23rd - 24th February - Dundelk, Victoria to Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

The weather had changed, after the 40 degrees of the day before, the temperature in the morning was just above 13 degrees and it felt very cold.  Breakfast was in the room and this meant we could get a quick get way heading north west to Adelaide.

It was strange heading out in overcast conditions with the golden yellow grass in the fields around us.  we were driving through farmland and I noticed a Black-shouldered Kite on a fence post, but didn't stop.  A little further along Helen called out for me to stop, I did, turned around and slowly drove back to where there was a Black-shouldered Kite on a tree stump, ripping apart its kill.

It knew I was there as it kept an eye on the car, but it did act well as a hide.

The red eye standing out.

Plus the benefit of a wonderful bokem background.

I could see the tail of what I assumed was a rat.

A quick check of the birds flying over.

One more check of me.

It then flew off carrying its prey with it.

We moved on, my spotter quite rightly pleased with her find and looking for more, which she didn't take long to do.  A bird of prey flew up from the ground and Helen found it on a branch in a tree close to the road.  I stopped again and reversed and once again it showed well.

It was a falcon and brown so in sticking with the simplistic Australian way, it had to be a Brown Falcon.

It was looking across to the back of the field where there was a large flock of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Little Corella.

A second falcon flew across the field and scattered the cockatoos, creating a snow storm of white birds.

Both falcons then flew to the ground.

We headed on, still making our way along single track roads and farmland, the temperature still just above 14 degrees.

Once again Helen picked up a bird of prey over the fields and trees, I stopped once again, but the bird was heading away from me.  As I turned to get back into the car another came over my head.  At first I thought it was a Swamp Harrier, but then realised it was in fact a Whistling Kite

The whistling kite is a medium-sized diurnal raptor found throughout Australia, New Caledonia and much of New Guinea. Also called the whistling eagle or whistling hawk, it is named for its loud whistling call, which it often gives in flight.

We passed reservoirs and dried up pools, some had birds on them, but there was no access.  Coming into a farm settlement a flock of cockatoos flew from the trees, I pulled over and was glad at las to see a good sized flock of Galah.

They look very striking in large flocks, the pink and grey plumage standing out.

The birds after the Galah dried up and we continued on our way, finally crossing from Victoria into South Australia and time going back by 30 minutes as we changed time zones.

We decided to stop in the next sizeable town, which turned out to be called Bordertown, and had a coffee and muffin.  The cafe was interesting with an old Police Station inside it, while outside the public toilets were in fact the old gaol.

Fortunately the stop proved a good one as here we joined the freeway that would take us all the way into Adelaide.  That said the rest of the journey was uneventful other than as we came downhill into Adelaide, looking across to my right I saw a herd of Grey Kangaroos coming down the hill.  It was a surreal sight, like something from Jurassic Park.

After quickly checking in at our hotel, we had to take the car back to Avis in the city centre.  We then walked back to the hotel and realised that something was going on in Adelaide.

We then decided to go for a walk and visit the Botanical Gardens, but we quickly realised the thing going on in Adelaide was very big.  It turned out it was the Fringe, according to the locals, the second largest in the world after Edinburgh.  There wasn't a lot to interest in the gardens and we made our way back to Rundle Street the heart of the city and found a bar where we could sit upstairs with view out along the street and the ability to people watch as they all headed to the Fringe shows.

The next morning we had one more full day in Adelaide, and having walked around most of the CBD the day before we decided to take the tram out of the central to the suburbs and the beach.  We were heading for Glenelg,  Located on the shore of Holdfast Bay in Gulf St Vincent, it has become a tourist destination due to its beach and many attractions, home to several hotels and dozens of restaurants. 

Established in 1836, it is the oldest European settlement on mainland South Australia. It was named after Lord Glenelg, a member of British Cabinet and Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. Through Lord Glenelg the name derives from Glenelg, Highland, Scotland.

The tram was a piece of cake, and it was a half hour journey through the suburbs.  We arrived in Moseley square just behind the beach, with palm trees and an observation wheel, that seems to be an essential feature of Australian seaside towns.

We popped into the Information centre and learned of a historic trail along the sea front and then inland into the town.  We set of admiring a beautiful beach with hardly anyone on it and it was a Saturday.

The trail picked out houses that, like Geelong we had visited on the cruise, were of historic interest.  But before we found them we were taken by this glass fronted house and the reflections.

I will not be showing all the houses, but picking a few that stood out.

State Heritage listed Seafield Tower was the first of its kind built along the Esplanade. It was designed as two self-contained, 15 room summer residences for Sir Henry Ayers and Sir Thomas Elder, when both were in their late 50’s. Ayers made his fortune from the Burra Copper Mines that secured the wealth and future of the colony of South Australia.

Next, Stormont.  Designed in the Georgian style, Stormont was built for South Australian grazier Simon Barnard. When built, it contained 12 rooms, two cellars and two bathrooms. Two years later, in 1888, Barnard played a game of poker against William Pile, a pastoralist, South Australian horse racing identity and owner of Albert Hall at number 16 Esplanade. Barnard not only lost the game to Pile, but he also lost his collateral, Stormont.

Next was Albert Hall a 20 room, three-storey mansion first occupied by William Kyffin Thomas, one of the first European colonists, and part owner of newspapers the Adelaide Observer and Register. Thomas, who had retired to Glenelg due to ill health, died the very same year Albert Hall was finished and it passed into the hands of William Pile. Pile added a magnificent ballroom with an alcove for musicians.

It became the Oriental Private Hotel in 1930 and in 1982, a backpackers’ lodge. In the 1990s it was restored as a private residence and, more recently, converted into three apartments.

The Shoreham Apartments, Glenelg has always been progressive. From the 1920s and throughout the 1930s, developers and residents embraced the new architectural trends of the Art Deco style. At the time Shoreham was built, it was the epitome of modernism. Overlooking the sea, the three-storey apartments have a waterfall style frontage, typical of the style. Shoreham’s name is taken from the Shoreham Hotel in Washington DC, built in 1930. The original proprietor of these apartments, Mrs E. Kiernan, took a liking to the name during a holiday spent at the hotel in Washington. 

The last building before we turned inland, and lost the trail, Glenara!

Glenara is one of Glenelg’s stately treasures. It was built for William Hill and was owned by his descendants until 1990. A fine example of Italianate architecture, it has an imposing central, flag topped tower which accentuates its castle-like appearance. It was designed by architect Thomas English, as a sixroom house. Two front rooms, the tower, a widow’s walk (as seen in photograph but since removed) and a conservatory were added at a later date. A widow’s walk is a railed rooftop with a good vantage point of the sea, popular in 19th century coastal houses. The name is said to come from the wives of mariners, who would watch for their spouses’ return, often in vain.

We found our way back to Moseley Square where we had a coffee and then set off in the opposite direction around the marina.  From there we walked down on to the beach and then walked in the surf.  It was a Saturday, probably about 30 degrees and it was empty save for a few sunbathers and the Surf Lifeguards that were going through there training.

We walked all the way to the cafe we had seen earlier and there had a beer and sandwich before turning around and walking back along the beach.

We spent some time on the beach then decided to get the tram back into the city.  We were flying to Perth the next day so had to sort the cases out.

For dinner we headed out o Rundle Street.  Yesterday had not been too bad, but it was cool, this evening it was warm and sunny and very, very busy.  Fortunately we were able to find a table at a restaurant and had dinner.

Perth is to be our final destination on this mammoth trip.