Baylis Bunch Travel Blog: From Streaky Bay to Adelaide.

Well thank goodness we've had had periods of sunshine and now we're in Adelaide, its blue skies all around - woohoo! So to continue our damp tale......

DAY 7 (Sunday 1st May): Arose to find that it had stopped raining enough for us to get up and get breakfast and remain dry, then started to drizzle again during pack-up, so yet again, down went the wet camper. We discovered that the caravan park in Streaky Bay had a bit of a mouse problem (perhaps that pest control van I'd seen when we arrived should have given us a clue!?) and found two deceased mice under the tent, and then saw a few had moved into both the trailer AND the back of the ute! Too wet to get them out at the time, so they all got forcibly transferred to Port Augusta, our next stop. Where they were then found in a bag of washing, and quickly tipped into the wheelie bin! Anyway, to photos...

This was a day for ROCKS! Yeah! This first lot were taken at Murphy's Haystacks. Quite impressive - our own natural Stone Henge?? The above was at the main grouping, the next two were a little distance away, and the last one was the main grouping again from the other side. Its always good to get different perspectives.... :)

And on to our next rock - Pildappa Rock, where we stopped for lunch. It kindly rained on us for the whole visit, making the granite really slippery, so there was no climbing to the top. Would've been a great view. This rock has been likened to Wave Rock, which we've never been to, but I think the pictures I've seen of OUR rock (Wave Rock, that is!) make it FAR superior to THEIR rock.

I would have gone on to visit many other rocks in the area, but the rest of the fam just really wasn't that into their rocks, so on we went....

Pete was amused greatly by this town......... I'll leave it to your imagination what kind of photo he would have liked to have taken.....

Then it was a slight detour to Minnipa to check of the next on our list of Big Things - the Australian Farmer. I don't think they embraced the right amount of cheese for it to be technically included in the Big Things list, but it is big. There's just a bit too much meaning in it. :-P

So, then on to Kimba, who had the cheese factor just about right with their Big Galah. Thats the big pink bird, not the one standing between its legs......... (oooh, I'll be in trouble for that one, but really..... who could miss an opportunity like that?)

Kimba is also......

........ which is good to know. Doing some maths, we could be back in less than a fortnight!

Or not.
Then onto Port Augusta, where we ended Day 7's Adventures.

DAY 8 (Mon 2nd May): The PLAN was to go out to Quorn, travel on the Pichi Richi Railway. The reality was that I didn't check the timetable, and so didn't find out it only ran on the weekends. Bad Mummy. Made badder because I had told them about it the day before. Oops. So instead we headed for Adelaide, where the plan is to stop for three or so nights. Magically, on arrival, it was clear blue skies, so the trailer dried out properly. Yay!
To the pics........

Our next "Big Thing" - the Big Tree Lizard in Crystal Brook

Street decoration in Crystal Brook. They had a bit of an ocean-faring motif going on, which seemed strange, as they appeared to be a more agricultural type town. I guess we could have stayed around to find out, but it was raining.......

Of course we had to see what THIS was all about.

Not so much as it turned out. I was expecting a farm run by gnomes. Disappointed.

This was where we stopped for lunch in Snowtown, where they have recently installed a 47 turbine strong windfarm. This is a blade from one of the windmills. It also qualifies as a Big Thing. Although again, lacks the cheese factor to be a true one.

Dinner on our first night at a nice, civilised, mousefree, rainfree campsite in northern Adelaide. Bliss. :) Not sure what J was doing though.

DAY 9 (Tues 3rd May): We set up camp proper, and unloaded all the damp stuff to dry. Then went out to hit Adelaide for some adventures! First stop - an Adelaide Crows training session for M to see.

Home, sweet home for the next four nights.....

Footy training............ amused me........

Buff boys, in harnesses, holding heavy things...... to show how buff they are......

Buff boys...... skipping....... with knees high, and sticks. With harness boys in the background. I'm sorry, I shouldn't mock.

M & J kind of over it all by now, but still making an effort to smile for the camera when they are told to.

Next stop was Port Adelaide, where I had the navigators day from hell. Wanted to go to the Seahorse Farm, found it had closed six months before. No worries, we'll go to the Maritime Museum, and the lighthouse. Then thought we'd go to Haigh's Chocolate Factory for a tour, found it they weren't running that day. Pfft. So went to the old Adelaide Gaol instead.

Lighthouse at Port Adelaide. Pete is up the top, M down the bottom.

Port Adelaide was full of lovely old buildings. I think I have a bit of a thing for lovely old buildings. I want to photograph them all.

Adelaide Gaol. The kids kept asking what the gallows were. I avoided the question. Really interesting though, worth a visit.

To finish the day we went to the most awesome adventure playground just up the road from us in a place called St Kilda. Just fantastic for kids, and I may have had fun too :)