Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
MANNUM AND SURROUNDS
Over the next few days we took day trips to view the surrounding area, which included the beautiful and historic town of Hahndorf, established by Prussian Lutherans escaping religious persecution in 1839.
54 families brought to Australia by Captain Hahn on the ship Zebra - hence Hahndorf. Other nationalities came over the years and it is now a thriving and colourful community.
A visit to Victor Harbour was high on our list, we took the long route through grain growing areas, noticing a lot of very old abandoned tumbledown, stone built houses, (one had a tree growing through it) and the family's later built house elsewhere on the property.
It is a pretty harbourside town, unfortunately the horse drawn tram along the jetty was not in operation so we walked around, checking out the township and taking photos.
We had lunch at Port Elliot and checked out Horseshoe Bay, more photos, returning to Mannum via a different route.
We took our inflatable canoe to Walker Flat, crossing The Mighty Murray on ferries twice.
There are eleven such ferries all provided by the government.
It was a great paddle, lasting about an hour as the sun was high and hot, a new experience as we gazed at those mighty cliffs and the birds flitting to and from their nests in the rock flace.
We've been told that the height of the river is a metre higher at the moment, due to the rain coming down from Queensland and New South Wales.
We learned that the town of Mannum was isolated for a period of 5 months during the highest flooding which occurred in 1956 and that the local hotel moved the bar upstairs to its second storey and removed a section of railing allowing people to visit by rowboat!
Mannum is the birthplace of the Murray River paddle-steamers and has a museum containing a historic dry dock, a restored 114 year old working paddle steamer, available for charter, and we loved exploring it all.
54 families brought to Australia by Captain Hahn on the ship Zebra - hence Hahndorf. Other nationalities came over the years and it is now a thriving and colourful community.
A visit to Victor Harbour was high on our list, we took the long route through grain growing areas, noticing a lot of very old abandoned tumbledown, stone built houses, (one had a tree growing through it) and the family's later built house elsewhere on the property.
It is a pretty harbourside town, unfortunately the horse drawn tram along the jetty was not in operation so we walked around, checking out the township and taking photos.
We had lunch at Port Elliot and checked out Horseshoe Bay, more photos, returning to Mannum via a different route.
We took our inflatable canoe to Walker Flat, crossing The Mighty Murray on ferries twice.
There are eleven such ferries all provided by the government.
It was a great paddle, lasting about an hour as the sun was high and hot, a new experience as we gazed at those mighty cliffs and the birds flitting to and from their nests in the rock flace.
We've been told that the height of the river is a metre higher at the moment, due to the rain coming down from Queensland and New South Wales.
We learned that the town of Mannum was isolated for a period of 5 months during the highest flooding which occurred in 1956 and that the local hotel moved the bar upstairs to its second storey and removed a section of railing allowing people to visit by rowboat!
Mannum is the birthplace of the Murray River paddle-steamers and has a museum containing a historic dry dock, a restored 114 year old working paddle steamer, available for charter, and we loved exploring it all.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
MURRAY BRIDGE & MANNUM
Murray Bridge is so named as it was the place the first bridge was built across the Murray River. I was excited to be beside The Mighty Murray, so huge, such and icon even if it was a funny mustard colour, I will admit I felt awed by it.
When Peter and Sue arrived at the meeting place with Wayne and Tracey we pottered off the brother Greg's holiday house at Sunnyside and set up. We ate at the Bridgeport Hotel that evening their food was great and reasonably priced.
The next day was the wedding and after the attendees departed John and I toured around the district discovering how much wetlands surrounded one side of the river and marvelling at it from various lookouts and of course photos galore. The others returned the next day and so did Greg and Sue and their family who spent the day waterskiing etc. and we all had a barbeque together, it was good to meet them all at last.
On Monday Peter and Sue travelled to Mannum to depart on their 4 day cruise up the Murray on the Murray Princess.
We towed there and booked into the caravan park and were able to farewell them, and welcome them when they returned with huge smiles on their faces, then departed on a bus for Adelaide and to continue their trip on to Melbourne to celebrate daughter Kimberley's 30th Birthday.
When Peter and Sue arrived at the meeting place with Wayne and Tracey we pottered off the brother Greg's holiday house at Sunnyside and set up. We ate at the Bridgeport Hotel that evening their food was great and reasonably priced.
The next day was the wedding and after the attendees departed John and I toured around the district discovering how much wetlands surrounded one side of the river and marvelling at it from various lookouts and of course photos galore. The others returned the next day and so did Greg and Sue and their family who spent the day waterskiing etc. and we all had a barbeque together, it was good to meet them all at last.
On Monday Peter and Sue travelled to Mannum to depart on their 4 day cruise up the Murray on the Murray Princess.
We towed there and booked into the caravan park and were able to farewell them, and welcome them when they returned with huge smiles on their faces, then departed on a bus for Adelaide and to continue their trip on to Melbourne to celebrate daughter Kimberley's 30th Birthday.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
ADELAIDE
We have now had 8 nights in Adelaide at the Brownhill Creek Caravan Park, it is a beautiful city.
As I sit here the sun has broken through the clouds, this park has many, many trees, some of them English and they are spreading and leafy and gorgeous, there is a koala in the trees, it moves from one to another during the nights, you never know where to find him and at the moment the magpies are warbling - beautiful.
Beginning with Mount Lofty we observed how Adelaide was set out and spent the rest of the day exploring.
Once again, as we did in Perth, we made a lot of use of the free public transport system and explored the diversity of the place. One time we had taken a bus to the outskirts, but it was not returning to the city so the driver called another bus and had them wait at a stop so he could catch up and we could change.
Adelaide is a fascinating city, so many beautiful and grand buildings, so much to see and do.
Slap bang in the middle is 'Rundle Mall', it was confronting to look up and see our family name
so many times, aparently this Rundle ancestor was sent from England in 1840 to promote the settlement of the colony that was to be South Australia and was a member of parliament for some time and so features large in the city history.
We spent quite a lot of time in the city, exploring the shops, taking photos, I for one am quite fascinated by this beautiful city.
We visited beaches at Glenelg and walked around in delight, the weather has been cool, so no swimming, but we found a great Japanese eatery.
A trip on the o-bahn was a must after we were told about it, a regular bus is fitted with little horizontal wheels and when it comes to the o-bahn they fit into a groove and away it goes, then when the o-bahn peters out the driver takes control.
Tomorrow we will be moving on to Murray Bridge to link up with brother Peter and Sue who are coming here to attend a wedding and am looking forward to seeing them.
As I sit here the sun has broken through the clouds, this park has many, many trees, some of them English and they are spreading and leafy and gorgeous, there is a koala in the trees, it moves from one to another during the nights, you never know where to find him and at the moment the magpies are warbling - beautiful.
Beginning with Mount Lofty we observed how Adelaide was set out and spent the rest of the day exploring.
Once again, as we did in Perth, we made a lot of use of the free public transport system and explored the diversity of the place. One time we had taken a bus to the outskirts, but it was not returning to the city so the driver called another bus and had them wait at a stop so he could catch up and we could change.
Adelaide is a fascinating city, so many beautiful and grand buildings, so much to see and do.
Slap bang in the middle is 'Rundle Mall', it was confronting to look up and see our family name
so many times, aparently this Rundle ancestor was sent from England in 1840 to promote the settlement of the colony that was to be South Australia and was a member of parliament for some time and so features large in the city history.
We spent quite a lot of time in the city, exploring the shops, taking photos, I for one am quite fascinated by this beautiful city.
We visited beaches at Glenelg and walked around in delight, the weather has been cool, so no swimming, but we found a great Japanese eatery.
A trip on the o-bahn was a must after we were told about it, a regular bus is fitted with little horizontal wheels and when it comes to the o-bahn they fit into a groove and away it goes, then when the o-bahn peters out the driver takes control.
Tomorrow we will be moving on to Murray Bridge to link up with brother Peter and Sue who are coming here to attend a wedding and am looking forward to seeing them.
SNOWTOWN !
Along the road was the small farming/mining township of Snowtown !
The scene of the storage of 11 bodies in barrels in a rented former ANZ Bank building and discovered in 1999. Four people were involved and have been subsequently jailed.
So we felt compelled to take a few photos and try to imagine the horror of the crime, but it's beyond imagining.
After this we pulled into the lovely historic town of Port Wakefield for an overnight stop and as so many times before we learned about its history.
The scene of the storage of 11 bodies in barrels in a rented former ANZ Bank building and discovered in 1999. Four people were involved and have been subsequently jailed.
So we felt compelled to take a few photos and try to imagine the horror of the crime, but it's beyond imagining.
After this we pulled into the lovely historic town of Port Wakefield for an overnight stop and as so many times before we learned about its history.
Monday, February 6, 2012
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