Travelling South Australia

The truth is that many people do not really travel much for relaxation in their own region or state. In that we are no different. We tend to head interstate for our major holidays. I suppose most people are the same. With the advent of dearer petrol prices, the trend is for people to take holidays closer to home. The cost of travel has become a real issue for many.

Last weekend was a long weekend in South Australia with a holiday on the Monday for the running of Adelaide Cup. This is “the race that stops a suburb”, said one wit in the letters to the editor section of “The Advertiser”, our state-wide daily newspaper. He was referring sarcastically to the world famous Melbourne Cup, a horse race that literally does stop a nation. On that one day of the year, a horse race is THE most important thing happening. Just shows what terrible gamblers we are here in Australia. I shouldn’t say “we”; I’ve never had a bet on a horse race in my life. Sure, I’ve occasionally been a part of an office sweep, but gambling no. Mugs game I reckon. The only ones to win are the bookies and the horses.

Because it was a long weekend our daughter took the opportunity to fly to Sydney to visit her brother and sister in law. She also spent a day with English friends who have recently moved to live there. That left the problem of Nancy, her pet dog. We’ve looked after this lovely pooch on many occasions. Dog sitting we call it. Looking after the “grand-dog” is another expression used often (as we don’t yet have any grand children).

So we travelled to Clare in the mid-north of South Australia for the weekend. It’s just over a two hour drive. There are several different routes to take. Most take you through the beautiful Barossa Valley, arguably Australia’s premier wine growing region. The Clare Valley itself has a growing reputation for producing fine wines.

It was a relaxing weekend. We watched a few movies – our daughter has an excellent collection of DVDs – and I did a lot of reading and writing. It’s quiet staying at her house; no one knows we are there so the phone doesn’t ring often. Only three times in the five days we were there; one was our son and another was our daughter.

Note to self: we must have more short breaks like that.

Links:

• A short break in Clare – from my Birding Blog.
• Birding while Travelling – also from my Birding Blog.