We experienced time from long ago

Hello everyone:

This is my 7th attempt to keep you up to date and where the blog information went??? no one knows for sure.

Kangaroo Island is Nature's Best Kept Secret

We arrived in Adelaide on Feb. 27th and have been enjoying spending the last 2 wks with our friends in Woodside, 1 hr east of Adelaide.  We are on a 100 acre farm with 26 Angus cows & 12 calves..very mischievious - going through fences etc.  Now the electric fence is back on, so that has calmed them down.

We have been toured around the countryside thoroughly.....Barossa Valley where it is green and lush with the many winery estates hugging the hills.  Beautiful!!  We resisted the wine tasting and just indulged with our eyes.  Been to the top of Mt. Lofty 710 m hill overlooking the sprawling city of Adelaide over the valley floor.  We are in the Adelaide Hills area another wine are as well as many small, very old, quaint towns.  It is a shopping experience as you visit them all in a day to get everything you need.  Woodside for the daily groceries & petrol, Mt. Barker for Woolworth's and any other major supplies, Balnarrah for picking up Jewelry repairs and so on.  Then there is a German town, Hahndorf, that is just fun for browsing all the little shops, Udder delights Cheese Cafe, Australias Outback store, and our favorite...Ophelia's Cottage ... full of the nicest jewlery, that has proven irrisistable.

We arrived back from our 4 days on Kangaroo Island this afternoon.  What a walk in the past, that was!  Kingscote, was the first town discovered in South Australia,  back in the 1850's.  The Island has rolling sandy hills, very dry, so the scarcity of water has kept the population down on the Island to 4400 even though it is 155 km in length and 55 km wide.  The coastline is very rocky where over 70 shipwrecks lay but also boasts some of the whitest sandy beach coves.

We stayed in a lovely 3 bedrm cottage "holiday rental"  in Penneshaw, overlooking the "Backstairs Passage" between Australia & Kangaroo Island. (K.I.)  as well as a sandy bay where the SeaLink ferry from Cape Jervais docks.  It was heavenly!

We drove to the far end to take a Guided tour at Seal Bay Cove to learn and watch the Australian Sea Lions sleep on the beach (30 ft. from us).  It is breeding season so there were many male sea lions fighting for their territory & harassing the sleeping females.  We watched them swim in the surf before coming in on the beach after being away for 3-4 days at a time.  Quite the life!  Then we drove to the end of the Island to Flinders Chase Visitors Center to purchase a Nature Park ticket ($8.00) This ticket allowed us to spend 3hrs touring on our own.  Admirals Arch....an exposed open cave where the New Zealand fur seals could be viewed sprawled all over the rocks, some playing in the crashing waves, while others frolicked in a calm pool under the Arch, upending their flippers like synchronized swimmers.  The Park has made wonderful boardwalks & stone walled lookouts to bring you close to their habitat without being intrusive.  We had a difficult time pulling ourselves away from this exciting experience.

Then we went to see the "Remarkable Rocks"....& there is no other name for them...that is exactly what they are...Unbelievable!!!  Lava that has hardened and over time, eroded the softer pieces into many interesting shapes, all of which stands on top of a worn, huge, smooth rock on the edge of a cliff.  You can see these shapes for miles.  Again there are many well made boardwalks to allow you to get out onto the rocks.  Cameras are snapping immediately.  You can't help yourself.

Our final day of exploring was at an Emu Eucalyptus Distillery farm which was originally a sheep farm.  When life got tough, this farmer got tougher and branched out into making Emu oil etc.  We watched a DVD explaining it all then did a short self-guided tour which brings you back to their shop. Their products are world reknown.  Yes, I now have Body wash, lotion etc.  They are all excellent products.

Yesterday, I went down to that white sandy beach we have been overlooking, and walked along the waters edge for 2 hrs.  Found some interesting shells and just relaxed.  I was the only one on that beach the whole time.  It felt wonderful....sitting on the beach looking over at Australia across the Passage.  Seemed weird but neat!

Now, on Sunday, we take the Ghan train to Alice Springs...I phoned today to confirm, and they haven't heard of us, so I have sent an email off to BCAA to rectify that hiccup!

Until the next time, I can blog...ta rah!

Carole