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What an absolutely beautiful day!! It's a special day today, because the sun rose in the east and will set in the west... Also, water disappears down the plug hole in an anti clockwise direction... And it's Jeremy's 12th birthday, but thats largely unimportant and not very relevant... unless you happen to be Jeremy?!? (That makes it THE most important day of the year, in the entire galaxy). The phone calls and text messages came thick and fast this morning, and we celebrated the occasion with a special homemade pancake... cake... and sparkler for breakfast. A couple of pressies followed, and that was the end of that. Also, we wish to say a very big and special "Happy Birthday" to Tirah, who shares her special day with Jeremy, and gives us double the reason to celebrate. I ate your share of the pancake cake, and it was scrummy...thanks!!
After our dismal attempt at obtaining useful local info from the office yesterday, about somewhere decent to have dinner, we decided to research this further on our own. We found a particularly lovely looking restaurant, attached to a nice motel, called The Standpipe, which we have booked for 6pm. (That's why I'm blogging now, as I don't think we'll have time tonight after dinner). They do a really good Indian menu and curries, which is one of Jezza's favourites, so hopefully it will be ok?
We ventured back into town because we wanted to explore the Wadlata (aboriginal word meaning 'place of learning') Center. This is a large, and really brilliant display and exhibition about the beginning of time and the development and history of the land. It covers right from Gondwanaland, through the beginning of life, through the dinosaur eras, the arrival of the indigenous population and the recent history of European settlement. It was fantastic, it took us over 2 hours to get through, and we all learnt heaps. The displays are hands on and interactive, mixed with special effects and movie sequences, and really informative. I must admit, after our initial exposure to the town yesterday, I wasn't expecting much, and was pleasantly 'blown away' by how good this place is. It's in the town center, attached to the information center, and well worth a visit if you're coming through. Make sure you allow enough time to explore it properly though. It's also suitable for kids of all ages. (See photos for better explanation).
We had lunch today in a picnic area at the waters edge, and spent a couple of minutes with a local lad who was jumping off the jetty into the harbour. The jetty was quite high above water level, and our boys were impressed that this lad would just jump into the water below without a care of what was in the water. While we were chatting to him, we spotted a really big, and by big, I mean BIG, turtle. It was swimming around the jetty in a leisurely fashion, and had no concern at all for the teenager plunging into the water around it. Just thought that was worth a mention... By the way, lunch wasn't from a bakery... (picture drooping shoulders and bottom lip dragging on the ground)
We then drove to the Arid Area Botanic Gardens, just to show the boys the difference between dry area plants, and what they're used to at home. They were great, and it was nice to be outside, having a walk, without wondering if it was going to rain or snow or get frostbitten etc. The sun has really come back with a vengeance, and I think we'll be getting value from R2-DYSON in cooling mode before too long... But the kids weren't too interested in dry area plants, and although Jo and I enjoyed it, we didn't stay for very long.
We've come back to the park now, so we can knock over some washing that needs doing, get the blog done, and have a rest before going out to dinner. We also need to pack as much as possible this evening before bed, as tomorrow is going to be one of our biggest days on the road, with 580 odd kms to cover, between here and Coober Pedy. I'm looking forward to getting there, I've heard some interesting stories...
- comments
Aunty Min Glad Jezza had a Happy Birthday & I was most impressed with the pancake cake!!! Awesomeness+ Old Tizzy Lizz legs 11 had a great day also (she didn't even have to clean the amenities) We're such nice oldies :-). Big love from us Mugs. xx
Michelle Barrois Coober Pedy Very Interesting Place & People !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Shaun I love turtles, oh and yeah happy b'day Jeremy. Nice blog Peter, I feel like I'm there.