Dizzy Izzy & Ernst

Dizzy Izzy & Ernst
Dizzy Izzy & Ernstl

Friday 28 February 2014

Tour of the Barossa Valley ...

... Ernst was like a child in a candy shop!!!


but first, we visited world's biggest rocking horse ...


 (and this is the man's oldest man still on a rocking horse ... cute or what?)


... and then whispering wall, a spooky sound trap that allows you to speak from one side to the other of a 150m long dam ...


... and finally we made it to the first winery - Jacob's creek - lovely structure but average wines ...


... and then to Kies family wines, whose Merlot was excellent (we have a bottle to prove it but it will not survive the trip to Melbourne) ...


... then the majestic McGuigan - the wines were good but very expensive ...


... and finally the huge Seppeltsfield estate ... home to a knife maker that only uses recycled material (and clearly does not know me, otherwise he wouldn't have given me the damask sword ...)



... and where we tried the 100 year old port ... you read it right ... 100 year old !!! it did cost $30 but it was definitely worth it ...


... thank the devil we didn't drop the bottle ... it would have set us back $1500 ...

Thursday 27 February 2014

Two beautiful days in Kangaroo Island ...

... nature, nature, nature!!

... just look at my face on the way there  (it was just too early in the morning ...)



... but then - Pennington Bay ...


... wonderful Seal bay with the rare Australian sea lions ... 


 




... Little Sahara, for another go at double sand-boarding (we are now pros - and Ernst is the world master!)




... kayaking on the Harriet River ...



 
... and a koala walk, just to finish the first day ... we saw about 10 critters in half an hour ...


... the second day started at Remarkable rocks ...






... we then went on to Cape du Couedic to watch the beautiful but rather smelly New Zealand fur seals ...




 
 
... and as the weather was turning sunnier, we also visited Hanson bay beach ...
 

 
... and we had an unexpected guest for lunch ...
 
 
Australia seems to get better by the day ... and tomorrow: wine tasting in the Barossa Valley!!

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Last two days of the tour to Adelaide ... more relaxing ?? ... not really!!

... it all started with a nice and relaxing walk among giant yakkas ...


... but then at whalers' way, we assisted at a scene straight from the discovery channel, when a crab tried to catch an octopus and misjudged his size, ending up being his dinner ...







(this is another cute crab just having some algae for dinner - a safer option ...)

... for the night, we camped at Warren gorge, a beautiful spot in the Flinders Ranges ...

 
 
... unfortunately a wolf spider had taken possession of the toilet ... oh well, the joys of bush camping!!!
 
 
 
... but the reward was that, in the morning, we could spot some rare yellow footed rock wallabies !!!

... then a final hike - at alligator gorge ...


... and finally a well deserved wine tasting at Sevenhill winery, in Clare ...


(Ernst's nose was already red before the wine tasting, apparently ... the sun, he says ...)
 
 
It was a great trip!!! one we will remember for a long time (thanks again to Sandy and Simon for putting up with us ...)



Day 6 and 7 of the tour - or should we say "action days"?

.... learning to surf at Sceale Bay (and faking it for the pictures ...)






... swimming with wild sea lions (and wild dolphins) at Baird Bay ... of course, the sea lions were used to people and very playful ...






... sandboarding (again!) near Talia caves ...



.... a hike at Locks well beach ...

 
 
... and then some time off at Glenstate animal park to feed the rescued animals ...
 

 

... then off to Port Lincoln to swim with Tuna, snappers and ... sharks!!


(Ernst's hairstyle on the boat was something else ...)


(this snapper freaked me out as he looks like he had a human face and not a pretty one!!)


(the shark was as big as me but not interested in my flesh, apparently...)

(even though I looked like a seal in my wet suit!!!)



(Tuna are amazing creatures and they are enormous ... but Ernst wanted to feed them by hand!)


(and this queens snapper was adorable, although he bit my finger ...)

... and finally we arrived at our camp at Mikkira station, home of many wild and sleepy koalas ...



... they are just too cute to be true!!!