Off we go again, seeking adventure and sunshine.
This year there are no set plans, we are just ready to see what the road unfolds. We are heading in the direction of Whyalla (our happy place full of wonderful memories) and we hope to find some new happy memories along our way.
Our first stop was Hay- a long chunk of driving time out of the way and we were grateful to rest our heads and kick on the next day. Mildura is always a lovely sunny spot to stop and we decided to enjoy a 2 day stop over. The 42 degree heat was spent under the shade of a grand old tree and by the river. We found a lovely spacious spot by the river to pitch the tent and recover from the Christmas busyness. The majestic Murray never ceases to take our breath away and there are many opportunities to catch a glimpse along the road towards Adelaide. Another picnic lunch on the banks of the river broke up our rather long trip into Hahndorf- we suspect the GPS took us along the scenic route ;/
We were very happy to arrive in our favourite campsite in Hahndorf- The Hahndorf Resort (they use the term RESORT fairly generously) offers lots of space, lovely views and it's always so quiet. The showers here are not great and certainly not wheelchair friendly so we use our solar shower here and it works perfectly with all of the extra space we have. We always look forward to visiting our favourite German Pub for a big meal of sausages and pretzels (I opt for something a little less meaty) and we are never disappointed.
Today we made the short drive into Adelaide city to see the zoo (3rd year in a row for Jonas) and wander along Rundle Mall. We always love the walk through the Botanic Gardens and lunch under the trees. We all love Adelaide. The lack of traffic is so novel! Free parking in the street was also pretty special. We are all blissfully exhausted after finding several comic book shops, a second hand book shop with a 'Monty Python' classic for Campbell and two stops at a lovely coffee shop for me ;)
It's no wonder we have fallen so in love with Adelaide. Every time we visit the sun is shining and the temperature perfect. I found myself in a 'old lady' moment today when I stopped by Hungry Jack's just to make a special mention of the 'lovely young man'....yes really....I must be getting old to come out with that one and it slipped through my lips before I could stop myself!!! Anyway a lovely young man in a Hungry Jack's uniform stopped to open the door to the toilet for Campbell and I and was just so sweet. How could I not pass on our joy for his respectful gesture?! I hope he gets the employee of the month badge for that. Not only that but when I went into Telstra to recharge our portable wifi I actually got fabulous customer service!!! From TELSTRA!!! So Julian at Adelaide City Telstra we salute you. Even though they offer no courtesy phones at Telstra anymore (can you believe how ridiculous that is) and I was not able to recharge using my phone because it is not a 'telstra phone' the fabulous Julian did the unthinkable and went out of his way to sort it out for me. Hurrah to Julian!!! Campbell is now significantly more relaxed knowing he has access to wifi and Julian has made our very long road trip so much more enjoyable. So that's 3 mentions for Julian and he deserves them all.
Ohh Adelaide you never fail to delight us and it is no wonder we have now come to visit three summers in a row.
This year there are no set plans, we are just ready to see what the road unfolds. We are heading in the direction of Whyalla (our happy place full of wonderful memories) and we hope to find some new happy memories along our way.
Our first stop was Hay- a long chunk of driving time out of the way and we were grateful to rest our heads and kick on the next day. Mildura is always a lovely sunny spot to stop and we decided to enjoy a 2 day stop over. The 42 degree heat was spent under the shade of a grand old tree and by the river. We found a lovely spacious spot by the river to pitch the tent and recover from the Christmas busyness. The majestic Murray never ceases to take our breath away and there are many opportunities to catch a glimpse along the road towards Adelaide. Another picnic lunch on the banks of the river broke up our rather long trip into Hahndorf- we suspect the GPS took us along the scenic route ;/
We were very happy to arrive in our favourite campsite in Hahndorf- The Hahndorf Resort (they use the term RESORT fairly generously) offers lots of space, lovely views and it's always so quiet. The showers here are not great and certainly not wheelchair friendly so we use our solar shower here and it works perfectly with all of the extra space we have. We always look forward to visiting our favourite German Pub for a big meal of sausages and pretzels (I opt for something a little less meaty) and we are never disappointed.
Today we made the short drive into Adelaide city to see the zoo (3rd year in a row for Jonas) and wander along Rundle Mall. We always love the walk through the Botanic Gardens and lunch under the trees. We all love Adelaide. The lack of traffic is so novel! Free parking in the street was also pretty special. We are all blissfully exhausted after finding several comic book shops, a second hand book shop with a 'Monty Python' classic for Campbell and two stops at a lovely coffee shop for me ;)
It's no wonder we have fallen so in love with Adelaide. Every time we visit the sun is shining and the temperature perfect. I found myself in a 'old lady' moment today when I stopped by Hungry Jack's just to make a special mention of the 'lovely young man'....yes really....I must be getting old to come out with that one and it slipped through my lips before I could stop myself!!! Anyway a lovely young man in a Hungry Jack's uniform stopped to open the door to the toilet for Campbell and I and was just so sweet. How could I not pass on our joy for his respectful gesture?! I hope he gets the employee of the month badge for that. Not only that but when I went into Telstra to recharge our portable wifi I actually got fabulous customer service!!! From TELSTRA!!! So Julian at Adelaide City Telstra we salute you. Even though they offer no courtesy phones at Telstra anymore (can you believe how ridiculous that is) and I was not able to recharge using my phone because it is not a 'telstra phone' the fabulous Julian did the unthinkable and went out of his way to sort it out for me. Hurrah to Julian!!! Campbell is now significantly more relaxed knowing he has access to wifi and Julian has made our very long road trip so much more enjoyable. So that's 3 mentions for Julian and he deserves them all.
Ohh Adelaide you never fail to delight us and it is no wonder we have now come to visit three summers in a row.
Drew is helping set up the tent while Jonas heads off looking for bugs. Some may say it looks like he is using the tree for a quick wee..... that will be the story we stick to for his 21st birthday.
Hahndorf.
Where's our giant pretzels!!!!
Adelaide University and Campbell smiling for a photo!!
