South Australia

Our room in the Old Jail in Mt. Gambier

Some of the Apostles on the Great Ocean Road, Victoria

We spend two nights on the road between Melbourne and Adelaide. Along the Great Ocean Road we slept and played backgammon in a cute little auberge at Apollo Bay. The next night, after having pulled over at look-outs all day along the beautiful coastline, we stayed at the old Mt Gambier Jail which has been converted into a hostel. It is an old limestone building much like the Fremantle Jail but on a much smaller scale.  Mt Gambier turned out to be a great geology stop for us. They have a crater lake from a Recent maar volcano (with a thin layer of basalt overlying limestone within the crater and ash on top) and sink-holes all around town which are circular pits 20 meters wide that go down about that deep as well. Some have been made into beautiful gardens by early philanthropists. 

If it weren't for the coast line, the South Australian borders would be as boring as Saskatchewan's. Unlike Saskatchewan, and the rest of Australia, SA wasn't founded by convicts! For those of you who could use a geography brush up, Adelaide is a village next to Kent Town. Adelaide also happens to be the Capital of this historically, but not presently, convictless state.

After a foray of night life including chinese food and a late night we're-still-friends brawl in the park resulting in many grass stains, we woke up for a visit to the famed Glenelg. Beside's its name being a palindrome it has it's own quaint charm, earning it Louis' title of Adelaide's Fremantle. Charm aside, it also has its share Australian history as it was the first colony town of SA. We were invited in for tea by the lovely Nanny Marshall, who took us in for some tea/coffee and crumpets in her amazing beachside home.

Today we're heading to the long awaited Cooper's Brewery tour. Afterwards we'll make our way up to the Flinders Ranges for our final park visit before the long stretch back to Perth.