We had packed up 2 parcels to send home and had another bag of bits for charity, so our first stop was Nuriootpa. On the way, we called into the Maggie Beer shop, which we’d visited on out wine tour on Monday, for some of the delicious pate we’d sampled. We thought it opened at 10.00 but when we got there, it wasn’t open till 10.30, so back we went into the town, dropped off the bag at the Op shop then joined the inevitable queue at the post office. Why is it there’s always someone who wants to know the answer to the dumbest questions just when your time is limited? We did get all the forms filled in and had to show our ID (why, I don’t really know, but it’s required) and off went the parcels into the Australian post system. It’ll probably take 2 months to get home but as we’ll have plenty to do in the meantime, that won’t be a problem. Bruce told us the other day that our parcel from NZ has arrived safely so that’s a relief.
OK, back to Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop and into the cool box with some lovely pates – 3 different ones, so guess what we’ll be eating for the next few evening meals?! Then onto the Sturt Highway for the last time, on our short journey to Adelaide, about 70km. They are widening the road to make dual carriageway along a great length, but the delays were minimal – until we hit the city traffic! Like most large towns and cities, the suburbs grow outwards and encompass little villages, so you feel you’re in the city before you actually are – I think it was over 25km of steadily more built up area we passed – it’s more noticeable because so many of the houses are single storey and take up more land, which of course there is no shortage of here, but it does seem to go on forever.
We were due to hand the car back by 1.00pm and Tom does get his knickers in a twist when we have a deadline, so I get a tension headache trying to wish all the holdups to disappear – some of my female friends will know exactly what I mean!! To find the motel was not a problem – to get to it was not so easy! Why is it that the Australians don’t seem to like traffic turning right? We passed the street where the motel was but there was a central reservation and a double tramline in the way and no right turns allowed – grrr! Tom did his usual impeccable U turn on a side street and we drove into this tiny alley to the Paringa Motel. It’s more of a hotel than a motel but is slap bang in the centre of the city, and we have a nice quiet room tucked away, overlooking backs of buildings and rooftops with only a faint traffic noise. For the first time, we have single beds, so that puts paid to the morning cuddle – or does it?! It’ll just be a bit more cosy and we’ll have to toss a coin to see who has to move beds!
The weather has been wonderful today, bright blue skies with not a cloud to be seen and really hot in the sun, but cool in the shade. As we’d arrived early, we had the afternoon to walk the streets and get a feel for the place. It has a totally different feel from the other cities, busy yet still more laid back than both Brisbane and Melbourne; not as wow! as Sydney and more compact than Canberra. There are lots of shopping arcades with interesting small shops, fountains,
some really cute pig sculptures, which quite enchanted me,
and lots of street entertainers in the main mall, Rundle Mall. All of the big stores are there as well, with some amazing art-deco buildings.
This is a pedestrianised road approached via the same sort of mad crossing system as Sydney, where all the traffic lights go to red and the pedestrians cross in all directions, including diagonally, at the same time. There aren’t as many trams as in Melbourne but they’re long and bendy, and we’ll be trying them out tomorrow. There’s a free bus too round the main city area.
We were both starving half way through the afternoon, having missed our usual coffee break, so we had a meal in one of the food courts scattered around. We bought some nice fresh rolls to have with our pate this evening and some delicious red grapes. We haven’t got a lot of space in our room, so I think we may eat like this while we’re here. Horror of horrors - there might be no room for stickies – unless we buy some and have them in the evening after our snack! Now that’s a brilliant idea!
Some of you may remember that Tom had seen a programmable belt buckle when we visited Paddy’s market in Sydney (I’m sure Hugh will) but couldn’t get it as the stall had closed up by the time he went back. Well, he found one today in one of these gadget shops that you men are interested in – and he’s been sitting playing with it while I’ve been doing the hard work! – the buckle I mean, just in case you get the wrong idea!! I’ll leave it up to him to explain – it’s all too complicated for me. Tom's note. It's a belt buckle; you programme it. It does what it says on the tin.
6 different messages; 255 characters per message.
So that’s almost the end of yet another day in the great adventures of Tom and Maggie. Time is getting short now and I can’t make up my mind how I feel about that. In one way, I’m looking forward to getting home and seeing you all again, and cooking real meals, but I know I’ll miss the excitement of wondering what we’ll see and do each day. I know we still have 2 weeks to go, so we’re going to keep the pace up and see as much as we can – another day, another sight-seeing expedition.
We have got net access here so will probably be sending some e-mails too. We hope you’re all keeping well in this strange weather you seem to be enduring in UK. Take care and bye for now.
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