Off went all the family to Queensland where they had the most fantastic time and crammed in all sorts of fun and a few extreme sports. Emma and Barry both did a bungee jump and Ann, Yvonne and Emma went white-water rafting where they got more than they bargained for and ended up being hauled out of the water under what sounded like really dangerous circumstances as the river was so swollen following the floods.Tom and Kevin have returned from New Zealand where they had a super time and have given us a few pointers for our trip. They had mixed weather and a lot of rain on their last day, I hope it clears up for when we go.
We enjoyed the Adelaide Hills and Barossa Valley so much that we have made a couple of other trips to follow some of the tourist routes signposted around the valley which take you to some of the highlights of the area.
On the Sunday it was a hot day and rather than go to the beach with the others we decided to go back to the Hills as we had discovered that it was the weekend when many of the vineyards invite the public in for a day of wine tasting, food and music. Some seemed to charge an entrance fee and you had to book but to others you could just turn up.We went to one called the Nepenthe vineyard which had an R & B group playing. It was bring your own glass or buy one for £5 - wine was sold by the bottle or the glass and there was lovely food to buy too. There was a free cookery demonstration and all this was set in lovely grounds set with tables and umbrellas. The umbrellas were very much a necessity as the temperature had taken off and it was blisteringly hot. All in all - an excellent afternoon.
We had great fun driving round the Adelaide Hills too as the scenery is just so dramatic and quite lovely. There is a viewing place called Mount Lofty from where you get a panoramic view across to the sea with the city of Adelaide in the foreground and rolling countryside all round , quite spectacular. While we were at the visitor centre we bought these neckerchiefs filled with gel crystals. Soaked in water, they retain the moisture and, when draped around your neck, keep you wonderfully cool. They have been a real boon as the temperature has just stayed so high.
We are now on the Murray River floating along in our amazing luxury houseboat. There are five bedrooms (each with its own en-suite shower room/toilet), a spacious lounge, fitted kitchen and dining area, and upper deck with shade, fridge, sink, table and chairs, sunloungers and, to top it all, a jacuzzie for 10 people. To say this is a gin palace is not to do it justice - it is floating luxury. We have cocktails every night and delicious food. There are no shops en-route so we have had to bring everything with us, I am pleased to say that Barry's van enabled us to bring so many goodies that we could be stranded for days and not starve!
Last night we went on a bush safari which was called "Big Bend by Night". I did mean 'Bend' not 'Ben'. I believe it is so called as it is situated on a part of the river called 'Big Bend' and indeed it is a big bend and quite breathtaking, particularly at sunset when the cliffs at the side of the river turn from an ochre yellow to glowing gold, quite a sight.
We were collected from the boat and taken to a shed (I'm not joking) for our starter of spinach pate and the fish course of prawns, we then walked across some scrub land to the farmer's boat for a quick trip round a lagoon and ending up at his homestead where our main course and pudding were waiting for us.
Along with the food we also had access to his menagerie of animals which were primarily friendly kangaroos, although we did see an emu. In fact one kangaroo was more like a dog and while we were eating spent its time sat at the side of us just like a dog waiting for scraps.
For me one of the highlights was seeing a baby kangaroo which was being hand reared as its mother had been killed by a car. The little joey was living in a fleece lined shoe bag inside a shopping bag and seemed as happy as could be, it was amazingly cute. After eating we all piled into a cart and were towed around the bush by a quad bike to see if we could find any wildlife. We saw lots of rabbits which excited one of the dogs so much that he would leap from the back of the bike and go haring off into the dark in what turned out to be fruitless but very exciting pursuit. Being very lucky, we saw two Wombats which were about the size of badgers, and looked quite like them but I understand they are related to Koala Bears. We were excited to see them but they were clearly unimpressed by the sight of us and retreated underground as soon as they could. It was a really great night and we didn't return to our boat until about 11pm.
The rest of our time on the boat was spent in the heady pursuit of laziness, the hot tub, good food and copious quantities of alcohol while we played a variety of extremely silly games. The picture on the left is of my cousin who is just about the only person I know who would wear a mankini. This picture is with his permission which says something about his outgoing nature!If you want a wonderful way to spend a short break I would recommend one of these houseboats on the river, we are feeling we have recharged our batteries and ready for the next part of the adventure which starts with our flight to Sydney on Sunday to meet up with Jackie, Kath and Sid and then fly to New Zealand next Wednesday.
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