Caravan Holiday Victor Harbor
Friday 17th March
Caravan Holiday
This afternoon we hitched up the old caravan and journeyed down to Victor Harbor on the coast south of Adelaide, South Australia. This trip has become an annual trip for us. We had sites near six other couples who stayed in the same caravan park. During the weekend our wives attend the CWCI Convention. All the men sit around in the shade of the trees in the park and attempt to solve the world’s problems – usually unsuccessfully.
Birds of the Caravan Park
We arrived at about 4:30pm and after checking in we set up the caravan. From our site we had an excellent view of Encounter Bay and Granite Island just off the coast. The beach is about a hundred metres from our van, with no buildings or other things obstructing our view. Throughout the park there are numerous birds, many of them very tame.
Australian Magpie
The most obvious resident of the park is the Australian Magpie. I didn’t do a count of actual numbers but they are present throughout the park. They are very tame and will come to within a metre or so if one is sitting outside the van. This provides many photo opportunities and I was able to get several good shots. They keep a careful watch if one is eating outside, expecting a free handout. When there is nothing on offer they skulk around looking for any unwary creatures lurking in the grass. The spear like thrust of the beak often rewards them with a tasty morsel.
Rainbow Lorikeet
Another common park resident is the Rainbow Lorikeet. The park has many eucalyptus trees, some of which were heavy in flower. This accounts for the many lorikeets and the constant screeching calls. They will feed for a while before wheeling off through the park in twos and threes, screeching as the go to another tree.
Other Bird Species
Because there were many flowering trees in the caravan park there were also quite a few honeyeaters scattered everywhere. New Holland Honeyeaters, Red Wattlebirds, Little Wattlebirds and Noisy Miners were the common honeyeaters I observed. There were also some White Plumed Honeyeaters but they were not calling as much as they are sometimes inclined to do.
For more information about Victor Harbor click here.
Picnic at Swanport Reserve
Picnic
Today we spent a very relaxing day at a Church picnic. It was originally scheduled for Australia Day in January, but that was cancelled due to very hot weather. Last night the steady rain threatened to spoil our picnic yet again. This morning the sky was clear with not a cloud to be seen with a gentle breeze. Some clouds did appear around lunch time, but generally it was a great day.
Fishing and Canoeing
A good number of people attended the gathering on the lawns at Swanport Reserve. This reserve, a few kilometres south of Murray Bridge, is on the banks of the Murray River. The extensive lawned area has a scattering of large, shady trees throughout. A sandy beach lines the eastern edge of the reserve, perfect for casting a line or two. Optimistic anglers grace this small strip of beach from time to time. Friend Keith took the trouble to bring his canoe; various ones took turns canoeing the stretch of river near the reserve. I must take our canoe down there sometime as it’s been years since we’ve enjoyed the pleasures of sliding quietly through the water.
Birding
I usually am keen to visit this reserve as the birding can be very good with an interesting range of birds to be seen. The birding was rather slow today so my list was shorter than usual. A flock of some 60 to 100 Galahs kept a constant chorus of squawking, disturbing the peacefulness of the picnic. Their wheeling from tree to tree painted pink swirls against a bright blue sky in contrast with Jeff’s rainbow coloured kite fluttering in the breeze.
Adelaide Festival of Arts
Writers’ Week
Today I attended the Thursday sessions of Writers’ Week in Adelaide. This is a regular feature of the Adelaide Festival of Arts which is held every two years. Prominent writers from all over Australia and selected writers from overseas are invited to be guest speakers. Previously I have been unable to attend because of work commitments.
Adelaide Parklands
Writers’ week is held in a beautiful section of Adelaide’s parklands, about 200 metres across the road from the Festival Centre and about five minutes walk from the CBD. While I primarily attended to hear the speakers talking about thier writing and books, birders like me are naturally always on the lookout for birds flying around. As the tents where the sessions are held are open sided, the birds are easy to observe.
Bird List
The most conspicious species was the Rock Dove. Groups of three to five flew overhead or around the nearby buildings every minute or so. The next common species was the Rainbow Lorikeet. Small flocks of up to six or eight went screeching from tree to tree at least every five minutes. Noisy Miners squabbled and carried on in nearby trees all day. I was surprised none came down to the lawn to search for dropped food. Perhaps the large crowd was too intimidating even for them. I also observed two Sulphur-Crested Cockatoos over the Torren River, several Adelaide Rosellas flying nearby and a single Magpie Lark. Surprisingly, I also saw only one Crested Pigeon all day. They are a very common species in the parklands.
Unexpected Sighting
The most unexpected sighting was a Brush-Tailed Possum. It came scampering across the grass from the back of the Governor’s residence, through the chairs of about a dozen attendees, and disappeared up one of the beautiful palm trees in that part of the garden. These mammals are essentially nocturnal, so that makes the sighting even more interesting.
Holiday in Sydney
Thursday 23rd February.
I am typing this in the waiting lounge at the Adelaide Airport – the new one. It has only been open for domestic traffic for six days. Having spent many hours in airport lounges over the last few months I am not looking forward to the next hour. At least Corinne is with me this time. Our flight to Sydney has been delayed by over an hour. No reason has been given. It’s a good thing we are not relying on a connecting flight elsewhere today.
Eventually we boarded our plane to Sydney. Just before take-off the pilot explained that there was a technical problem in Melbourne before they flew to Adelaide. He said that Qantas policy was “Safety before Schedules,†which is very reassuring. We had an extra hour and a half wait before take off. The flight was good except we had very little of a view over South Australia and later the Blue Mountains due to heavy cloud. Corinne had a window seat so we had a good view when the cloud cleared over NSW.
On arrival Simon was there to meet us. He had only just arrived as we had phoned him to say we were going to be late. He drove us back to their home. On the way we drove over the harbour bridge, the first time we’d been over it in a car. On arrival we had a bite to eat as it was close to 3 o’clock. We then sat and talked until dinner. Later in the evening Simon went to collect Leanne from work.
Bangkok to Murray Bridge via Melbourne
Monday 23rd January 2006:
Just after midnight we boarded our Thai Airlines plane for the leg to Melbourne. Yet again we had a half hour wait before the plane taxied for take-off. I spent about the first hour of the journey talking to the girl next to me. She was a student from Kathmandu going to do business studies at university in Melbourne. She had previously studied in the USA but didn’t enjoy her time there.
Long flight to Melbourne
The nine hour flight was long and tedious. I tried to sleep but couldn’t get comfortable. I think I got about two hours sleep but it was very restless sleep. At one stage I tried to watch the latest “Wallace and Grommet†movie but couldn’t really concentrate on it. Every passenger had an individual screen on the back of the seat in front, with a remote control to choose from a wide range of programmes. I was too tired to even open my book, and besides, the lights were dimmed for most of the journey.
Melbourne Airport
The flight was very smooth except for about twenty minutes just north of Djakarta. I was watching the progress of the plane on the monitor and was disappointed that it was very cloudy over Murray Bridge as we came over. On arrival at Melbourne I knew I had a tight schedule to get through immigration and customs before making the connecting flight to Adelaide. The plane was late arriving, progress through baggage collection was slow but customs only took about three minutes. I then made my way to the domestic terminal and checked in my luggage for Adelaide. In the end I had a wait of about twenty minutes before boarding the plane for the last leg of my journey of adventure. The plane to Adelaide was only half full so when everyone was on board the pilot announced we were leaving a few minutes early.
Melbourne to Adelaide
The flight to Adelaide was very good. I had a window seat and made the most of it as the cloud had largely dissipated. On the way I observed the massive bushfires in the Grampians. The Coorong looked beautiful from the air. I was able to pick out many landmarks in the Adelaide Hills and in the city. On the downside the last ten minutes of the flight were extremely painful. I had an acute pain in my left ear as we landed.
Home at last
It was great to be greeted by Corinne in the airport terminal. I think I talked all the way home and most of the evening. I had so much to share with her. Interestingly, I was able to stay up until normal bed time here at home despite having had so little sleep over the previous 48 hours. It was exciting showing Corinne all of the shopping I had done overseas. She was really delighted with the topaz stone and the batik pictures.
The end of an adventure
So the adventure has ended. What wonderful experiences I have had over the previous month. What amazing memories I will keep forever. I will have fun with all of the wonderful photographs I have taken, sharing them with family and friends.