Adelaide 3

Well folks it is my last day of my holiday today.

This morning Anna and Ken took me to a beautiful National Park called Cleland and I saw the most amazing wildlife in very hot temperatures!

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It was a truly amazing experience, never to be forgotten.

Now I am packing my suitcase ready to be picked up later by the taxi from Emirates.

It really is very hot at the moment, 35C I think, so will have to adjust very quickly to UK temps!

I shall be very sad to be leaving my friends but am looking forward now to being back home again.

This koala has been sitting up in the tree in the back garden all day,

Have named him Kevin, but Ken thinks it is a female!

Bye bye to all my faithful blog-followers, see you soon in Blighty!

Adelaide 2

Yesterday we had a lovely day doing interesting and enjoyable things.

After breakfast Anna dropped Ken and I off at the Adelaide Oval cricket ground to have a tour. I have seen this ground many times on TV whilst watching the Test matches against England so it was great to actually be there and experience it for myself.

Then home for lunch and off for a drive down the McClaren Valley for some more wine-tasting at various vineyards!! Nice wines and wonderful scenery.

We finished our journey at Port Willunga where we had a walk along the beach before having a superb fish dinner ata restaurant overlooking the ocean watching the sunset.

Today we are going to head up the Clare Valley......more tastings along the way.....and visit Rory and his family in Jamestown. Rory is the eldest son of Anna and Ken. We are staying the night there and returning on Saturday afternoon.

My long trip will soon be coming to an end as I fly back to the UK on Sunday. I have enjoyed every minute of NZ and Aus, seen so much and been to some wonderful places, and had some unforgettable experiences.

We have had possums in the back garden, and these lovely crested cockatoo s.

Belair-Adelaide

Well folks, after my very busy last 3 weeks it is nice to be able to relax here with my friends Anna and Ken, who are the perfect hosts.....even giving me a bedroom where I am surrounded by the largest wine cellar. Anna has given me the job of deciding what to drink with each meal!!

We had a nice walk in Belair National Park on Sunday amongst the gum trees.

Yesterday I was given a tour of the Barossa Valley with several tastings along the way!

Weather has been a bit. Iced for the last couple of days but today we have gorgeous sunshine and going to reach 28C. It is lovely to stroll around their beautiful garden amongst all the fruit trees and exotic plants and bushes, and the brightly coloured birds all around the garden are a delight to see.

Tomorrow we go to Handhorf, one of the earliest German settlements in SA , a very pretty village to look around, and on Thursday Ken and I have tickets to look around the Adelaide Oval which I have seen many times on to TV when I have watched the cricket matches from Australia.

Ocean Road

I have spent the last two days travelling from Melbourne on the Great Ocean Road, and what a memorable journey it was. We were a group of four, two Canadians, one Spanish lady and myself.

Jeremy our driver made it so interesting and we had time to call into many places along the way.

The scenery was quite breathtaking and we saw lots of wildlife along the way.

Last night we were staying in villas high up in the hills in Apollo Bay overlooking the ocean, but no Internet so these photos are a mix of both days.

Tonight I am in Mt Gambier in a lovely hotel, and just had a gorgeous meal and a couple of glasses of wine. Tomorrow morning I am being dropped of in Penola about an hour away where my friend Anna from Adelaide is going to pick me up and we are calling in to see her son who manages a ranch nearby. Then we drive back to Adelaide where I shall spend my last week in Belair south of the city.

Wine Tasting

Today was a day devoted to tasting wine at four different vineyards in the Yarra Valley!

Lovely picturesque drive from Melbourne through pretty areas and beautiful houses until we reached our first stop at 11am.....bit early even for me, but managed to try the samples offered.

Then onto second stop including lunch, thank goodness, by this time I needed food!

We tasted several wines at each Vineyard, mainly Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc, Shiraz and Cab Sauv.

At our last port of call we tasted sparkling wines........very nice indeed.

White, Rose and Shiraz, the last one I had not drunk before.

Just been dropped off at the hotel and I feel like I need a sleep.......but only 5.30pm!

Got to get myself sorted out tonight ready to leave Melbourne tomorrow morning for the start of my trip up the Great Ocean Road to meet up with my friends in Adelaide on Saturday. Really looking forward to seeing them both again.......so farewell Melbourne!!

Philip Island

Well my faithful blog-followers, I had a fantastic day yesterday on Philip Island, at last seeing some wildlife up close and personal.

We were picked up after lunch and after. 2hr drive reached the Koala Conservation Area where these beautiful creatures hang out in a massive wild area. Some were so close you could nearly touch them. Apparently they sleep most of the day so we were really lucky to find some sort of awake!

I couldn't take enough photos of them.....so cuddly and really laid back!

From there we moved onto the coast to watch the little blue penguins come home for the night from feeding at sea all day to get back to their burrows. They are only about 15in tall and arrived in their hundreds once it started to go dark, running up the beach towards us and off to find their homes.

We were not allowed to take photos as the flash damages their eyes, so I got a postcard and took a copy so that you could see what they are like.

It will be a moment to remember in my head......rather like my Black Bear encounter last year!!

If you want to see more, go online to Philip Island and it will tell you more about them.

Melbourne

I arrived safely in Melbourne on Saturday and what a shock to the system it was after two weeks in peaceful New Zealand.

Tramcars are as much a part of Melbourne 's character as the Victorian arch itecture.

Went on a walking tour to try and orientate myself a little in this huge city and had to admire the beautiful buildings along the way.

Then got a little more adventurous the next day and hopped on a tram to St Kilda, on the other side of the river, a nice seaside and beautiful beach. Walked along the front by the sea for a couple of hours but then it became too hot and I had to seek shade at one of the local bars!!

Later today I go on a trip to Philip Island to see the fairy penguins . Looking forward to seeing some wildlife for the first time on this holiday. There fare some lovely parks and gardens here in Melbourne so I shall have a stroll in one of those after breakfast. I think to live here you have to be ultra chic and trendily dressed and have your IPhone permanently in your hand! No one but no one is not using their phone 24/7.........

Queenstown 2

Today was my last full day in New Zealand, and it was a free day to do what we pleased.

Angie, Brigit and myself decided to opt for the TSS Earnslaw Steamship cruise, which was a cruise on Lake Wakatipu aboard the iconic steamship enjoying a nice leisurely way to experience Queenstown's scenic beauty. We enjoyed a delicious gourmet BBQ lunch at the other side of the lake.

We also had a farm demonstration of how to shear a sheep in about 3min!!

The ship was launched in 1912......oops, same year as the Titanic!!

Well folks, my two weeks in NZ is over. I have had a truly wonderful experience here and am so glad I decided to make the long journey to get here.

Leave here tomorrow to fly to Melbourne and from now on am on my own rather than with the Moatrek 

Group. Have a few things planned for the next few days, including a wine-tasting, of course, so will keep you posted from there.

Queenstown

Enjoyed my brief stay at Mt Cook, had a good walk down the valley surrounded by wonderful scenery before we set off south again to Queenstown.

On arrival in Queenstown we were immediately onto the Skyline Gondola to the top of Bob's Peak for a scenic overview of this picturesque resort. I was whisked up smoothly 450m as the town drops away below!! Breathtaking views from the top extend almost full circle.

Today was a very exciting one as we travelled along the shores of Lake Wakatipu continuing along the spectacular Milford Road through impressive alpine scenery. On reaching Milford Sound we had booked for us a cruise of the fiord in a smaller boat which was less crowded. Fiordland is a designated World Heritage Area that takes you back in time to a magical wilderness.

Following the cruise we transferred to Milford Airport to board a twin engine aircraft for the return flight to Queenstown. There were panoramic views all the way of the spectacular alpine scenery including glaciers and lakes. What. journey it was...terrifying but enjoyable.

Truly a wonderful day to remember for the rest of my life. One more day here and then I fly over to Melbourne on Saturday.