally experience motion sickness. Then again, I don’t normally ride a boat out into the open ocean. During the first part of the boat ride, we were still within the Whitsunday Islands, so the water didn’t seem so rough. Just before we got out into open water, I decided it would be a good idea to grab a cup of tea. Bad idea. It took all I could to keep that cup from spilling everywhere! Then after quickly drinking it, my stomach started to turn. Luckily for me that whenever I experience motion sickness its only a queasy feeling and nothing more! Two hours later, we reached the reef! After getting changed into our stinger suits, flippers and snorkel masks, we made our way into the water. The reef is made up of over 3000 individual reef systems, making up the world’s largest coral reef. I thought that the experience was awesome! The water wasn’t too rough because the reef breaks up most of the ocean’s waves, however it was still rough enough to make me feel slightly nervous. The goggles that you wear play an optical illusion on you and it feels like you can reach down and touch everything, even though you’d probably have to dive down a few feet closer to do so.

Colourful Coral at the Great Barrier Reef!

 After a day out on the reef, we headed back to mainland. I felt better during the way back, compared to the way out, even though the waves were much worse. I think because I hadn’t ate or drank anything right before leaving was the only reason I was okay. As I looked around the boat, it seemed just about everyone was feeling much worse than me.

The next day, we did a tour of the Whitsunday Islands. Our first stop was Hook Island to first take a look at some ocean life from an underwater observatory and then to do some snorkeling.  It was raining and I was already cold, so opted out of the snorkeling for the day. Mike & Dad still went in the water though and had about 45 minutes before we needed to get ready to head back onto the boat and over to Whitehaven Beach. The sun decided to come out for a short while, during this stop. I enjoyed just sitting on the sand and watching the world go by (and the wind surfers!)...until it started to rain again, then I was ready to get back on the boat. Our next stop was Daydream Island. It was still raining and cold, so I stayed inside for the first part enjoying a very expensive strawberry daiquiri and then did a quick walk around the island. All and all, I enjoyed the tour, but I think it would have a been a lot nicer if the weather had cooperated a little bit more.

Dad & Mike all ready to snorkel at Hook Island!

Enjoying Whitehaven Beach!

On the 27th, I was woken up to grab my camera and go take pictures of the sulfur crested cockatoos out on our front porch! Dad saw one in a nearby tree and so placed a piece of food on the ledge for it. Next thing we knew, they were all flying in one-by-one! Altogether I think there was about 12 there at once! They just started walking on the table and chairs, looking up at us screeching, as if they wanted us to feed them more! This was probably the highlight of the day, since the rest of the day was spent making our way back down to Mackay to fly back to Sydney that night.

Our new friends

On the morning of the 28th, we met up with the Kiwis! Karen, John, Brian & Laura arrived the day before in Sydney, but as we didn’t get in before late, we met up with them for breakfast at the hotel we were all staying at. It was raining on this day, so we opted for some indoor activities, including the Sydney Aquarium & Sydney Wildlife World. We wouldn’t have time to check out the zoo, so this was a great (and warm) substitute! For dinner that night we ate at P.J. Gallagher’s, an Irish pub, and we all went home happy and full.

Jellyfish at the Aquarium!

Sleeping Koala, up on the rooftop at the Wildlife World!

During our second day in Sydney, we started the day off with a lookout over the city from the Sky Tower. Unlike other lookout towers I have experienced before, you have to pay an additional fee to get outside (65 dollars extra). However, from what I gather it is a unique experience, although I still kept my feet indoors where there is a great 360 degree lookout through glass.

View from the Sydney Tower. If you look in the distance, you can see the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge!

After getting a feel for the city from above, we headed back down to ground and made our way towards the harbour & the Sydney Opera House. After lunch, and looking at the Opera House from outside, Mike and I split up from the rest of the group so we could do an indoor tour of the magnificent building. During the tour, we learned that the building was only estimated to cost around 7 million, and to be completed in 6 years. In reality it actually took 16 years to complete, and at a grand total cost of... drumroll please... 102 million dollars! Wow, that estimate was way off. Just the same, I fell in love with the building, as many did, and admire Sydney for having such an iconic building. If you ever have a chance to go to Sydney, I would definitely recommend doing the tour, if you can’t go see a show that is! The inside is quite a thing to behold! ( I don’t have too many pictures from inside, because you aren’t allowed to take pictures inside the actual theaters themselves). After our tour, Mike and I made our way to Paddy’s Market. We only had about 15 minutes there before closing time, and so we headed back to the apartment to meet up with the rest of the gang. We watched the beginning part of the royal wedding, before heading to the Athenian Greek Restaurant for dinner (which also had the royal wedding playing in silence on the big screens).

Me, in front of the Sydney Opera House!

Mike, on the steps leading up to the Sydney Opera House

One of the lobby's inside the Opera House

Great place to have a drink and wait for the show, overlooking the Sydney Harbour

During our final day in Sydney, we met up with Dad’s friend Ian, who grew up in Sydney.  Ian has a boat and was more than happy to take the 8 of us out on and tour us around the harbour. It was a great day, and it was really spectacular to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge from another perspective!

Another View on the Sydney Opera House, from the water

Sydney Opera House & Sydney Harbour Bridge, just before sunset

Mike, on our tour around the harbour

On the morning of May 1st, it was time to say goodbye to Mike, as he was flying back to Seattle for work, and the rest of us would be flying back to Adelaide. Once we had all flown back to Adelaide and met up at the airport, we headed back to the house I’m staying at, where I met back up with Emily and her boyfriend Steve. Once mom, dad and the kiwis got settled into their accommodation, we took a quick look at the city before getting groceries to bring back for the barbie (bbq). On May 2, Emily and I wanted to show the Cleland Wildlife park to everyone, so we headed there for the day. I think everyone enjoyed it, and I was happy to see some of the roos again and to hold a koala this time!

Dad, Mom and I with a koala named Rusty!

Cute little joey poking his head out at our voices! Was sooo cute!

After dinner, we said goodbye until the 7th. I had class that week and Emily, Steve and I had a tour booked to Kangaroo Island for the 5th and 6th. Mom, Dad, Karen, John, Brian and Laura were heading out on the 3rd to explore some of the regions just beyond Adelaide.

On the 7th, we met up again and headed to the village of Hahndorf in the morning. I had previously rode the bus through Hahndorf on our way to Mount Barker, and remembered it as having a very attractive main street, which reminded me a little bit of the village of Bayfield, back home. The village is home to Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement, with plenty of specialty shops and storefronts.

Ye Old Ice Creamery in Hahndorf. Didn't get anything as it was early in the morning, but may have to make a trip back!

bikes in recognition of the down under tour, which passed through Hahndorf earlier in the year

quaint little house in Hahndorf

Our next stop of the day was Victor Harbor. We enjoyed lunch at a park close to the water, before making our way over to Granite Island. Mom, Dad, Karen, John & I got on board the horsedrawn tram which runs every 20 minutes, taking us over to Granite Island from the mainland. The tram can easily be outwalked. Granite Island is home to a colony of about 150 little blue penguins, however we didn’t see any during the day. After our day out we headed back to Adelaide where we would be meeting Emily, Steve and Steve for dinner at Scoozi Cafe (the same Italian restaurant we went to for my birthday).

After dinner it was time to say our goodbyes, as the rest were heading back to Sydney the next day for their flights home and Emily, Steve x 2 and I would be heading off fishing for the day.

Mom, Dad, & the Kiwis!

Our chauffeur from Victor Harbor to Granite Island

Thanks Mom, Dad & Mike for coming to visit!!! I had a great time and it was great to have some family time! Also thanks to the Kiwis for coming to visit! I hope you all enjoyed the Adelaide area!

Until next time!
Alison