Koala - Oliver Heldens

Wow, going through the pictures to refresh my mind at this point. So much has happened since!

But I need to finish AUS to continue with the rest. So here goes!

The Spartan race pictures, as promised:

as if I can do monkey bars...

The gladiators were distracted and I tried to sneak passed....

Glorious!!!

After Melbourne the plan was to go to Adelaide. Meeting the newfound family and go to Kangaroo Island to make my Australia adventure complete. I must say, I loved flying around the country! So low key and easy, and cheap too. I still must figure out if I can pool all my miles in one place and make them count for something…

Adelaide from the air was so different from the other cities I had visited. While Sydney (New South Wales) and Melbourne (Victoria) were more organic in form, this South Australia city was planned, and you could tell. It felt a bit Dutch, even, with all the squares and lines.

My hotel was the Majestic Rooftop Hotel and it was the best room I had the whole trip (finally, a bath! I could soak my sore after Sparta body). I walked into town soon after checking in and also felt a bit in Holland. No Hema, though…

By this time, I had been by myself for a bit and was craving some interaction, some fun conversations, but this city was so not the place for it. I had all my dinners by myself again, while there were other tables with people sitting by themselves as well. The one time I asked this elderly gentleman, who was walking towards his table (and book) with a new glass of wine if he wanted to join me and my book, the reaction was: I don’t want no hanky panky!

So yeah…(he apologized later)

me at dinner, most nights

Majestic or what?

On the second day that I was there, I had a date with my new family. I do not know all the details and I will research this to the bottom when I am home, but the short version is: the brother of my grandfather who was thought lost at sea, was not lost, he was just in Australia and had a whole family there. So I was to meet his daughter (Aunt Penny), her daughter (Tracey) and her daughter (Claudia). It was so special and weird too, to see this group of people walk into the hotel and immediately knowing who they were (mannerism?) and at the same time not recognizing anything in their appearance as the Bradshaws at home (the Caribbean side of the family has a bit more color mixed in :o)   ).

The family! Penny, Tracey and Claudia

We drove to the seaside and had lunch (this side of the family does wine at lunch, my kinda peeps) and caught up a bit. It is good to know that my cake genes are traceable from all sides. I really hope they can make it to the Caribbean on a cruise soon.

The next day I went on a tour of the Barossa Valley. Again, really tried to make some friends, but even with the golden icebreaker from Uluru (so, how much do you think an ice-bear weighs), nada. I bought a bottle of award winning red to take home (it got home perfectly and we drank it around Christmas) and had a lovely day.

Very old port

Cousin Tracy picked me up the next day to go to a koala conservation center where you could hold a koala for a picture, but it was just too hot, even for humans. But I still had Kangaroo island on the planning, so I was not worried. As we were not allowed to hold the animals, the keeper made close ups with our phones for us. 

bummer

too cute for words: Potoroos!

Makes you feel like they will be making you a dress for the ball soon, so Disney like!

one hot koala

only koala i hugged

Only to be ready at 6 am the next morning for pickup and to be told by a very horrid driver: tour is off! And have the door slammed in my face. I called the tour operator to be told that the weather was too heavy for the ferry and that I could reschedule. I was leaving for Sydney the next day, to fly back home 2 days later, so that was the end for cuddling koala’s for me :o(   .

But I was ok with leaving Adelaide, back to friends in Sydney for Friday drinks! It was the Friday of all the office Christmas parties in the Central Business District and it was brilliant to see the shoes coming off and the usual stiff people going all Geordie Shore in the streets.

rain and traffic jam made us late for our date

I want to go back, these where awesome bars

My last day in Sydney was a treat! We got tickets for the races from Roos’ roommate and that was an experience not to forget! We met lovely people who taught is the great rules of betting:

1.     Never drink alcohol when you bet

2.     Check your ticket before you walk away from the desk

3.     When it rains, bet on a grey horse

4.     When push comes to shove, forget your excel sheets and go with your gut

We had a great time

The next morning quite early it was time to start the monster trip.