Adelaide
Glenelg
30th March 2000
The journey to Adelaide was, as I expected, moments of uncomfortable neckache due to sitting in an aisle seat, constant squirming in my chair trying, in vain, to get a suitable position to sleep. That said, I must have succeeded, because the 12 hours passed quickly, and we arrived around 6am.
Although the Glenelg Beach Resirt bus was waiting there to meet me, we still had to wait for others on various interstate coaches, so we set off to the hostel an hour and a half later.
The hostel was nothing like the brochure photos. The dorm I was in was a pig sty, I put that down to the youngsters there, barely out of their teens, trying to recreate the bedrooms back home.
Saw Nichola about 2pm, in the hostel, we went down to look at the beach.
In the evening, met the rest of her "Gang", whom she had met on the Oz Experience trip from Melbourne. Sat in the dorm plaing daft drinking games before going to the bar, and then the beach about midnight, with a carton of wine.
a couple of the guys went off to buy some dope, and returned with a couple of joints.
It amused me to see these kids off their face. I later learned that they had no tobacco in the joints, but some were just over the top, and I wondered how much of their reaction was play acting. It really was quite embarrassing.
31st March 2000
Feeling worse for ware, a quiet day hanging out on the beach, sleeping in my dorm, before going out for a couple of beers with two people in mthe hostel, who weren't part of the other gang, Nick from England and Emily from Austria.
1st April 2000
Ever since I arrived here, all I've wanted to do was sleep. Arose late, went for some eggs on toast in a cafe, then eventually got to the beach about 12.30pm.
A couple of hours on the beach, had lunch then returned to the hostel. Keen for my tour to start tomorrow, to Kangaroo Island, getting a bit too lazy here!
Evening out with a Scottish couple, Duncan and Carolm and 2 English girls from Kent, Sarah and Leonne. A good night out down the pub round the corner. Sarah's claim to fame was meeting West Ham stars Rio and Frank in Cyprus, and seeing Frank for quite a while. Seems like Lampard Junior has quite a crush on her.
Sarah spilt a glass of red wine over Carol, and then Leonne got some salt from the bar and just covered her jeans, and most of the floor. Then the two girls spotted a couple of bottles of wine out by the toilets, so decided to nick them, stuffing them down their trousers, with a few glasses in their bags. As we left, the bouncer opened the door, and Sarah staggered off. On her way, she dropped a glass and carried on walking. The bouncer asked "What was that?"
"'Oh, someone left a glass on the pavement and she kicked it" I replied, praying it wasn't the bottle. we got round the corner, drank a bottle, then went to the hotel bar.
Bed about 2.30am, all fairly pissed!
2nd April 2000
Suprising lack of hangover this morning. Sarah was pretty bad though. About 6am, she got off her top bunk and fell on the floor. Duncan got her up, and decided to put her in the bottom bed where Carol was, Sarah tried to climb up onto the wrong bunk, and finally settled for Carol's. She was totally confused, waking up in the wrong bed!
I checked out and hung around for my pick up at 2.30pm.
Kangaroo Island
The bus arrived late, but no matter, we travelled through some picturesque scenery to catch the ferry. the trip consisted of 11, including the driver, Tim.
The crossing was choppy, and when we arrived at Penneshaw, we stocked up at the Bottle Shop, then drove on to our bushcamp. Dinner was excellent Skippy Steaks, followed by a little walk in the dark to the beach, which we never found. Night was spent surrounded by Possums crawling through the camp and the bus, under a starlit sky - perfect!
3rd April 2000
Up early, packed up camp, cleared out the Landrover, where the Possums had ransacked a packet of Doritos, then drove to the coastfor a look at the cliffs overlooking the Devil's Kitchen.
Then a drive to Seal Bay, for a walk on the beach where a colony of seals laze around on the sand and play in the surf.
After lunch, a lesson in sandboarding on the dunes, unsuccessful but memorable for the two Dutch girls who flew over a ramp, landing in a pile on the other side.
On the way to Flinders Chase National Park, we took some time to spot Koalas before the weather took a turn for the worst. By the time we arrived at Admirals Arch, it was raining, but this added to the atmosphere of this rugged coastline where New Zealand fur Seals inhabit the rocks.
A quick look at Remarkable rocks, close by, then on to our bush camp. a wet and uncomfortable time setting up, but we made the best of it, and enjoyed the evening. As we went to bed, the rain got heavier, and Tim started digging tranches to avert the water running off our canopy.
4th April 2000
Most of the night, I was awake, increasingly concerned about the rising water. When I finally fell asleep about 2am, I was woken up by Charlotte an hour later. The fight to save the camp had been lost and we were moving to a dryer site. Tim, Jan &: I hastily packed up in the rain, whilst the girls sat in the Landrover.
We drove to the National Park campsite and bedded down in the sheltered food and barbecue area.
We were up early, to avoid the Park Ranger, then, after breakfast, drove to the far North West end of the park. We headed off on an hour long walk to a secluded beach, wading across a tributary, to get there. The wind was high, and our legs were sandblasted as he rushed for the shelter of some nearby caves.
A look in the caves, by torchlight, revealed Fairy penguins. We had lunch inside, then walked back.
A last look at a couple of beaches on the return to Penneshaw, and the ferry. The weather was bad enough to stop the crossing but when we arrived, it had been given the all clear.
With time to spare, Faye, Charlotte, Kate and I went to the pub whilst the other whent to view some penguins. As we returned to the ferry, we got to see more penguins than them, crossing the road.
The ferry was rough, but I managed to keep from throwing up, then the rain followed us all the way back to Adelaide.
Had a beer with Jan in the bar, before bed.
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