Mount Lofty and Cleland Wildlife Park

 

Only a 20 minute ride from downtown Adelaide, we climbed (read that “drove up with Pauline and Denys”) to the mighty summit of Mount Lofty, the highest peak in southern Mount Lofty Range. At 727m (2,385') , we didn't even have to clear our ears to handle the altitude, but we did enjoy beautiful views of the city below. My photos weren't the best as the day was hazy, but I nicked one from the internet, so you can see what we saw. A white tower, Flinders Column, sits atop the mount and commemorates the sighting and naming of the mountain by Matthew Flinders in 1802 during his circumnavigation of Australia.

Part of the same conservation area, the Cleland Wildlife Park contains nearly 90 acres of bushland environment and offers lots of close-up native animal viewing with very few animal enclosures. This is our kind of place. Walking through Cleland along shaded paths was cool and pleasant. Denys is quite a botanist and pointed out local flora as we walked, especially the many varieties of native gum trees (over 500 species in Australia) and wattle (nearly 1,000 native species).

We headed to the yellow-footed rock-wallabies on the far side of the park. Denys had told us about these unique critters and we were keen to see them. En route we entered a gate and found ourselves in the midst of kangaroos and emus. We were carrying kanga-food with us and, when offered, several roos joined us for a munch, but all were very polite, and nobody begged. We especially enjoyed watching one female whose joey was evidently getting a bit too big for her pouch. All we could see of him was his legs sticking out and sometimes a tail, a comical picture.

Though I'd seen many kangaroos, I'd never petted one. Their fur is oh, so, soft.

We searched and searched for yellow-footed rock-wallabies, but they're reputedly timid and were evidently hiding, as were the dingoes, Tasmanian devils and monitor lizards … a sleeping, shy crowd. No matter, there was lots more to see. Several koalas were napping (how rare!), but opened an eye as we walked past.

As we walked towards a huge wetlands area, potoroos scurried across the path, past our feet.  These mini-marsupials look like guinea pigs, but like most Australian mammals carry their young in their pouch. They also hop. If you're not native Australian, it's amazing how many animals that you never even knew existed. But then how many Aussies have seen a jackalope?

The wetlands area is interesting because, of course, there are no boundaries for the birds. They're there because they want to be. Magpie geese, glossy ibis, pelicans, ducks and moorhens. Coots, although we have them in America, caught our attention because of the three babies that one anxious mother was trying to feed. She really had her hands, I mean, her mouth, full.

The aviaries were so large, we forgot we were inside them. We saw odd-looking tawny frogmouths and several colorful parrot species and the local budgies were even represented.

All too soon, it was time to leave. We're hoping we can return to Cleland before we leave for another look and perhaps see those elusive, reclusive yellow-footed rock-wallabies. Otherwise, we'll have to head to the Flinders Range and look for them and that'll be tough … but you gotta do, what you gotta do!

Edited to add:

We just wanted wish our Australian friends a Happy Australia Day!

Port Adelaide Walking Tour

 

There might be an arm's length (maybe even a leg's length) of chores to do on Nine of Cups, but exploring the local area trumps boat chores sometimes. We haven't made it all the way into Adelaide yet. Port Adelaide, the Port, is a small suburb and has a draw of its own. On a sunny Sunday morning, we took the train into Port Adelaide with the intent of taking a self-guided walking tour and seeing what we could see.

Established in 1837 as the primary port for the city of Adelaide which lay down river some 8 miles (14km), Port Adelaide was initially an area of mangrove swamps and tidal mud flats that lay next to a narrow creek. It was dubbed Port Misery at one point because of the mosquitoes and wretched conditions migrants found here upon arrival. The Port has retained much of its 19th century architectural heritage and we wandered through the historic district admiring “colonial bond brickwork” warehouses and buildings. A brochure from the Tourist Info folks provided insight and descriptions into the various locations and buildings.

Friends (thanks, David V.) suggested we visit the South Australian Maritime Museum, the oldest maritime museum in Australia (1872). It's housed in an 1850's vintage warehouse and uses the open space as well as the nooks and crannies to advantage. There's a full size replica ketch, the Active II, for viewing and boarding inside the museum ... the same type ketch used for transport in the early days of the port.

I especially enjoyed the collection of figureheads that adorned the walls.

A computer program allowed us to check our surname to see if any “Lynns” had migrated to Adelaide during the great European migration. Sure enough, we found that both a Henry and a Matthew Lynn had come to Australia aboard the “Asia” in 1839.

Entrance to the museum also allowed us free entry to climb the narrow, steep, spiral steps of the iconic port lighthouse which provided great views of the city below.

Along the waterfront, there are several vessels for viewing as well as harbor tours. The Dolphin Explorer was full to capacity with folks hoping to spot the resident river dolphins during their two-hour river tour. A training tallship, the One & All, offered short trips into the harbor. Living on a boat, however, diminishes our interest in paying for boat rides.

During our travels, we managed to check out all the pubs along our route. Being a port town, there was no dearth of pubs to be found. There's even a separate tourist brochure for the Heritage Pub Trail. On Sundays, most pubs open for lunch at Noon and we scheduled our tour to end in time for a late lunch and a pint at the Dockside Tavern (1850), a favorite haunt in years past of seafarers and waterfront workers. Speaking of haunts, local folklore has it that there are several harmless ghosts residing at the pub, but they didn't join us while we sipped our pints.

The sunny day turned oppressively hot and we headed back to the cool breezes at the marina. Next time, we'll stay on the train and do some exploring in South Australia's state capital, Adelaide. Stay tuned.

Sunscreen and Hats - Necessary Evils

 

Having been off the boat for so long and in cooler climates, we have to remember to use sunscreen and wear hats before we head out for a walk or work on deck. Conveniently placed on a salon shelf, we now have a liter jug of sunscreen with a pump and it's becoming a habit to slather some on before heading out. We also hang our hats on a hook near the ladder, so they're easy to grab.

I do not like sunscreen nor hats, but I've found that both are necessary evils. There's nothing worse than taking a shower and feeling squeaky clean, then smearing yourself with greasy, white sunscreen. Add a little bug repellent and you smell and feel as if you'd never taken a shower. Now, put on a hat to add sweaty hat hair to the mix and you've really got a look. The alternatives, however, are more unpleasant. Nothing like a good burn with bug bites to enhance your daily enjoyment quotient. If the burn happens to be your scalp, it's even worse.

If you wear make-up, it's pretty nasty putting sunscreen on over it. I've found that some make-up has its own SPF (sun protection factor) component to it, but it's so low, it's pretty ineffective. Luckily, we cruiser girls usually opt not to wear make-up, so it's a non-issue. Instead, I've become inured to the greasy sheen provided by a thick layer of sunscreen all over my face, ears and extremities. I tend to think of it as my daily moisturizer.

Sunscreen in Boston, Massachusetts, though necessary at the beach or while hiking, is not half as important in the northern hemisphere as it is in the southern hemisphere where we tend to crisp up in minutes. Heading on a short walk to the supermarket on a sunny day, we sometimes feel as if we were burning within minutes after we've left the boat. We've learned to return to Cups to get bigger brimmed hats and more sunscreen if we start to experience that sizzling feeling.

It's that “hole in the ozone”, closer-to-the-sun-in-summer down here that causes the problem. School kids in Australia are required to wear sun hats or they can't go outside for midday recess. In South Africa, I remember they announced a “burn factor” on the radio each day to remind folks that wearing sunscreen was so imperative. Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, with two in three Australians developing some form of skin cancer before they reach the age of 70. That's serious.

Australia health officials recommend:

Slip – on sun-protective clothing. Make sure it covers as much skin as possible.

Slop – on SPF (sun protection factor) 30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water resistant sunscreen. Apply 20 minutes before going outdoors and reapply every two hours.

Slap – on a broad-brimmed hat that protects the face, head, neck and ears.

Seek – shade.

Slide – on wrap-around sunglasses that meet sun protection standards.

Our Peruvian friend, Gonzalo, works for a company that manufactures an SPF 100 sunscreen that's non-greasy and doesn't smell. It is not currently available for sale in the States nor in Australia unfortunately. He sent us a supply before we left the States. We keep it in our backpack and we're finding it a godsend.