Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Well we made it at last, after 32 years away for Gary...
An emotional journey back to his childhood, having grown up here from the age of 9 and leaving a few months before his 18th....
We arrived to a very different landscape by contrast to NZ - dry and very hot... some days have been 40 degrees and we haven't seen any rain for the last 16 days!
Within an hour of arriving in Adelaide we had picked up the hire car, driven to the camp site, put the tent up and were on the beach! Of course there's a beach... Dee booked it!
We are about 70 yards from the sea itself, huge, soft sand, warm sea... and sharks apparrently, although we haven't seen any ourselves thank goodness, but a 10 ft one was seem circling the jetty at Semaphore, just a 1/2 mile up the beach from where we are...
The first day of course we visited his old house in Corrroboree Road, just north of the city, although once in the area, it took us 40 mins to find it as it is now so built up, before it was just open countryside. No-one was living there now who were there when Gary lived there which is a shame but some things like the old school , swimming pool and the pub where he had his first pint were still much the same.
We have been mostly chilling out, exploring Adelaide, visitng wineries, making friends, seeing relatives, snorkerling, diving and of course SUNBATHING!!!!!!
We managed to find what looks like a brilliant car after the 4th day, a large white V6 3L Estate which will hopefully take us all the way to Cairns. It also has 1 Panasonic 10 cd stacking system ... and some purchases have already been made...
We have also bought some new things for our home... like a portable DVD player( a bargain at 40 pounds) and numerous films plus a bedsite light from IKEA, (just the same as UK complete with Swedish Meat Balls - and 50 p ice creams ( Nig and Sally please note!!) .
We thought we would never feel the same about a place like we did about NZ, but we have really taken to it here too and have stayed 17 days.. but we have been told there is better to come. So we are heading off on our long journey (around 6000 kms) up to Cairn, staring tomorrowm via the Great Ocean Road, Melbourne, Gold Coast, Blue Mountains Sydney, Brisbane, Queensland etc. etc.!!! Lucky petrol is 1/2 the price here!
We have met some lovely people, inculding Karen and Kevin who we hired the car from, who are orginally from good old Southend and were so friendly and helpful to us. We had a meal around their mansion last week!
It was lovely too to meet up with Gary's Dad's cousin Pat and her family, sons, Paul and Steve, wife Chrissie, son Matthew and daughter Nicole, who lived here when Gary and his family did and still do! We have a lovely barbie with them and guess who Pat looks like... yes you ...Aunt Sylvia!! Just like Grandma Kitty too.
It has been a lovely time here and now we will move on. We are thinking of all of you and wishing you were here too to enjoy all the sights we are seeing and the things we are doing. We promise there will be more pictures of the tent next time...and wildlife, not too dangerous ones we hope, just the cuddly and bouncy ones...
Lots of love Dee and Gary XXX
- comments