Well, we’re back in the land of Internet connections…at least for the moment.
When last I posted, we were on the way to Naracoorte, on a road where reportedly we might see koalas. We were so excited at the prospect of seeing the little “bears” that we slowly drove along several back roads, peering at every tree. Alas, the only one we saw was a giant replica at a restaurant, and that’s also where we found out that a bushfire had wiped them all out. So sad! At least the trip wasn’t entirely irredeemable, thanks to the variety of birds we saw and, strangely enough, a “Dr. Who” style police telephone booth planted in the middle of a field. Oh, and we almost ran into a flock of Galah cockatoos that took off across the road in front of us!
After a boring drive the next day, we arrived in Adelaide. I was still recovering from a minor cold, and now Herman had caught it, despite all my attempts to shield him from my germs. Fortunately, we were both in good enough shape to tour the Ayers House, a mansion built in the Regency style in 1846-76. An impressive exhibit of Victorian clothing, mostly women’s gowns, was on display. Neither Herman nor I could recall ever having seen such a pristine collection. Acclaimed costumer Marion Boyce (“Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries”,” The Dressmaker”) personally staged the exhibit. The mansion was also fascinating in both its history (at one point, it had served as a wounded soldiers’ club during WWI and later as a nurse’s training center) and design.
Herman took a “walkabout” of Adelaide during our second day in the city. The strangest sight he discovered was a tree full of bats! He also had the opportunity to add to his photo collection of colorful Australian birds, though the rosellas remain elusive.
We also visited the Adelaide Museum of Natural History, which had an interesting, albeit perturbing, collection of creatures that have the ability to bite, sting, poison, and/or incapacitate their victims, including humans. And did you know that there is such a thing as an opalized fossil? That’s right, a fossil infused with opals!
After a night spent in Port Augusta, we drove through a small portion of the Outback toward Port Lincoln. We’d been warned that the kangaroos were particularly active in this part of South Australia, so I kept expecting a group of them to be playing Russian roulette, where one would jump out in front of us, yelling, “Surprise!” before we ploughed into it.
Once in Port Lincoln, we finally had the chance to see the elusive koala in its natural (and wild) habitat at Mikkira Station, a bushland which was once a sheep station. It was so amazing to stand barely 10 feet away from wild koalas, who for all intents and purposes looked like they had grown out of the limbs upon which they perched. They barely moved except to eat. A few of them were asleep, and they snored! We also had the chance to see emus up close. The emu is such an odd bird, with a head like a chicken, a long neck, and a feathered back that looks like it’s sporting a thatched hut roof. That afternoon, we drove through Coffin Bay, a gorgeous coastline area with scrub bush, birds, and wild surf in colors of aquamarine, purple and deep blue.
Yesterday (Thursday) morning, we drove back through the Outback to Whyalla for our 45-minute flight back to Adelaide. Today (Friday), we flew to Alice Springs. An incredible desert landscape spread out below us during the two-hour flight. Herman will post his cell phone photos soon.
Tomorrow, we head for Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock). ’Til next time!
Trambling 
Glad to hear from you! As usual, wonderful pictures. I especially enjoyed the costume museum/house and the koalas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like all the photos of course, but, Like, Like, Like Victorian dress #2, the colorful birds AND the Koala!!! Sooooo cute!
Coffin Bay?! Don’t think I would consider going there if I were traveling Australia. 😳 The name suggests you would not be leaving the way you arrived! 😜😂 But it is beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
After reading about you expecting a kangaroo to jump out and say “boo”, I don’t feel too badly about my previous comments about the possibility of a kangaroo posing as a cop and knocking on your car window!!!! As always, loving your descriptive posts and Herman’s photos. Thanks to y’all, I’m getting to travel where this Jan has never gone!
LikeLiked by 1 person