Aldinga Beach
14th June - 10th August 2017Being in southern Australia in the winter was definitely not our plan! However, we spent so long ambling down the W.A. coast and lazing around Moore River, that's how it worked out.
So to endure some of the cold winter we took on a house sit at Aldinga Beach, which is on the outskirts of Adelaide and next to McLaren Vale on the Fleurieu Peninsular. Not a bad spot to be. The house was less than ideal, as it turns out. The first two weeks, of eight were spent cleaning!!! On the up side the two recliner chairs in the lounge were very comfy and the kitchen was good.
Anyhoo....we had charge of two standard poodles - Lucy and Marcia, who kept us entertained.
Getting settled into our new digs for the next two months.
Lucy and Marcia had prime position on the lounge. Very lazy girls who spent hours here.
The lovely back garden????
Washing day. Dezzi sporting the old emergency poncho to keep dry!
Marcia watching on. Not too sure about having her turn.
Bedraggled but clean.
So....time to get out and about.
First up was a trip to Glenelg on the train and tram to see an old friend. Peter was Dezziz apprentice 40 years ago, when we were first dating! Thanks to Facebook we had reconnected only a few months previously. Peter, who now lives in Horsham, just happened to be in Adelaide for a few days. It was an amazing afternoon reminiscing and laughing about old times, as well as trying to fill in 40 years worth of life. It felt like no time had passed by at all. A fabulous time, and more to come!
Cheers to the old days, and new.
Such a great afternoon! Just as well we were catching the tram and train home!
Happy days. Back together with Deb and Harry. They were staying a bit further down the Peninsular at Normanville. We couldn't wait to see our besties again. The last time we saw each other was in Perth.
The Peninsular is perfect for leisurely drives.
Second Bay with my bestie.
Plenty of catching up to do.
Rapid Bay.
Rapid Bay. The Peninsular is all stunning, rolling hills and crystal clear blue waters.
Cape Jervis where the Kangaroo Island Ferry leaves from. You can just see Kangaroo Island in the distance.
Victor Harbour. This is a stunning part of the Peninsular. The rolling hills slope down to the ocean, and the town stretches along the coastline.
Victor Harbour and Granite Island.
The old horse drawn tram has been operating since 1894 between the mainland and Granite Island.
Gotta have a go on that! We didn't on the first visit, but came back at the end of our stay and had another explore of Victor Harbour.
Looking towards Granite Island.
Happy tourists on our second visit to Victor Harbour.
Granite Island is a nature reserve. Terrific walk all around the island.
For such a small island, the vegetation was quite diverse.
We even saw some quails.
The granite rocks come in all shapes and sizes.
Looking back towards Victor Harbour.
Check out this rock formation...I think it looks like a hand!
And back down the stairs.
To hop back on the tram.
Basham Beach, just a ten minute drive from Victor Harbour is one of the prime whale watching spots in Australia. Mainly Southern Right Whales. And we weren't disappointed. There were two mothers with their calves. The Southern Right Whales are fairly sedate. No breeching or tail flapping like the Humpbacks. Still awesome to watch just from the beach.
Another sunny day so off for more exploring.
Myponga Reservoir and Dam. The reservoir is fed by the Myponga River and other rivers in the Myponga catchment. It provides about 5% of the Adelaide's water supply and is the main source of filtered water for southern metropolitan Adelaide and the southern coast area.
The sun might be shining, but the wind is howling and it is freezing!!!
So many picturesque, windy country roads.
This is an Oceanlinx wave generator which sunk on March 2 2014 while it was being towed from Port Adelaide to Port Macdonnell. The 3000 tonne piece of machinery was being towed by a tug boat when it experienced problems with the airbags keeping it afloat, and sunk in 16m of water 1500m offshore. At a cost of $3 million to salvage it, no rescue has ever been attempted!
Very happy to be having lunch at Normanville. Another quaint town by the ocean.
Normanville Jetty.
Looking back towards the café. Great fish and chips!
Love an ocean drive by.
Rugged, spectacular coastline, complete with fishing shack.
Leonards Old Flour Mill Restaurant. Perfect winter's day for a very nice glass of wine in the sunshine.
A couple of the old original buildings.
Deb and Harry visiting our humble home.
Looking towards Adelaide.
Looking south.
Christie's Beach headland.
These next few photos are Aldinga Beach just 3 blocks from our house sit. Absolutely gorgeous. Hard to tire of doing this beach walk.
Doing a spot of whale watching.
The mouth of the Onkaparinga River.
Even got Dezzi out for a walk!
Noarlunga Jetty.
So many stunning sunsets.
More rolling hills.
Even a Big Buddha just up the road!
Deb and Harry did a house sit in the Adelaide Hills, so we had a day together in Hahndorf. Hahndorf has a very big German history and it is very evident. A quaint town in the hills full of gift shops, cafes, yummy food, and an awesome German Pub.
Lunch and a brew in front of the fire. Perfect on a cold, cold day.
Crazy artwork along the footpath.
Very large, fluffy rabbits in the leather shop?!?!?
The sun is shining, so in the car. This time up into the hills behind McLaren Vale to Clarendon for a walk around the town and lunch at the old pub.
I just can't get enough of the beautiful old homes through South Australia.
This one even had a Tardis.
Clarendon is a very neat and tidy, lovely town.
The Onkaparinga River runs behind the town area.
Like pulling teeth getting Dez to stop for a photo!
Towards the end of our time at Aldinga we headed down to Goolwa, near Victor Harbour, to visit with Bev and Will, who we met at Coffin Bay.
It was a freezing cold day, blowing a gale and raining. But we had a fabulous time catching up and being chauffeured around the area.
Goolwa is at the mouth of the mighty Murray River. A place Dez has always wanted to come.
The mouth of the Murray River. It needs constant dredging to keep the mouth open.
Tides in!
Bev and Dez! All rugged up against the icy wind.
Huddled together to keep warm.
We also had a walk to check out one of the five Barrages.
Very interesting.
The Barrage at Goolwa is home to hundreds of birds. There must be plenty of fish about.
And seals, too!
Great day.
We took advantage of Deb and Harry's house sit and headed to see them in the Adelaide Hills. Time to explore that area of Adelaide.
First up, coffee and take in the fantastic view from the veranda looking over to the city.
Checked out the area of Norwood. Very trendy!
Gorgeous shopping arcades.
We also drooled over all the amazing delicacies at the Best Foodland in the world!!!!
Who could resist some periwinkles for dinner.
Or maybe some duck feet!
Oh, how I wish this place was on the Sunshine Coast or Brisbane. It was unbelievable!
On the topic of food - another day out at the Adelaide Central Market. So much food....so little time. And room in the Nana trolley ha ha!
Scrumptious breads and pastries.
Flowers of every colour. And the deli in the background - oh my. Spent up big there!
Loved this. Reminiscent of Fast Forward days. Who remembers Con the Fruiterer! Ahh...coupla day.
This time up to Brighton and Glenelg, near the city, on the bay.
Brighton Jetty. Yet another stormy, winter day.
And yet another cosy café. Watching dolphins!
A brisk walk down to the Glenelg foreshore and jetty.
Glenelg Jetty. Can't believe old made had shorts on!!!!
Looking back towards Brighton.
Some stunning old homes along the foreshore. This was Henry Ayres Summer Home circa 1867, if you don't mind!
The old Town Hall.
And then there were all the wineries - oh yeah!
Of course one can't come to the Adelaide Hills without dropping into Penfolds.
Going in...
Vineyards overlooking the original homestead.
The original vineyard building.
Love winter vines.
Dez opted out of tasting, as he hadn't been a bit poorly. Oh well....it's up to the girls!
And of course there were take aways! Delicious Port. We tasted some amazing wines, and the girl in the background was so very informative.
McLaren Vale houses some of our favourite wineries. Wirra Wirra was first up. I went with Deb and Harry. Dez stayed home in his sick bed poor love.
The original homestead.
Harry @ Harry's Deli. Very appropriate. We saved that experience for the next visit when Dez was with us.
But of course, there was the tastings.
Next stop Hardy's Tintara in McLaren Vale township.
Still loving all these heritage buildings.
Vats and vats of wine!
Oh yeah! D'Arenberg Wines. This was amazing. The wines are beautiful. The restaurant looks over rolling hills of vines. And the food-is-delectable! A belated 60th birthday lunch for Deb.
Just one of the meals. They were all spectacular.
Happy Birthday to Deb xxx
Yet another favourite is Kay Brothers.
Back to Wirra Wirra with Dezzi this time, for brunch @ Harry's Deli.
Snuggly and cosy by the fire.
Great times with our besties.
Harry and Harry!
Wirra Wirra winery.
There are some quirky items around the winery grounds. This is a fully working catapult. Every now and then they load it up with watermelons and fling them up the hill!
Giant cricket stumps and ball.
Of course there had to be a trip down to Langhorne Creek. Every drive around this area is stunning.
Lake Breeze Wines.
Love the gnarly winter vines.
Another of our favourites. Bleasdale Sparkling Shiraz, amongst others.
Dez and Harry wondering how to fit a barrel in the car!
The old basket press and red gum lever.
Bleasdale Vineyards were founded in 1850 by Frank Potts and have been run by his descendants ever since.
Hard work in those days.
Taste testing team!
And plenty of memorabilia.
Samuel's Gorge Wines was probably the best tasting experience. Not only were the wines top notch, the tasting took place outside on the rustic veranda overlooking Samuel's Gorge. So relaxing.
Stunning view.
Winery Cellar Door.
Dezzi getting right into it!
Yep.....pretty happy.
The rolling hills of McLaren Vale.
And our last winery - Penny's Hill. Home of the Black Chook range of wine. Yummoh
Very posh lunch overlooking the vineyard. A perfect last winery visit.
During our time at Aldinga we started looking for a new home. And we found this perfect Regent. Only thing - it was back in Whyalla! So we sent Lucy and Marcia off for a holiday with their owner's daughter for a couple of days and headed off.
Whyalla is 450 odd klms away. Back in the direction we had already come, but we were pretty sure this was 'the one'. We stayed in a cabin at the caravan park for two nights. To say were a bit excited when we saw the van is an understatement.
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
Can't believe it!
The finish is perfect. It is the exact layout that we wanted. Even has a big fridge!
And a very comfy bed!
And an ensuite!!!!
Yeah Baby! So money changed hands and papers were signed. Couldn't quite believe it.
So, 450 klms back to Aldinga to finish getting our faithful Eagle Ray ready to sell. All ship shape and listed for sale. Sold in a week to a lovely young family!
Time to crack the Bleasdale Sparkling Shiraz.
There was a tear or two!
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