Route 1 here we come.

 We did start this road trip in Adelaide and we did sort of take Route 1  to our first stop at  Mount Barker in the Adelaide hills, but now we were feeling we were really on our way around Australia.

 A little weather ahead.

Our over-nighter was at Robe.  An Obelisk  to guide sailors,

and these strange hollows in the cliff top  lime stone.  Need to find out how they were formed.

Victor Harbour.

As we were soon the discover,  Autumn along South Australia coast  is decidedly the out of season time.  Most places we have visited are very, very quiet.  So we decided to walk across the causeway to Granite Island,  on the off chance we might see the penguins.  A bit chilly.

 Could have taken the tram but felt for them poor horses.  Not unlike a Blackpool tram without an engine.

 And the first of many, many wavescapes,

Before training  it back to Goolwa.

Goolwa

 Pinch a picture of the river mouth.

Goolwa is at the mouth of the Murray river, the river that has caused so much flooding hundreds of miles to the north of here in this year (2011). Where the river water flows into the sea is unexpectedly very narrow. The mouth has had to be dredged continuously for the past 4 years, just to keep the passage open for local boats to pass between the river and the sea.

 Pinch a picture of the river mouth.

This more what it should look like but it is much fuller now.  Sorry no photo.

 Goolwa  the starting point of the Victor Harbour train.  Not that I am that interested in trains!  Oh,  really?

Waiting for the depart whistle in beautifully refurbished cars.  Looking so chilled.

Our Hills home from home.

Our terrace view,

Where Gek first got out her paints and brushes.

But more on the paintings later.

 Always with the watchful by Harry.  The ever hopeful Harry. Why won’t you throw my ball?

Pam and Dave, our hosts and now friends, invited us to dinner on our last night at Rainbow End. If we manage our intended circumdrive of this big island, we will be back to see them in 2014!  They made our stay in the Hills totally brilliant.

Adelaide hills - Botanic Garden

Our visit to the Hills was timed to coincide with the Autumn.  We wanted to catch the colours.

 

And weren’t disappointed.

The Botanic Gardens are on the slopes of Mount Lofty on the side away from Adelaide.  Not really formal in the style of the Singapore’s Botanic Gardens, giving these gardens  a much more ‘natural’ feel to them.   

Don’t think holly indigenous to Australia ,  but clearly thrives here.

Adelaide Hills - Mount Lofty

A high point in the hills behind Adelaide.

A really good place to get the lie of the land if you were new to this part of the world.

Adelaide is one of only two cities in the world that has a ‘green belt’ dividing the city centre from the  citizen’s homes.

T’is a sprawling place, with almost all the homes being bungalows with large gardens. Much like Perth, you get the feeling that  Adelaide had to have tall buildings if it was to call itself a city.  They look a bit surreal

The view to the north.  We flew over this area on our dawn approach to the city. Bungalow land.

Adelaide Hills - Motor Museum

If there is a motor museum,  I have to go see.

This is a Deloran(spelling might be off again).  Not many were built.  Put together in Northern Irelend and made of stainless steel.

Three old laides.  Sweet.

And this beautiful E-Type

This MG was the closest the museum ahd to a Morgan.

Glenelg

Glenelg is the place where William Light landed.  Perhaps i should explain that William's father, Francis set up Penang. Sort of a family thing setting up cities!!!!

And this is the sort of ship he arrived in. Not exactly as comfortable as an Airbus 380.

We were in town art sunset, on our way to have dinner with Pam and Rob,  our new friends from Penang.  Another Gleneg and Penang connection.

And a real treat the sun down was.

Old friends.

All the way to Adelaide to meet friends from Mongolia!!!  Khishgee and Alimaa.   They are both working toward Phd's at Flinders University, just south of Adelaide city.  Quite an emotional meeting.  Khishgee should still be here in 4 years time when we hope to be back in Adelaide, having completed our planned big round of Oz.

Botanic Gardens.

 Adelaide was founded by the son of Francis Light, William.  so very appropriate that we started our circum-drive of Australia here.  Of course,  whereever the English settled,  they had to have a botanic garden.

In these places they collected the weird and wonderful for people to research and just plainly enjoy.

 No botanic garden is complete without a glass house,  no matter what the climate is like.  someone will always be bring home an exotic plant that needs a special place to live.

But not this little fellow.  He was only known in the fossil record from 150 million years ago.......until someone stumbled on him around 15 years ago.  Big place the outback.

Adelaide

 A very modern place but with new and old happily beside each other.  Crisp is the word would use to discribe Adelaide.

 Older buildings are well looked after, amongst the 6 lane streets. 

Love this coat of arms. Two guys that never met!!!

Kalang Airport as was.

Built in 1937, Kallang was the state of the art airport of it's day. Amelia Earhart stopped here for a couple of days on her ill fated attempt to fly around the globe.

Love this emblem which is atill over the main entrance.

The runway has long been a multi lane highway but the buildings have only just been vacated by the government and are now being made good as an event space.  Currently, part of the Biennale Arts Fest is being hosted here.  To see more on this please refer to Gek's blog at http://www.gek-art.blogspot.com/.

Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds.

 If you are in Singapore this is a must see. A 1200 year old Arab ship was wrecked south of Singapore returning home  stuffed with goodies from China. 50,000 items, most in perfect condition have been recovered. Ceramics, gold and silver items. This is an exhibition to change your view of what is modern.   Even the designs on the bowls could  be todays IKEA.

And this drinking cup with a built in drinking straw. The fish keeps solids from blocking the hole in the bottom to the cup.  How cool is this?  I didn't notice that photography was allowed without flash,  so only stole 2 images.  Really pissed at that.

FIAT 600

Not many of these in Penang.  There are a couple of 500's around,  but this baby must be the only one of it's kind here.