Victor Harbour

We left Hahndorf with a heavy heart.  But our hearts were pumping with joy for what awaits us today.

South Australia is home to acres of rolling vineyards.  Sadly, this is not the right season to visit the orchards and winery.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed the gorgeous views along the way.   Roughly an hour and fifteen minutes scenic drive from Hahndorf, we arrived at Victor Harbour and stopped by at McDonald for lunch.  This was our first McD in Australia.  

While waiting for our tour to begin, we saw this famous horse-drawn pram heading towards Granite Island.  The horse is gorgeous!!!

 

Excitement was in the air as we were about to embark on a spectacular ocean adventure - whale watching.  Unfortunately, Audrey could not join us as she is prone to seasick.  The tour departs from Granite Island Causeway.  There were 10 of us on the speedboat.  As we headed into the open water, everyone was in high spirits and eager to set sail.  The speedboat plunges into the sea and glided effortlessly through the wave.  I was already feeling chilly before that.  Now with its high speed, every bit of me was fighting the icy breeze as the cold wind caressed my face.  However, it was not so with my two kiddos.  They were overwhelmed with exhilaration.  Well, if you are a lover for some thrill ride like roller coaster, I am sure our ride by speedboat is similar to it.  The kids simply loved it!  

Our first stop was the Seal Rock where you may be up close watching the seals and sea lions as they bask on the rocks.  It was difficult to spot them though as they camouflage so well amongst the rocks.  The wave was pretty rough and it was a good 10 minutes before we proceeded to the next stop.  The cold, the wave... Now I was glad that I didn’t have a heavy lunch at McD. 

The boat circled slowly at that vicinity for awhile, covering Wright Island, The Bluff, West Island and Waitpinga Cliff.  The boat often came to a complete stop, allowing us plenty of time to get giddy (Of course, that’s not the purpose!!!).  But the choppy oceans wave and the rocking boat was certainly getting on my nerves.  As for the rest, it was a perfect time to snap hundreds of photos.  The tour guide cum driver enlightened us with interesting information about these marine mammals.  

Our tour carried on in search for dolphins.  However, they were no where to be found.  That’s the thing about searching for these creatures in their natural habitat.  It is never a guarantee that they will show up and say ‘hi’ to you.  Our exasperation soon turned into joy when we finally caught sight of them.  We got out from our seats and stood along the side of the boat, trying to catch a glimpse of these lovely aquatic mammals.  Every time these stunning creatures surfaced, there was a ripple of ecstasy amongst the passengers.  They swam around our boat as though they knew we were there for them.   Hubby took over as the cameraman as yours sincerely was feeling really nauseate by now. 

We spent quite some time watching the dolphins and finally back to the harbour as there were no whales spotted that day.  It was rather disappointing.  This would probably be our very first and last whale watching tour.  Not only it is quite pricey, the rough wave is terrifying enough for me not to venture into this kind of exploration again.  Nevertheless, we were privilege to spot seals, dolphins, seabirds and sea lions.  We even sighted a wild mountain goat at a rocky island.  Wonder how it got there???

We had lunch at Original Victor Harbour Fish Shop.  While waiting for our food, there was a shower of rain.  This was the first rainy day after we landed in Australia.  How blessed are we!!  We ordered three plates of fish and chips.  After all, it’s a Fish Shop right?  There are different types of fish to choose from.  Honestly, we are not an expert in fish.  But one may easily gauge the quality of the fish by its price.

Next, we visited the Whale Centre.  We thoroughly enjoyed every single minute there.  There are plenty of educational material on whales and marine life.  Kids are given a leaflet whereby they needed to find answers to the questions.  And upon completion, each of them gets a small gift.  It was a washable temporary tattoo with the logo of the Whale Centre.  Of course, this was not done without Daddy’s help.

HELP!!!

Look how gigantic it is - the tail bone of a whale

Captain Erwyn

This arch is made from whale's bones

Archeologists in the making

Finally, we retreated to our ‘home’ at Victor Harbour Beachfront Holiday Park to rest and chill.  The 2-bedroom cabin is fully equipped with all necessities.  The park offers fantastic facilities like jumping pillow, heated pool and a waterpark with slides.

Our neighbours - lots of caravans

laundry time

Last but not least, we had dinner at Caffe Primo.  Audrey and I had pizza and I enjoyed every bite of it.  Children had chicken snitchzle and Andrew some chicken dish with cheese (he will order anything with cheese).

With that, we retired for the night

Hahndorf

 

Today we explored Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement.  First of all, let me introduce  you to the Hahndorf Resort. 

Hahndorf Resort is situated on 13 hectares of hills and bushlands, overseeing the views of Adelaide Hills.  The resort offers a variety of accommodations and a spacious caravan and camping sites.  We were so tempted to visit one of the caravans; perhaps explore the possibilities of renting one on our next vacation??!

The self-contained home has 2 rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, lounge, and a dining room.  The amenities are very clean.  The whole house is fully air-conditioning and the master bedroom’s bed comes with electric blanket.  My maiden experience sleeping on an electric blanket and I actually made a fool of myself.  Read on to find out more!

Next to our house is a lake.  Ducks and geese make their rounds each morning and it is such a refreshing views!  We could actually see the cold mist early in the morning when the temperature is low.  Love the serenity of this place!

There’s a jumping pillow, swimming pool and a mini golf – all are my kid’s favourite!  They couldn’t wait to burn all their energy into all these fun but we convinced them to discover the town first. 

Our first activity for the day was visiting the Big Rocking Horse at Gumeracha.  Stands at 18 meters tall, my kids and I had a blast climbing up a series of steep ladders to the top.   

Second tier

Third level

We are on top of the world!!!  Too small to be seen though...

Thereafter, we visited the wildlife area right next to it.  There are kangaroos and wallabies (no idea which is which), goats, peacocks, ducks, and alpacas.  My kids love feeding the animals but the enthusiastic animals could be a little bit pushy.  

While Andrew was feeding one of the kangaroos, its sharp claws lean on his arms causing some discomfort to him.  Hence I suggested taking over.  What happened next was unusual and I hope my experience does not prevent you from having an up-close experience with these lovely marsupials.  As I hold the food up high, the kangaroo tried to stand up taller to eat it.  And in that instance its claws scratched my face and I felt a sharp pain.  I wasn’t aware how serious it was until Andrew took a closer look. 

So, Andrew caught the culprit on camera

There were two scratches on my right cheek and blood was flowing out.  I washed the wound and applied some antiseptic cream (given by the caretaker of the park) on it.  So now I was disfigured.  Sob.  Sob.  Andrew was surprised that I did not react to it.  Stay cool... Well, the wound took 2 long months to heal and finally disappeared. 

We strolled around the shop for awhile.  There are many amazing wooden toys but we bought none back home.

For lunch, we went to a local bakery so that Andrew can enjoy the most authentic pies at Otto's Bakery. 

This is what the children had instead... Everything comes in German size!!!

Our dessert was ice cream from the EverCream Ye Olde Ice Creamery.

Hahndorf Farm Barn was our next stop.  This place is a fun combination of a children’s farmyard and a nature wildlife park. 

We were allowed to get inside the pen and pet all the small furry animals.  Bags of pellets and carrots are AUD $3 and you can feed almost everything in the park.  There are chicks, hampsters, bunnies, lambs, cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, deer, emus, kangaroos… etc.  I like the lamb the most as they are so cuddly and they kept sucking/biting your shoelace or jackets.  They are not afraid of us at all!  

The most interesting part is feeding the cow.  We have fed so many animals before but never cow.  Feeding this creature was a real yucky experience as their saliva was all over your palm. 
 

The farm show was nothing great though.  Milking the cow which we have done it several times.  Nevertheless, the children never say no to such experience.

Erwyn was pretty upset when he was not chosen to bottle feed the lamb in the Cavershem Park.  But low and behold, the farm workers handed out a few bottles for the kids to feed the lambs and here’s my boy smiling from ear to ear At last!!! He was beaming and jumping for joy after that.

Back to Hahndorf town, we took a leisure walk along the street.  There is still a strong German flavor in the air.  The bustling main street is filled with shops selling vintage goods and knick knacks, as well as bakeries and eateries. 

Admiring the toys

How I wish to have one (cheapest is AUD $1k)

Funny finding a Nepalese shop in a German town

The rest of the free time we pampered ourselves with a few games of mini golf.  Andrew insisted that I record down in this blog that He managed to get a hole-in-one TWICE. Blah .....beginners luck

The kids would love to have some fun at the swimming pool and jumping pillow but it was locked.  Of course, I wouldn’t agree for them to dip in the water at this time of the year, although some pool is heated. 

A visit to Hahndorf is never complete without spoiling ourselves in some authentic German food.  In the evening, we went to Hahndorf Inn to have a taste of their famous pork knuckle.  This is simply amazing!  For someone like me who is not a food lover, I had such a good meal.  The portion is huge, so do remember to bring your appetite. 

Ever since I arrived at Adelaide, I have been feeling so cold.  So, when I discovered the electric blanket, I was astonished.  I would snuggle under the blanket and enjoy the heat.  Since this was our last night here, I have decided to turn on the electric blanket without a timer.  It was past midnight and I woke up sweating!!!  haha… I couldn’t sleep for awhile after that.  Finally when the bed was cold and I was shivering again, I tucked myself in comfortably and back to my dreamland.  Since then on, I did not switch on the electric blanket anymore in other motels/hotels that we stayed.  Laughing at my silliness but definitely learned my lesson.

Before we left this beautiful little town, Audrey brought us to Chocolate @ No5 for some sweet indulgence.  The crispy waffle with its mouth-watering chocolate sauce is heaven-like.  So satisfying.  I miss it till this day.  Oh, if you do visit this place, don’t forget to take a peek at their bathroom.  The design is spectacular! 

So, that’s the end of our Hahndorf trip. 

Next stop:Victory Habour

First Sabbath in Perth

It was a bright Sunday morning and we were ready for church.  Together with Bi Ee Ean, we visited Victory Life Centre at Osborne Park, Bi Ee Ean's home church for the past decades.

Love the acoustic during worship although knew none of the songs.  Since it was Pentecostal Sunday, the senior Pastor, Pastor Margaret Court, was led to engage the church in a time of speaking in tongues.  Not much of sharing as a result. 

The children, on the other hand, went to the Children Church.  Elyse and Erwyn were given a Welcome Pack and Elyse was chosen to play a part in a skit.  Consequently, the teacher asked her to keep the AUD3.50 that was used in the play.  The advantage of being the ‘new kid’.  LOL

After the service, we hanged around at the foyer, taking a sip of the coffee served; and browsing through the bookstore.  Interestingly, I found out that the same worship team would lead the exact same songs for all three services.  Pretty tiring for the same group, but it’s a great way to optimizing manpower.

Finally, we made our way to IKEA.  Just when we thought we were early, take a look at the crowd!!!

First call of business was to drop my two kiddos off at “Smaland Magic Forest” play area for up to an hour. Now the adults had one precious hour of uninterrupted shopping time.

The stuff is pretty much the same back in Malaysia.  We glanced through the items loosely, not expecting to carry anything back home.  But hubby set his eyes on one particular item – the sheep fur.  He claimed that it is cheaper here. 

Time’s up and we went back to pick our children up and had lunch at the IKEA Cafe.  Hubby ordered a plate of curry chicken rice for me.  Surprisingly I cleaned the plate with much delight.  First rule of thumb: I can’t take spicy food but I do like the curry taste.  So, this Australian version of curry chicken rice is just perfect for me!

Throughout the past one week we had been having home cooked food by Bi Ee Ean.  Such a blessings!  Tomorrow we'd be flying off to Adelaide, meeting up with Andrew's sis (thus no more home cooked food).  Thank God that I was well and both kids and hubby were not afflicted by my virus.  But poor Bi Ee Ean, she was falling sick instead.  Hope she gets enough rest with us out of the way.

A good night's sleep.  A brand new day.

It was R&R today as we would be traveling to Adelaide in the late afternoon.  Just watched some TV programs, played board games, and re-packed our luggage. 

This was our 2^nd flight and our ETA was around 10pm.  We board the plane anticipating another new escapade.  Hopefully this flight would be much better and thank God it was.  Audrey was already looking out for us at the arrival hall.  The temperature in Adelaide was 8 degrees and we kept ourselves warm with layers of clothes, except Andrew.  He had not used his jacket to this day.  Not even once.  T-shirt and pants.  That’s all he needs.  Pretty cool, isn’t it?

For the next 45 minutes, we hid ourselves in the comfort of Audrey’s car as she drove us straight to Hahndorf, a beautiful small town in South Australia.  We rest our sleepy head in Hahndorf Resort for the night although our hearts were pumping with excitement.