South Eastern South Australia yes people do go there!

[Warks]

I'd better kick this one off seeing as I promised to do this a while back. Then again we only got back on Friday. Despite the questioning of Sydney based friends and relatives "why the hell would you go to Adelaide???" we persisted and had a wonderful two weeks. As soon as you mention Kangaroo Island the Sydneysiders more or less say "Ah yeah I get it" but are not convinced about ADL.

Some general observations first:

• the bottle deposit seems to do a great job of keeping the state clean. I did some walking along roadsides and didn't see a single bottle. This seems to follow on to a general lack of rubbish. I'm sure there are littered places but I had the pleasure of not seeing them. I didn't see any bottle collection depots so I don't know how it works but if it could stop our creeks and roadsides being littered with bottles then why on earth don't we have it in the other states?
• 110 km/h speed limits on a lot of roads - this was unexpected. In other states there aren't that many roads outside freeways with this limit. In SA most of the highways we went on were 110 plus a lot of regional roads - the cross country routes around Mt Gambier were 110 in the main.
• no ethanol in the petrol? I didn't see it at any petrol station I used. Fuel prices were probably about the same as Sydney in Adelaide depending on the cycle. More on regional fuel prices later.
• Woolworths staff weren't familiar with the EDR barcode on the back of the WOW-QF EDR Mastercard. Had to show it to them every time!
• Adelaide water is drinkable! For years I've travelled there and only had bottled water based on my experiences many years ago. Mind you the water in Port Macdonnell is NOT drinkable!

Might add some more points here later as I think of them.
Basically we arrived in Adelaide, toured the area then went to Kangaroo Island via the Cape Jervis ferry, then came back and went to Victor Harbor then to Port Macdonnell/Mt Gambier then up to Clare with a side trip to Port Augusta and Quorn. I'll fill in the details below as I get time.

 

[Pushka]

Great you had an enjoyable time in SA. But, um, I am not exactly sure where in Adelaide you went because.......our roads are generic 100 kmh UNLESS signposted. And that is usually just the Freeway. You sure you aren't going to get any speeding tickets in the mail?

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[TD]100 km/h

• is the maximum speed limit on roads outside a built-up area where no other speed limit is signposted.
• is the speed limit on most rural roads in South Australia.

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I know that my local Petrol station sells Ethanol petrol, it's called E85 or something, and Caltex servos are fairly widespread. And maybe you just used regional woolies coz my local woolies knows to turn the card over and swipe....

We don't drink our water although it is actually ok to drink, but our pipes in our house are so old I dont like drinking it.

How did you find KI?

 

[opusman]

How did you find KI?

Head for Victor Harbor and keep going?

 

[markis10]

Great you had an enjoyable time in SA. But, um, I am not exactly sure where in Adelaide you went because.......our roads are generic 100 kmh UNLESS signposted. And that is usually just the Freeway. You sure you aren't going to get any speeding tickets in the mail?

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[TD]100 km/h

• is the maximum speed limit on roads outside a built-up area where no other speed limit is signposted.
• is the speed limit on most rural roads in South Australia.

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110kmh is very common once you get 100km out of Adelaide or the Yorke Peninsula, 723 km (45 sections of road) within those limits were changed back to 100 in Nov 11, but elsewhere its far more than just on freeways!

 

[boomy]

We did a road trip from ADL to MEL 2 years ago via Mclaren Vale, Victor Harbour, Mt. Gambier, Coonawarra and the Grampians.

I remember the 110km highways because after we entered Victoria it changed to 100km, I didn't noticed and got pulled over I won't forget the look on the cop's face when he saw the 5 boxes of wine in the back seat

It was great trip and I agree there is a lot to see in SA. In fact, we are going there this weekend to visit the Adelaide Hills, Barossa and Clare Vally.

We went to Kanagroo island in 2008 and were very impressed. It's a beautiful island with lots to do and see. Too bad most of the roads there are not sealed because there is a lot of driving to do if you want to see all the good places.
We still want to go back one day and try the 6* resort there

 

[PLC]

I live in the Adelaide Hills, and it's like being on holiday every day.

Except perhaps on hot windy days when there is a risk of bushfire (like today).

 

[Warks]

The only places I didn't see 110 zones were along the Horrocks Highway up to Clare, along with areas closer to Adelaide. There were even plenty of 110 zones on KI which, by the way, has sealed roads from end to end now. The road from Kingscote to Admirals Arch (east-west) is all sealed as is the return route along the south. There are still unsealed roads across the north coast but anywhere you are likely to go on a short visit has sealed roads.

More later...

 

[Warks]

Using my Rydges free nights we stayed at... the Hilton... no we stayed at Rydges on South Terrace after flying in on VA points. Hired a Nissan Dualis which is one of those pseudo-AWD vehicles like a RAV4 or a Mitsubishi ASX. Hotel was pretty good although not close to the action areas of North Terrace and Rundle Mall. Adelaide city is small enough to walk around pretty easily though.

On our arrival day we walked up to the Central Markets which is somewhat like the Victoria Markets in Melbourne with a wonderful array of produce and especially cheeses, breads and patisserie type items. Nothing like it in Sydney that I know of, Paddy's is nothing like it. Enjoyed a huge hot dog from that hot dog guy in there. Enough free samples as you walk around to keep anyone happy. Afterwards we thought we'd head to a park for a bit of a sit/lie down (hey we'd been travelling all day!) and walked to Whitmore Square (Morphett St). We were pleasantly surprised to find it a hive of activity as the Food Truck Festival was on in earnest. We had a look around and a lie on the grass in the shade to enjoy the vibe and planned on coming back for dinner.
We had a Splash @ Fork on the Road | Splash Adelaide
Went back to the hotel and enjoyed the pool before coming back in the cooler evening. A great array of food there and we enjoyed it very much. Bit of a hipster crowd but plenty of families too. A great little event, another one I can't imagine in Sydney.

On our second day we just HAD to go to the zoo. The only Australia zoo with giant pandas? How could we resist? Even though the zoo is pretty expensive - $85 for the family. Taronga Park zoo in Sydney has been in this price range for years and I've never taken the kids! Still we were on hols. Pandas were as cute as you could imagine. The zoo will be raking in the cash if they ever manage to breed. The rest of the zoo is also very good with the meerkats being rather popular. Some good educational features too. After the zoo I was keen to head to the South Australian Museum as I'd read a book on Douglas Mawson recently ( a brilliant book: This Accursed Land: Douglas Mawson's Incredible Antarctic Journey - Lennard Bickel - Google Books) and I'd noted that a lot of his artefacts were listed as being in this museum. It's quite a big museum and it has some great natural history plus an amazing display of the materials of the indigenous peoples of Australia and Melanesia. For me though, seeing Mawson's actual cut down sled and the (much repaired) shovel that saved his life was the highlight. Mawson actually discovered uranium in Australia before becoming an Antarctic explorer and possibly the greatest survivor of polar exploration. Well worth a visit - especially seeing as it's free.

More to come. Hope I'm not boring anyone.

 

[RB]

Certainly not bored reading it! We are lucky near where I live that we have the Billabong Zoo-they now have a monster Croc (4.6m in a great clear pool where you can watch from the bottom), a couple of snow leopards and also 2 red pandas. I hadn't realised how much I had missed by not visiting a zoo for so long.

 

[Warks]

On our final day in Adelaide we thought we'd visit the hinterland. I fancied a drive up Mount Lofty where we parked short of the top and walked up. A fair old wind was blowing and the cafe was open, not that we needed it yet. I had almost a complete case of deja vu - the whole area seems almost exactly like my memories of Mount Dandenong from a our trip there in 2010. We thought we'd go on a short walk around the top and look at the flowers but we came to a track which led to "Waterfall Gully" - it didn't sound too long or too hard... We headed down... and down... and down... and down... past an amazing number of walkers coming up and some runners going down. Some groups, some pairs, some individuals. "Lorna Jane" apparel appears very popular with the womenfolk. We kept going down - so many people - and this was a Monday! Came past a nice little waterfall and thought about turning back but didn't want to face that hill so soon. The terrain was a bit better now as we followed the creek. We came to some old ruins "Chinaman's Hut" and again thought about turning back but I pushed for continuing - we've come this far...

We passed another slightly larger waterfall and then came to the final waterfall - the one in the gully in the track title. A beautiful fall in a wonderful park. The cafe was closed - they could have sold us a few ice creams! but the car park was full - all those walkers had to get there somewhere. One of the kids was a bit worse for wear (breathing difficulties - asthma related) but we rested for a bit and then headed back up. Of course I could have walked up alone and brought the car down as was suggested... The climb back up was everything we expected - long and hard. Still we made it in the end. It was funny to read it described on one of the info boards as for "walkers of moderate fitness" - don't do it with a heart condition is all I'll add!

From there we headed the short distance to Hahndorf. You almost have to visit. We do enjoy the NSW equivalent towns (not German of course) like Maldon, Berrima, Morpeth, Mogo, Berry and Central Tilba although they may be seen as twee tourist traps. Just love the architecture of old SA - the amazing stone. Plenty of great eateries in town and we had lunch at Otto's Bakery with their deliciously enormous pies. I had my eye on the good old pork knuckle that the pubs specialise in but not this time! Browsed the endless shops - it really is a long street - more than twice as long as the main streets in the towns mentioned above. Plenty of ice creameries - most of which claimed to have "home made" ice cream. We made sure we sampled it...

It was getting late in the day so we drove down to Glenelg and walked the pier as I reminisced about the many conferences I attended in the nearby Stamford Grand. It was very windy but still nice to just wander around. Some very nice houses in the streets behind the beach.

Headed back to the hotel after that. I don't take food photos but we had an excellent meal in the Rydges restaurant - made even better by my 50% Platinum member discount!
I'll see if I can post some pics later.

The next day - to Kangaroo Island!

 

[Major]

Looking forward to the remainder...particularly about taking the Nissan to KI

 

[Newk]

Head for Victor Harbor and keep going?

Only sort of as you might get a bit wet going that way

Great trip report thanks Warks. I live here and love it and am surprised at the number of "eastern staters" who wouldn't dream of visiting

 

[Pushka]

The Mount Lofty track is very very popular. Pedestrian traffic jam, every day!

 

[mono88]

The Mount Lofty track is very very popular. Pedestrian traffic jam, every day!

Lovely walk when the weather is good.

 

[Warks]

I'd better get back to this while I can still remember it!

Did you see that Adelaide made THE LIST:
Top destinations for 2014 named by Lonely Planet

We really were the trendsetters!

So on the morning we left Adelaide I just had to go back to the Markets and grab some essentials. The Smelly Cheese Shop provided me with some of the most amazing cheese I've ever eaten although I didn't know it for a day or so. Grabbed a few other things and then back to the hotel to head off. A fairly uneventful trip south to Cape Jervis with the only oddity being a freeway that was completely closed in the southbound direction for quite a bit of its length. I am assuming it was for roadworks. I guess they open it up to the other direction in the afternoon.

I'd been told that petrol on Kangaroo Island (hereinafter referred to as 'KI') was expensive so of course I fuelled up at the only business (that I could see) in Cape Jervis. Of course they see you coming as well with the fuel almost at KI prices! A good 15-20c dearer than the Adelaide prices some one hour earlier. We knew it was a while to the ferry so we went to a lookout and watched the ferry which was on the other side of the Backstairs Passage (what a great name!). There was a large container ship heading west and it looked like they were on collision course - I know which vessel I'd be backing! - but the ferry was still a long way off. I was talking to an old guy at the lookout who said he used to be in the merchant navy and they never used Backstairs in those days as it was too hazardous.

Eventually we approached the ferry and got into one of the seemingly random queues. Went inside the busy office - there were buses of schoolkids heading over - and checked in. I had to stay with the car while the family waited in the queue to board. A bloke walks up to cars in the queues and gives you the nod so you follow him and get directed into one of the spots - I was right over the left hand side, hard up against some 'buffers'. The cars were positioned about a coat of paint apart. Being on the ferry so early we were given a front row seat to watch the pax board but also to watch the rest of the vehicles load including the trucks and trailers. You have to back onto the ferry so if you are towing a caravan you'd better be good at it! I don't know if they help you out if you are hopeless (I know I am, that's why I don't tow things!)

Once loaded we eventually pushed off and out across the water. Took around 50 or so minutes to cross. It wasn't a rough crossing (unlike the return) so I headed here and there all over the boat with the kids to 'explore' it. Being one of the first on unfortunately meant we were one of the last off but that didn't really matter as it didn't take long. The passengers, including my family, had to wait by parking bays up the hill from the ferry so the drivers could pull up and load them on - only drivers were allowed near the cars on the ferry. We headed into the thriving metropolis of Penneshaw - well it's got a few shops including an IGA - and had lunch in the park. This is a popular penguin spot at night - we walked down to the viewing points and there were penguin burrows everywhere - many 'enhanced' by man.

From Penneshaw we drove out to our eventual accommodation in Cygnet River. On the way we pulled up at Prospect Hill, the highest point on KI at about 300m. It's just a giant sandhill covered in vegetation but it's a strenuous walk up some several hundred steps. Great views at the top as you'd imagine. Drove on from there to Cygnet River where we were just a bit off the Playford Highway (yes they are highways, nearly all sealed roads with 110 limits). A gorgeous self contained guesthouse right by a full billabong (or ox-bow lake to the geography students).

Next entry I'll have to upload some pics. This was such a beautiful spot. Had the next three nights on KI here.

 

[markis10]

. A fairly uneventful trip south to Cape Jervis with the only oddity being a freeway that was completely closed in the southbound direction for quite a bit of its length. I am assuming it was for roadworks. I guess they open it up to the other direction in the afternoon.

It has always been a one direction expressway since 97

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Expressway

 

[Pushka]

It has always been a one direction expressway since 97

Southern Expressway - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yep. That wasn't long after the State Bank almost bankrupted South Australia. No money in the coffers, actually, that is not much different to the current position of SA.

Currently it is being made into a two way street.

 

[medhead]

110kmh is very common once you get 100km out of Adelaide or the Yorke Peninsula, 723 km (45 sections of road) within those limits were changed back to 100 in Nov 11, but elsewhere its far more than just on freeways!

Not even that far. Beyond Stirling is 110, not far along port Wakefield road it's 110. Not to mention the OP specifically said country roads not Adelaide roads. Beyond Port Augusta heading in a general northerly direction the unofficial limit is more like 115/120. But not 130.

 

[Pushka]

Off topic. . Using ignore button instead.

 

[Warks]

...aaaaanyway politics can stay outside this trip report if you'd be so kind...