General: South Australia

~EDITED MARCH 30~ I first wrote this back in October last year about a day trip I made to Victor Harbor, South Australia back in September 2001. I’m now editing and tweaking it as I’ve done what I said I would – just a couple of weeks ago I made a return trip there! ~BASIC INFORMATION~ Victor Harbor lies 80km due South of Adelaide, on the Fleurieu Peninsula. I would estimate its population to be somewhere around 15,000 and the town itself lies all on the coast; it has spread sideways as opposed to inland. The climate is very Mediterranean, with mild winters but hot summers ... more

OZ - TRALIA A long awaited retirement gave us the opportunity to visit friends in Australia in 1993. It was our second trip to this vast continent, the first being a quick visit for two weeks only, when I was still earning a living. We chose to fly Singapore Airlines, as we had heard good reports and we were not disappointed. The service offered by the charming air hostesses was excellent, the food and wine first class and all in all, worthy of recommendation. Our route took us via Frankfurt, Rome, Bahrain, Bangkok, Singapore ( stop-over), Darwin, Cairns ( a stop-over to visit the Barrier Reef ... more

Phillip Island is a small island and nature reserve off the coast of South Australia, reached by bridge. It's about 140 km from Melbourne. On the island you can see koalas, kangaroos and the main attraction, the Penguin Parade on Summerland Beach. Every day at sunset, the Little Penguins (also known as Fairy Penguins)because of their diminitive size, return to the beach. As my husband is a penguin fanatic, it was one of the places on our list to visit during our trip there. There is a visitor centre at the top of the beach with details of all the world's penguins, there is a gift shop too and ... more

I had to get out of the van. Nothing against my friends, but the 1980 rainbow-striped white Ford Econovan in which the four of us had been driving, eating and sleeping in for the past week since we left Sydney was beginning to lose its charm. This was just the first leg of our 40 day van excursion in which we planned on covering half of the Australian continent, but already I needed some alone time. So it was with this spirit of the lone traveler that I checked into one of Byron Bay's most interesting hostels, The Arts Factory, and laid down on what felt like the most comfortable pieces of ... more

We travelled down through South Australia on our way to Adelaide from Alice Springs, and for much of the trip there wasn't much to see or do save the odd road house. And our coach hit an eagle and smashed the windscreen. Apart from that, there was Coober Pedy - a mining town which is completely mad - you can stay in an underground hostel. Everywhere are people who spend their days looking for opals. Their golf course has no grass. The place is full of eccentrics and rather dangerous holes in the ground and is great fun for a day or so. Then we headed for Adelaide, which seemed very refined by ... more