- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 33
- Mittwoch, 22. November 2017 um 21:10
- 18 °C
- Höhe über NN: 984 ft
AustralienMosquito Hill35°24’50” S 138°38’9” E
The Fleurieu Way

We left Kangaroo Island yesterday on the 10o'clock ferry and slowly drove part of the Fleurieu Way to Victor Harbour. It was a quiet Wednesday morning and we scarcely saw a car, or person, for the whole sixty kilometres. The south coast of the Peninsula is the most beautiful area. It is a wonderful rolling landscape of mixed agriculture, with a vista of crops, grassland, plentiful trees and grazing animals. The sparkling blue sea is visible it seems around every other corner and it does have a hint of England if I'm honest, but warmer and sunnier!
Our home for the next three nights is a golf club complex on the edge of the town. It is peaceful and our room overlooks the surrounding hills and first tee. It made for interesting viewing first thing today, as golfers queued to tee off.......FOUR!! There were some sights, even to my untrained eye.
Today has dawned cooler, around 75 degrees, which has been much more palatable to the whinging Poms and talking of whinging Poms, the first day of the Ashes series began this morning at the Gabba in Brisbane. We watched the toss and saw England into bat before heading off for the day, with our fingers crossed.
It has been a day of exploration mainly along the coast. Victor Harbour itself is the largest of the settlements and whilst being pleasant enough, would not hold the attention for long. It is set at one end of Encounter Bay and has Granite Island just off the coastline. This can be visited by causeway from the mainland and is home to the Little Penguins. ( been there done that) The guy in the Tourist information said the one thing we must do is visit this by horse drawn tram. (?!) We passed. Out in the bay, was a rather curious looking object with a boat moored alongside. It looked like a circular deck with people cavorting around it. On enquiry we established that this was where one could 'swim with the tuna'! I've heard of swimming with dolphins or whale sharks, but this seemed bizarre. Peter announced that there was no way he was paying an extortionate amount for the privilege, when he could run a bath at home and chuck in a couple of tuna pouches to the same effect!!
We progressed down the coast to Port Elliott and Goolwa. These were much smaller, but charming and we had a good wander round, visiting bakeries (another PL pick!), art galleries, waterfronts etc. As ever, the Australians were very happy to chat and the morning passed very pleasantly.
A late lunch was called for and we headed up into the hills to search out Mt Jagged Winery that I had seen in a brochure. We found it about 15kms out of town and had a fabulous epicurean lunch, tasting a couple of their wines. We couldn't pursue a full tasting as we were driving, but sampled a very good Semillon and a dashing sparkling Pinot Noir. Gorgeous spot with chickens free-ranging it all around. The garden roses were stupendous and we've noticed that before. We passed a beautiful garden in Kangaroo Island whose roses the RHS would have been proud of. Apparently, the climate here is very well suited to roses, despite the heat and sometime drought, they cope well. Our day concluded with a drive through the Hindmarsh Valley, which was another ooh & aah session. Simply beautiful countryside and the whole area is so unspoiled. This part of South Australia is definitely under the radar.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 32
- Dienstag, 21. November 2017 um 11:26
- 28 °C
- Höhe über NN: 121 ft
AustralienPink Bay35°50’11” S 138°7’17” E
Kangaroo Island Day 2

Boy, it has been a hot one today. The temperature hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit this afternoon and we arrived back at the villa this evening like a couple of grease-spots. A cool shower had never been so welcome. We set out to discover the southern coast this morning, picking out the features that interested us most. It is relatively quiet here at the moment, as it is just before the children's long summer holiday. In a few weeks the island will be heaving.
We drove to the far end of Kangaroo Island (a 2hour drive) and the Flinders Chase National Park. It is a large area of wilderness, occupying most of the western end of the island, rich in wildlife and with a stunning coastline. The southern coast is the complete antithesis of the north. High eroded limestone cliffs and the southern ocean pounding along its length. We stopped at the visitor centre to pick up maps and pay the entrance fee. To my delight when we emerged from the car, there were koalas in the gum trees overhead. I counted six, including a mother and baby. They are so gorgeous and so brilliantly camouflaged, that you could pass within two feet of one without realising. They spend the vast majority of the day snoozing in the fork of a tree looking like a furry grey football and the night chomping on eucalyptus leaves. I even managed to forget the dratted flies for a few minutes as I snapped away.
We drove another 15 Kms down to the Admirals Arch boardwalk at the end of the promontory. It descends through the eroded cliff top that looks just like a perfectly planted rock garden. Alan Titmarsh would be thrilled with it. There are perfectly adapted plants and grasses dotted throughout the limestone pavement. It is a joy to behold - well for some of us anyway! There were fur seals basking on the rocks below and swimming so calmly and elegantly in the wild surf as it crashes on to the rocks. Again, their camouflage is brilliant and you need to look very carefully to pick them out.
Turning a final corner you come face to face with the most spectacular limestone arch. The roof is gnarled and dripping with stalagmite like drops in black and white and the eye is drawn to the snarling ocean crashing on to the rocks below. A lone sentinel male fur seal is silhouetted against sea and it is a true wonder of nature. The climb back up to the the car park was tough going in the ferocious heat.
Our next port of call was to the Remarkable Rocks, yet another of Mother Natures masterpieces. On a another promontory stands a dome of granite that was exposed to fracturing and weathering over two million years ago and balanced on the top are these incredibly arranged and eroded rocks. I will post a picture and if I were to tell you that this was a Henry Moore sculpture you would not be surprised! We did not manage to get up close and personal here. The flies were just ferocious and even with a fly net, the whinging poms could only stand so much and had to beat a hasty retreat to the car. Mind you there were plenty of whinging Aussies as well! Weir Cove was the other feature we were keen to visit, but a three mile hike in over 100 degrees did not appeal and would have been pretty foolhardy if I'm honest, so pictures will have to suffice.
There are also some beautiful beaches further along the south coast, one of which is home to a colony of the Australian Sea Lion. We walked a long boardwalk through the dunes in the stifling heat and came to the overlook. There spreadeagled on the beach were the creatures we had come to see. After a couple of minutes Peter says "Is this it then? Are they going to do anything?" At which point a couple of the bulls squared up to one another before quickly settling down to another zizz. I had to admit defeat and we retreated to the visitor centre for a well deserved ice cream. A highlight for Peter I suspect; the ice cream that is!
And so our stay on the beautiful unspoilt Kangaroo Island is almost at an end and we will enjoy our view from the villa for the final evening; study our resident kangaroos that are out there once more and watch a delightful pair of electric blue fairy wrens bickering in the wattle bush outside. Life can be sweet, once you've cooled down and had a glass or two of something interesting!Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 31
- Montag, 20. November 2017 um 12:04
- 25 °C
- Höhe über NN: 121 ft
AustralienPink Bay35°50’8” S 138°7’16” E
Kangaroo Island Day 1

We have thoroughly enjoyed that view today and finished the day with a glass or two of sparkling Shiraz on the beach this evening with our hosts; could be worse!
We have also explored part of the north side of the island. Whilst Kangaroo Island is not huge, the distances between places are large and take a while, even though you see little in the way of traffic. Few roads are direct. The northern coastline is calm and tranquil. There are lots of exquisite bays, home to many seabirds including pelicans and black swans. American River is a small and charming settlement. I was on the lookout for the rare Glossy Black Cockatoo often seen in this area, but not today sadly, only the white version. American River gets its name from a group of American sealers who landed in 1803 and camped alongside the Inlet, thinking it was a river. Wandering towards the cafe for a coffee, we diverted into a rebuilt boathouse to look at the partly reconstructed Schooner 'Independence'. On chatting to some of the volunteers we found out that the original was the first vessel to be built in South Australia. It was bought to these shores, it is thought, in basic kit form (IKEA eat your heart out!) from the crews base in New England. The young Captain Pennington was only 24 and his crew younger and they were hoping to take back a fortune in seal skins, but sadly the plan backfired, as the journey took so long the victims had emigrated to Antarctica for the summer! We discovered that George Vancouver had been one of the first to sail this way and chart the coastline. We remarked that we hailed from Vancouver's hometown, which interested the guys immensely and we told them a little of King's Lynn's history and the rebuilding of The Baden Powell, a project that has much in common with their own. In two minutes they had The Baden Powell up on Google and the phrase 'a small world' was all around.
Tomorrow we tackle the south coast and the temperature is promising to be around 35 degrees - Help!
As a postscript, arriving back from the beach, I went to open the screens at the back of the cabin and nearly jumped a mile. There were two kangaroos only 10 feet away. My cup runneth over!Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 30
- Sonntag, 19. November 2017 um 11:33
- 24 °C
- Höhe über NN: 49 ft
AustralienCape Jervis Ferry Port35°36’22” S 138°5’40” E
On the move to Kangaroo Island

We arrived back in Adelaide by air on Friday afternoon, collected a car and drove down to Glenelg for a couple of nights. Glenelg is a southern suburb on the coast. You can take a tram from central Adelaide to Glenelg in twenty minutes and it is clearly a very popular spot. The place was buzzing on Saturday night, plus there was a beach concert from 4pm till 9.30pm. We gave it a miss! It is quite an historic area for a young country and in some ways did remind me of St Kilda near Melbourne, as there were several streets of what are known as coastal cottages just back from the beach, with lots of decorative ironwork. It didn't quite have St Kilda's quirky charm however.
On Sunday morning we left early, to make the one and a half hour drive south to Cape Jervis. Here is the Sealink terminal connecting with Kangaroo Island. It was a beautiful morning, the roads were quiet and the scenery down through the Fleurieu Peninsula equally beautiful. It is rolling country, mainly agricultural and the road follows the stunning coastline for a great deal of the way. You touch the edge of the McClaren Valley wine area and there are lots of charming small settlements. Typically, when we were on a schedule, we saw several places we would have liked to explore.
The ferry journey across the Backstairs Passage (just love it!) lasts about 45 mins and the Island is in view all the time. We were there just after ten o'clock. The island is very sparsely populated and largely part of a conservation area or natural park. Restrictions are strict on what can be brought in as the islanders are keen to protect their isolated habitat for the wildlife (and themselves I guess). Penneshaw, where the ferry docks is a tiny village of three small streets surrounded by some small businesses and residential properties. It has a supermarket, a bank and a penguin colony, so everything you might need in fact! My guess is that if you lived here permanently, a trip to Adelaide would be necessary every few weeks to stock up. There is a small airfield, so you could fly if you didn't want to take the ferry, but a few hours in a car is nothing to an Australian - can't be, otherwise they would never get anywhere. Breakfast had been scanty, so, on advice from the lady at the Tourist Information, we stopped at The Dudley Winery for an early lunch and a glass of something interesting. The view was to die for and the lunch equally good. We tried a couple of the wines and were particularly captured by the Mary's Blush Sparkling (!) and took one with us. A good start. We called at AnteChamber Bay, just down the road and arrived at a white sand beach which we had all to ourselves, apart from the over friendly flies of course. The bush came right down to the coast, the sun was shining and the sea turquoise. Sheer chill out, with a touch of exercise for the fly swatting arm!
Our home for the next three nights is Sea Dragon Lodge. On arrival (40 mins from Penneshaw, half on gravel roads) we were shown to our eco lodge with a view down a small secluded valley to a private beach. You are miles from anywhere apart from the Cape Willoughby lighthouse at the end of the road and meals are brought to the lodge in a preordered hamper. There is certainly nowhere else to go! It is relaxing in the extreme and very beautiful. I sense a long standing memory building.
Oh, and by the way the 'skippy' hunt is over. At 6.30pm there were three kangaroos browsing not 30 feet from the cabin. Yippee !!Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 27
- Donnerstag, 16. November 2017 um 06:27
- Höhe über NN: 1.388 ft
AustralienHomestead Rise25°11’52” S 133°12’3” E
Uluru

Once you set foot in The Ayres Rock Resort and the environs of Uluru National Park, I think it fair to say that your feet will not touch the ground. Time is short and there is much to see, to the point of fitting in meals and a shower, becomes a feat of organisation. A great deal revolves around sunrise and sunset. I've always been a sunset person myself, early mornings being highly overrated I find. However, there is no avoiding an early start here - 4am pickups are de rigeur, which means rising at 3 and no breakfast. You call this a holiday! We did two sunset tours of Uluru and Kata Tjuta both of which were something of a damp squib as the cloud cover was too heavy to allow for the expected glorious sunset. In the case of both, thunder and lightening danced all around and the journey back from Kata Tjuta in particular was a tremendous electric light show, the like of which I have never seen or wish to again. It rained heavily overnight on both occasions and we were told today that we had been lucky, as the storms had dropped the normal daytime temperature from 40 to 30 degrees. I guess we are grateful!
I had heard about the majesty and almost mystical power of Uluru and was slightly doubtful if I'm honest. I take it all back. This heap of Arco Sandstone is mesmerising and somehow you cannot take your eyes off it. The actual rock is in fact grey, but over millions of years the high iron content has oxidised producing the rich rust red colour we see today. We started yesterday at the obligatory 4 am and were delivered to the sunrise viewing platform to take in this wonder of nature and the effect it has on Uluru. I was advised by a kind ranger to take a photo every 2mins and afterwards look back, when you would see the gradual change in colour and it worked like a charm. The sunrise was pretty good I reluctantly have to admit and effect on Uluru quite magical. The only downside is being surrounded by the general public. Fabulous people watching of course and I came to the conclusion that most of them are nuts. The advent of social media and the selfie stick has had a catastrophic affect on the so called brains of the young. Most appear not to be interested in taking in all that is around them and the fact that they may never have this opportunity again. They are far more concerned with the inevitable countless selfies of themselves, as grinning morons, in front of whatever natural phenomenon happens to be in sight, or ringing up their friends and acquaintances to tell them where they are, at full decibel, in a variety of languages. Picture this: three rather disastrously dressed young ladies from the Manchester area cavorting about next to us in such manner, when one says to the other as they walk away "do'y realise I've bin so caught up with thut rock I've only taken 15 selfies!" Not a word of a lie.
We moved on to drive around the base of Uluru and take various forays into and around the base of the rock. It is here particularly that it casts its spell. It's surface is smooth, but with varying erosion features set into its walls, that have become very much a part of the Aboriginal stories and culture. Sunset over the rock was, as I explained, not as normal. Thunder clouds backed it, lighting raged around and a double rainbow appeared over Uluru, so it may not have been a glorious sunset, but it was certainly spectacular. Whilst all this is going on, you are plied with wine, beer, or whatever your tipple may be, canapés appear and a general convivial atmosphere prevails. It becomes all the more convivial as time goes by, as some just do not know when to stop!
Kata Tjuta is completely different. The name in Aboriginal tongue means' many heads'. Their language only allows for counting up to three, so any more than three becomes multi. There are in fact 36 domes made up of a very different rock, called conglomerate, which is a rough mix of many types of rock held together by silts and sandstones. The surface is textured and rough and we took a walk up through Walpa Gorge, between two heads, to take a closer look. By now it is was about 7.30 in the morning and approaching 25 degrees. This is of course why so much is planned early or late in the day to avoid the extreme temperatures of midday. It was a terrific walk up and back through the Gorge, which I was really pleased to accomplish. Four years ago the knee would not have made it. The outside Aussie barbie, was rescheduled to inside the cultural centre and the study of the southern sky produced one lone star winking through the clouds. Oh well! Incidentally, the cultural centre is superbly done and a fascinating visit.
We are now on our way back to Alice Springs and I am catching up with the blog. More fantastic people watching. It is rare for Peter and I to be involved in an organised tour, usually preferring to do our own thing. Here though it has achieved maximum opportunity in a very short time frame, albeit on a punishing schedule, so mission accomplished. Why is it always that the Brits always look the worst. Most shouldn't be allowed out of the country without a makeover. The advent and rise of casual clothing is a total disaster for the men in particular, although I can't say that the ladies get off scot free. One dear soul is sporting a strappy sundress with a thick white vest/ liberty bodice covering her to the neck! The men are by and large wearing ill fitting and uncoordinating short outfits with brothel creeper sandals or walking boots and high multi coloured socks. Crushed sun hats are worn in or out and I suspect for some to bed! Mind blowing. A mirror would be good here. Most English men should be obliged to be booted and suited, as they seem incapable of coping with anything else. End of rant and end of journey! We are almost back in Alice Springs and tomorrow are heading back to Adelaide, by air this time. We'll catch up then.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 26
- Mittwoch, 15. November 2017 um 04:20
- ⛅ 22 °C
- Höhe über NN: 1.647 ft
AustralienYulara Oval25°14’16” S 130°59’1” E
The Road to Uluru

I think it is fair to say that for most people Alice Springs and Uluru are synonymous, but this dear reader, is far from the case. We departed Alice Springs at 6.25am on Tuesday 14 November for the journey to Ayers Rock Resort and after a couple of short stops arrived at 1.15pm! The landscape is harsh and unforgiving, but subtly beautiful in a pared back manner. The sun is high, with a temperature in the early 30s. Water is by and large subterranean with little to see on the surface, except for the odd salt lake. The soil is rich red and high in mineral content, particularly iron and vegetation is surprisingly verdant, due to the high rainfall this year. It consists largely of spinifex grass, acacias, various wattles and the desert oak and to my delight a beautiful pink/lilac wild flower called perekeelia, which is everywhere due to the unexpectedly high moisture at the moment. It has a charm all of its own. However, If the weather follows it's normal pattern, this wet year by Northern Territory standards will probably result in seven years of drought!
We cross one huge cattle station after another, some of these up to 6000square miles in area and beyond. Over the years their owners have learned the lesson of diversification in various forms, by necessity of course. We stopped at Curtin Springs, an oasis of a rest stop on the station of the same name. In the 1950s Peter Curtin bought the lease of this land and moved his wife Dawn and 2 year old son Ashley to the Outback, having given them little idea of what they were coming to. He pulled to a stop under a particularly large desert oak and when his wife turned and enquired why he had stopped he grinned and said:" We're home honey!" Apparently, her reply was unrepeatable, which should surprise no one. They lived under that oak for the next two years whilst Peter attempted to get to grips with managing his herd and building them a homestead with whatever came to hand. Passers by and visitors were few, as Uluru had yet to take hold of the nations consciousness. Two family members did appear after a year, convinced that the young family were dead. They tried hard to persuade Dawn to move back east with Ashley, until Peter had either worked this maggot out of his system or died in the process! Dawn refused and they struggled on through seven year of drought. Gradually, traffic increased and the enterprising young wife started a fledgling business of supplying refreshments to the weary travellers and the rest as they say is history. I suspect this is typical of the type of grit, ingenuity and determination necessary to make a life here in this unforgiving land, which is one of isolation. A very special type of person is required!
On the station is Mt Connor a table top Mesa of immense proportions and visible from the highway. No up close and personal visits are possible, as it sits on private land, but it is the first indication of the geological gems that are a feature of the Red Rock centre of Australia. It is thought that the whole of this area was once under the ocean and subject to considerable tectonic plate activity, which created the mountain ranges and lifted and tilted the strata of Uluru and Kata Tjuta to their present position. Uluru, or Ayers Rock, as it used to be
known is the iconic heart of Australia, a Unesco site and famous the world over. Kata Tjuta or The Olga's are probably less well known but equally spectacular.
If you are staying in the vicinity of Uluru, it is The Ayers Rock Resort you will come to. There are five eco, low lying hotels of varying types built around a circle of natural landscape and run by the Voyager Group, for the indigenous Aboriginal people. Since 1985 and 'handback', the land has returned to Aboriginal ownership and is leased back to the nation. It is run by an Aboriginal Council in combination with Federal authorities and local rangers. The administrative organisation of this is exemplary and could be applied to great advantage in many other parts of the world. This of course is not before time, as past treatment of their indigenous population is not something Australia is particularly proud of.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 24
- Montag, 13. November 2017 um 05:43
- Höhe über NN: 184 ft
AustralienWentworth33°29’38” S 143°12’37” E
The Ghan

This morning we departed for one of the most eagerly awaited sections of our trip. The world famous Ghan is a train service linking north and south Australia, via Alice Springs, in its desert and red rock heart. If completing the whole journey, it is 54 hours to travel from Darwin to Adelaide, covering nearly 3000kms. Our journey is somewhat shorter, being just under 1600 kms and taking a little over 24hours. The name 'The Ghan' came about as a typical Aussie derivation of the original pioneering Afghan cameleers, who came to Australia with their camel trains to ply the inhospitable desert interior in the early 1800s. The first train service was from Adelaide to Alice Springs in 1929 and the more northerly addition to Darwin was only completed in 2004.
It is a huge train, almost a kilometre in length and the whole operation is extremely slick. You check in rather like a flight and can only take on board a cabin bag each and when you are ceremonially shown to your cabin you understand why! It is the size of an old Pullman carriage. There is a plethora of of wood and brass and at the moment it is in the shape of a couch and large panoramic window to take in the ever changing view. At night whilst we are dining it will be turned into a bedroom with bunk beds. We have yet to decide who is to take the top bunk! There is a tiny, but functional, ensuite bathroom - strictly one at a time.
At present we are 3hrs out of Adelaide meandering through a wide gently undulating plain of agricultural settlements. There are outcrops of gum(eucalyptus), red rock and homesteads surrounded by their fields and animals, predominantly cattle and the odd sheep. This is an isolated life; you are literally miles from anywhere and I suspect an acquired taste that you probably need to be born into.
We finally arrive at Port Augusta which is an industrial sprawling strategic town, acting as a confluence for both road and rail from north, south, east and west. Here the Ghan turns north and gradually the vistas change. Trees become scarce and typical desert scrub starts to appear coating the thin red soil. Soon all signs of crops and habitation cease, with the exception of the odd band of cattle. You are entering the Outback proper and inhospitable it clearly is.
Meals on The Ghan are staggered and we had a very good lunch at 1pm and dinner at 7pm in the excellent dining car. Locally sourced produce is the feature and how they manage to produce such fare in what must be horribly cramped conditions is beyond me. Getting ready for dinner requires careful planning and you need to know your travelling companion well. The vast uninhabited rolling vistas drift past our window and Peter suddenly says 'Do you think we should pull down the blinds?' I'll leave you to guess my reply. Who he thought might be out there and more to point, vaguely interested, is beyond me! Sunset lit our evening meal and by the time you return to your cabin it has been transformed into a bunk bedroom. The machinations of attempting to prepare for bed are even more complicated as space is further reduced. The top bunk scenario is easily decided, as Peter literally cannot get into the bottom bunk without the danger of decapitating himself with a sudden move. And so to Bed...........that accomplished, sleep is rather more elusive! The train creakes, groans and shudders and despite a surprisingly comfortable bunk sleep is fitful, not that it matters, as we are woken at 5.30am to witness the outback sunrise! The train has stopped at the town of Marla, at least I guess you would say its a town. It serves the cattle stations around about for a 100 miles or so and most of its supplies are brought in on the twice weekly goods trains.
On stepping off the train, lamps are lit, braziers burn and people mill around as the sky starts to lighten on the horizon. Coffee and tea are served, together with vegemite rolls, a fruit platter and bacon and egg sliders. A slider is a small brioche bun, quite delicious but needs to come with a clothes warning. One bite in the wrong place risks egg yolk all down your front. Peter narrowly missed his teeshirt but covered his hands and made something of a mess of his wedding ring -some consternation! The sun rises in a blaze of glory and another outback day dawns. So, we are now back in our sitting cabin (converted whilst we were outside). It is 8am and feels like lunchtime as I tap away. The radio is on, giving a running commentary of the country we are passing through, plus tales of life in these parts, all of which adds to the atmosphere. Outside, the red soil is now sporting quite tall bushes and there is the occasional small billabong. It is seemingly devoid of life, with the exception of the odd bird of prey. It is a humbling experience contemplating that eighty percent of Australia is like this and survival out here is something us spoilt city types could not contemplate.
We are due into 'Alice' around 1.45pm, Australia's most famous Outback town, which is situated just 200 kms south of the geographic centre of the Continent. The town began life as a repeater station along the Overland Telegraph Line and is the gateway to the heart of Australia. Early rising and late to bed seems to be the order of the day for the next few days, in order to get around and see the highlights of this fascinating area. I'll do my best to keep you posted.
PS At the risk of offending some, we were offered kangaroo for lunch, which I had. It was delicious, so I am in the unhappy situation of having eaten Skippy before seeing him! Peter went for the full Ghan!! No surprises there.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 22
- Samstag, 11. November 2017 um 06:32
- 25 °C
- Höhe über NN: 194 ft
AustralienAdelaide Railway Station34°55’18” S 138°35’46” E
Adelaide

Adelaide is technically a city, albeit a small and quiet one, of approximately one million inhabitants. It is situated in the deep south of Australia and has an enviable climate and lifestyle. Founded in the early 1800s as a trading post, it was planned and built largely during the Victorian era on a grid system, so is relatively easy to navigate; providing one can tell left from right, which can be a challenge for some of us! Most of the grand beautiful sandstone buildings are in excellent repair and stand side by side with their more modern cousins. There is plenty of green in the shape of squares and parkland, plus the beautiful River Torrens running through the middle. In short Adelaide is very attractive and appealing.
We arrived from Hong Kong as the sun rose yesterday morning and were at our hotel, the Sebel Playford, by 7am. Understandably, we had a short wait for our room to be prepared and took a walk to find coffee and breakfast. This hotel is old by Aussie standards and very Art Nouveau in style, which I love. We stayed here briefly 4 years ago and this is another short stay. I tried to book here for the Ashes test (early December) when we will be back this way, but there was no availability even last January. It became apparent why on checking in - a block booking by what we took to be the England cricket team. It was only at lunchtime that it dawned on us that it's actually the Aussies, as the Centennial X1 came traipsing through following a morning in the nets, prior to a day/night warm up yesterday with the England team. We did contemplate seeing if we could get tickets, but decided that 2 overnight flights in quick succession would no doubt render us comatose at the wrong moment.
Consequently, we have had a quiet day, giving us time to recover and acclimatise. This is definitely a foodie city, pulling fantastic produce from its wide hinterland. There is no shortage of restaurants and more casual eateries. We visited the much vaunted covered Central Market this morning. It is an old style produce market with every type of stall from all around Adelaide showcasing their first class fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, wine, cheese, breads. There are areas to eat scattered throughout and the place was buzzing with visitors and locals alike sampling the wares. There is a huge car park above, so clearly folks drive in, meet friends, do their weekend shopping and eat very well indeed. We will be back later to explore further.
Tomorrow is moving day and we tackle The Ghan which is to be our method of transport to Alice Springs and the red heart of this continent. I will spend the evening rearranging the luggage and sewing corks on my hat!!Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 19
- Mittwoch, 8. November 2017 um 13:03
- ⛅ 25 °C
- Höhe über NN: 36 ft
Hong KongHappy Valley Racecourse22°16’20” N 114°10’51” E
The prodigals return

Hong Kong is rather like an old shoe; comfortable, slightly scruffy round the edges and thoroughly welcome at the end of a long day. It has lost nothing in the four years that have passed since our last visit, still resembling New York on speed! We arrived at our hotel in Kowloon mid afternoon and were checked in by a diminutive young lady called 'Pinky'. An enquiry as to Perky's whereabouts would have course fallen on deaf ears and probably just as well, in these politically correct times.
The weather is warm, (mid seventies) and misty and it is a pleasant change to wander about in short sleeves. Having said that the Chinese are in unrelieved black and autumn sweaters. The queues outside Hermes, Chanel and the like are undiminished from ten in the morning till ten at night, closing time. The appetite for designer labels is seemingly as strong as ever. Interestingly there are markedly more mainland Chinese here than when we were here before, only confirming the looming presence of the Chinese tiger just round the corner, with wallets stuffed full of yen.
We found an old friend in the shape a restaurant close by, retired early to bed and proceeded to sleep the clock round, much to our surprise.
Our major plan for this short visit was to visit Happy Valley, the racecourse shoe-horned into the centre of Hong Kong Island. Along with our fellow Racing Tour companions, we were guests of the Hong Kong Jockey Club for supper and the racing, together with an unlimited supply of whatever tipple took your fancy. The only request from 'Joanna' our guide was that we were able to stagger back to the bus at the end of the night, as she would not be able to carry anyone! The racing was competitive and we had an excellent view from the balcony outside. All bets are taken at the equivalent of the tote counter in the room and apart from the odd wander down to the paddock and winners enclosure, you are relieved of your money with the least possible inconvenience. It is all very civilised. A small starter voucher of 30 HKD is provided and after that you are on your own, or, as in my case retired to the stables! The company was good and a very convivial evening flew by. The setting of the extremely palatial course is unusual, in that you are surrounded by towering skyscrapers with their twinkling lights, quite unlike anywhere else in the world and it was an occasion to savour.
Another tick on Peter's bucket list.
We are moving on today to Australia and I am tapping away to you in the lounge at the airport awaiting our flight to Adelaide, from whence I pen you the next instalment.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 1
- Samstag, 21. Oktober 2017 um 23:58
- ⛅ 11 °C
- Höhe über NN: 164 ft
EnglandThemelthorpe52°45’53” N 1°4’0” E
In the beginning

I'm not sure that we thought we would ever make this trip again, but life has a habit of supplying the unexpected. For those of you that followed our last antipodean journey the format will not be a surprise. The grape will be a feature, as of course will the Ashes contest! We are prepared for an Ozwash as before, but can only live in hope. We are definitely in search of the Kangaroo, which in 6 weeks of travel we somehow did not manage to encounter.
Hong Kong is to be our stopover, as we feel there is so much more to see and we will see you there. Join us if you dare!Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 34
- Dienstag, 2. Februar 2016 um 21:00
- Höhe über NN: 262 ft
SüdafrikaThe Big 5 False Bay27°48’31” S 32°20’46” E
Homeward Bound

Today, we wend our way home, taking with us so many profound memories. As I mentioned at the beginning of this narrative my interest in South Africa was initially sparked by my Great Uncle Rob and here are Peter and I, some 50 years later, having finally trodden the pavements, grasslands, beaches and mountains of those inspirational letters. It has been a journey of discovery every step of the way. Of course South Africa has changed beyond all recognition since my Uncle's day and the transition has not always been pretty. This is a young country, a fledgling democracy, which to be honest could go either way. The poverty is crippling and the gap between the 'haves and have nots' vast. What was so striking was the energy and determination within the black community that the legacy of Nelson Mandela would be lived and adhered to. There are huge problems of course, but we can only hope and pray for patience on behalf of the population and a reduction in corruption amongst those in government that may eventually lead this majestic country onwards and upwards. Scenically, there is no beating South Africa and In some respects I was reminded of some of the majestic landscapes of the American West, but yet there is always that indefinable African feel. Great Britain's history and influence is clearly evident, together with that of the Dutch and to a lesser extent the French, but today the phrase melting pot comes to and sticks in the mind. We have seen so many stunning sights and met some inspirational people from all backgrounds, determined to succeed. Pietman Retief, a descendant of the original Huguenot settlers said over lunch in Stellenbosch "this country will grow and succeed. I am African and immensely proud of the fact". He is not alone.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 33
- Montag, 1. Februar 2016 um 21:00
- Höhe über NN: 262 ft
SüdafrikaThe Big 5 False Bay27°48’31” S 32°20’46” E
Game Drive 3

North Uthungulu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Monday, February 1, 2016
Unbelievably, this is our final game drive day and also our final day in South Africa before heading home tomorrow. It has all gone so quickly.
The alarm call came as regular as clockwork and it was over to the main lodge for a drink and some food if you could face it, before heading off. Dylan had heard that the pride of lions we were watching yesterday had moved much closer to us overnight and so we called to say hello. They were literally just down the road. Our next port of call was to our favourite cheetah family. The cubs were delightful, in a really playful mood. Mum however, seemed more than usually watchful, maybe she had wind of the lion pride not far away and the threat they posed to her youngsters. Before long she moved them all to a thicket close by and we watched the little dears frolicking around in what seemed to be a cheetah adventure playground. Dylan then wanted to check again on the lion family. He must have had a premonition. We arrived as the older lioness had brought down a warthog and a feeding frenzy began. A warthog is clearly small fry for a pride of lions and there was much growling, jostling for position and quarrelling over the prize. Survival of the fittest came to mind. It was a fascinating if gruesome sight, but we were pleased to have seen a kill. By the time every morsel was crunched and devoured, with the exception of the tusks, those moody aggressive beasts were flat on their backs with full (ish) tummies and beatific smiles of their faces. Quite a change from ten minutes before. Right under the noses of the lions we watched some dung beetles at work, opportunists that they are. They are so interesting to watch, beavering away, rolling their huge ball of dung far larger than themselves. Inclines are hilarious.
Breakfast beckoned and more of Happiness's superlative cooking. Before you leave the table she comes to take your lunch order -groan!! February is to be a non food month!!
The afternoon drive proved to be a quite something. Elephants had appeared at the lodge and we drove round to have a look. There were about ten of them, all ages and they proceeded to have a drink at no 6 lodge's plunge pool and pull the pump apart because apparently they love fresh cool water! We continued by driving through the sand forest, an area I have come to love. Mr T spotted a rare bird called a Trojan. I don't know how he does it, he can only have seen a flash of movement. In truth we had been looking for one from the beginning. They are rather like a bird of paradise, with their beautiful red chests, yellow beak, white tail and green/blue iridescent body. The cheetah family were sleeping in the shade of a small tree in a clearing and we watched them for a while -sleeping! (there are only so many times you can exclaim at the twitch of a tail). However, our patience paid off, eventually they all yawned and did their yoga exercises, or so it seemed. Mother set off with a purpose, hunting was the considered opinion, and we followed her. (It appears to make no difference to the animals that this great big vehicle full of gawping humans is tracking them!). After one of two false starts she haired off with the cubs in hot pursuit, learning all the time. This time she was successful and brought down a young Impala. The cubs tucked in with relish, whilst their mother sat back catching her breath and keeping an eye out for trouble. The youngsters had had a good feed, but she had had none, when who should trot out of the trees, but a very large lioness. My heart sank, as I knew exactly what was going to happen next and sure enough she bounded over to them. The cubs scattered immediately, but their mother stood her ground, growling and threatening. She was of course no match for the lioness and she took flight in the opposite direction leading the lioness away from her Cubs, in a classic decoying tactic. If the lioness could catch the cubs she would kill them make no mistake. Thankfully, it didn't happen and the lioness returned to the kill and devoured the remains. This is something that you read of, but hardly expect to see in person. Dylan had never witnessed such a thing and was as astounded as we were. Night was falling rapidly and it was time to head back to the lodge. We could not have had a more spectacular end to our game drive. On the way home we even managed to see a nightjar (rare bird) and a bush baby.
When we arrived back to the lodge, dinner was set out on the vlei lit by candles and lamps. We entertained our guide Dylan and it was the perfect end to a fabulous trip.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 32
- Sonntag, 31. Januar 2016 um 21:00
- Höhe über NN: 262 ft
SüdafrikaThe Big 5 False Bay27°48’31” S 32°20’46” E
Game Drive 2

North Uthungulu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Sunday, January 31, 2016
I fear this could become quite boring; long litanies of the animals viewed, so I'll keep it to the highlights to cover the next couple of days!
Is it Sunday today? (you loose track of the days), but whatever the day, the faithful 5o'clk alarm call cometh. I felt terrible, so tired; who would think that sitting in a jeep for hours on end could be so exhausting.
The highlights of the morning were another delightful cheetah family, consisting of Mum and four cubs this time. Mum is doing very well to get four cubs to 10 months and all looking so well. These were quite playful and kept messing about with each other. Mum got pretty fed up with it and moved slightly away from them, whence they got up and promptly followed lounging all over her. Typical teenagers, irritating!
We tracked our pride of dozy lions from yesterday for ages. There were tracks all over the place and Mr T was hard put to work out where they were going. Eventually, he and Dylan got out of the jeep to walk into the bush to have a look. They were just out of sight when glancing left what should I see, but 'Lion to the left'. The whole pride was on the move. With Dylan and Mr T back in the jeep we discreetly followed them. The two mothers of the eight cubs were clearly in hunting mode. They parked the cubs in a thicket and set off together tracking Nyala and came jolly close to catching one. Unfortunately, a couple of the cubs had got restless and appeared at the wrong moment and the kill was lost. It was clear the mothers were not happy! Kids, they never stay where you tell them!!
This afternoon we drove out to the northern tip of the reserve, which is yet again a different terrain altogether. Flat grassland, with some more luxuriant sections. This is possibly one of the features of Phinda, there are several habitats within a relatively small area. It is famous for its large section of sand forrest, a very rare ecosystem and the largest of its type in the world. Like a lot of things in this neck of the woods, it is endangered, but at least in the right place i.e. a reserve to be protected. It is very beautiful on the eye.
The aim was to see white and black rhino, buffalo and elephant and boy did we ever. To be honest the white and black rhino look identical, unless you know what to look for. If I have this correctly, the white have a square jaw and lower head carriage and the black a rounded more pointed jaw, with a high head carriage. The colour and size are the same, but at least now you'll have no problem telling them apart!! Next on stage were some water buffalo, the most dangerous animal in the bush, for their propensity to attack without warning and for no good reason, beyond they're feeling a bit grumpy that day. I think I can relate to that and maybe know a few human examples! The finale had to be a huge herd of elephants of all sizes, from an enormous bull to a tiny calf of two weeks. They were wonderful and very large! Two passed within 5' of the jeep fixing us with their beady eyes. Nobody moved!!
Dylan had a surprise for our sundowner, in that we arrived at a sheltered clearing seemingly in the middle of nowhere, to find suspended from an overhanging tree, oil lamps, a bottle of champagne (in an ice bucket!), flutes and snax. The chilled cocktail bar was in the corner for those who wanted a beer or G&T. It looked gorgeous and tasted the same as the sun went down in spectacular fashion. A great end to another superb day.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 31
- Samstag, 30. Januar 2016 um 21:00
- Höhe über NN: 262 ft
SüdafrikaThe Big 5 False Bay27°48’31” S 32°20’46” E
Game Drive Day 1

North Uthungulu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Saturday, January 30, 2016
The five o'clock wake up call was as bad as expected, but it was worth it. What a morning we've had. You clamber into an open top jeep with your guide (Dylan in our case ) and Mt T the tracker, who sits on the front of the jeep. I realise he knows what he's looking for, but boy what he can see is amazing. Dylan wanted to head south, as he had heard that a cheetah family was about and wanted to check it out. So it is more of the sand tracks, up and down and as you travel further south the landscape changes and opens out. The soil is redder and it becomes more savannah like. There is a severe drought all over South Africa at the moment, so the water holes are down or in some cases completely dry, which is a concern. However we did come upon a large one which had hippo, black rhino, crocodiles, a pied kingfisher and a pair of fish Eagles, so a good start! There were giraffe a plenty. They are so elegant and with eyelashes to die for. Then it was off to track the cheetah family, which we eventually ran to ground. A mother and three cubs aged about 8 months. They were stunning and made my day.
By 10am we were back and had had breakfast and felt it was time for bed! Your time is then your own, apart from lunch -more food! I sat quietly outside on the deck catching up with the blog, whilst Peter dealt with the hire car. There were little birds drinking and having a bath on the ledge of the plunge pool. I was entranced. Up came some large male Nyala to drink from the trough at the bottom of the pool. They fixed me with a look and then carried on. I was entranced all over again. A family of monkeys appeared to play on the side deck and at the back of the house were more Nyala and a family of Warthogs, including 6 babies. I just didn't know where to look. Did I need to get up at 5am I asked myself?
The afternoon game drive starts around 4.30 and we saw a martial and a snake eagle, a beautiful little iridescent Pygmy kingfisher, zebra, more giraffe and a pride of lions dozing in the shade. What a sight they were. Dylan drove so close and they didn't bat an eyelid, well they did actually, but not with any mall intent. Our final treat was elephant, three of them, plus an African white faced owl on the way back after dark. Sundowners were taken as the sun sets and we were back at the lodge around 8pm. What a day!
One thing to remember if you are a woman of mature years on a game drive. It is impossible to look anything other than the wild witch from the west. You are rattling along in a open top jeep, the wind whistling through your hair, so bad hair day for a start. You are shiny from liberal applications of sun cream and if you put your hat on you appear as a squashed wild witch of the west! Finally, all over beige or mud colours does nothing for us. It may prevent you from being eaten, but is that of any consolation I ask myself?
On our return this evening, our hostess had a surprise for us. She had set up a romantic dinner for two on each deck- great! I suppose we must forgive her, she is young. So there we were Peter, I and the family of warthogs snoring in the bushes, plus the nipping insects of course. We walloped down a couple of courses, passed on desert and headed for bed, bearing in mind the 5am alarm call. What on earth can tomorrow bring?!Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 30
- Freitag, 29. Januar 2016 um 15:00
- 🌬 11 °C
- Höhe über NN: 262 ft
SüdafrikaThe Big 5 False Bay27°48’31” S 32°20’46” E
On the way to Phinda

North Uthungulu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Friday, January 29, 2016
Today is our longest and last travelling day from Fugitive's Drift up in the north of Kwa-Zulu Natal to the Phinda Game Reserve, on the coast not far from the Mozambique border. It took us exactly 6 hours as expected.
We were sad to say goodbye to Fugitive's Drift which had been simply fabulous, but knew that our last port of call would be more of the same, but with a different emphasis.
The drive was stunning. I cannot describe the magnificent scenery that we passed through on our way down to the coast to pick up the N2. This region is a real gem for several reasons and somewhat overlooked I feel.
Eventually we approached Phinda and if we thought our off road antics had been testing before, this was no different . We were eventually reduced down to sand tracks as we neared the lodge itself. Two large Nyala antelope jumped across the track. 'What the .... !' Exclaims the driver. Just you wait!!
This place is magical. We are in a small individual lodge to ourselves, with a deck and plunge pool and there are just 6 lodges. We missed the afternoon game drive , but we're glad of the opportunity to settle in and phoned for our escort to dinner at 7pm. After dark, no one walks about unescorted! We had a very good dinner on the verandah open to the stars. Our cook is called Happiness and is exactly what that may imply, with food in mind! After a while I was aware of being watched and looking down there was a genet, a small cat with enormous eyes. She was hopeful of some food, but was of course unlucky.
It could have been worse, apparently the night before, 2 lions came to take a look and settled themselves down for a snooze.
Our first game drive is tomorrow at 5.30 am! Overnight security gives you a ring at 5am.
Yes you heard -God help me!Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 29
- Donnerstag, 28. Januar 2016 um 16:15
- ☀️ 5 °C
- Höhe über NN: 3.711 ft
SüdafrikaOskarberg28°21’29” S 30°32’12” E
Rorke's Drift

North Uthungulu, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Later the same day, came the second devastating attack. The right horn of the Zulu battleplan, did not engage in the fighting at Isandlwana. I should explain that the Zulu like to attack in a buffalo formation, with a central head and chest and left and right horns to envelop the enemy preventing escape. In this case the right horn failed to close sufficiently, hence allowing the 55 to flee to the river. It should also be explained that in Zulu culture only single men are allowed to fight and until they have bathed their spear (assegai)) in enemy blood they are unable to marry. As a consequence this section of Zulus were champing at the bit to prove themselves and so their leader disobeyed the King's orders and crossed the Buffalo river with the intention of attacking the small hospital garrison remaining at Rorke's Drift.
At the time, Rorke's Drift consisted of a small white painted missionary station and large separate church/store house and kraal, which Lord Chelmsford had requisitioned as a field hospital and storage for ammunition, large sacks of melee flour, the dreaded Army biscuits that were the soldiers staple food, ( cardboard consistency I understand, wet, dry, hot or cold!), bully beef, plus other essentials. As a consequence there were less than 100 fighting men, several of whom were already injured, some very seriously ill men, with two field officers, the engineer Lt Chard, Lt Bromhead and a very experienced commissariat of stores James Dalton, (who quickly helped develop a plan of defence). Perhaps understandably, none of the 55 escapees headed to the mission to help, but one did send a message to say that the Zulus were crossing the river and to be ready!!
The men of Rorke's Drift faced an impossible position with 4500 Zulu warriors bearing down on them and somehow managed to erect defences around their tiny pocket battlefield using melee bags and biscuit tins to a height of 8ft. One thing they did have of course, was a massive store of ammunition, some 27,000 rounds. By the time the fighting was over, there were only 660 rounds left!
We walked around the mission building that was rebuilt virtually identically afterwards, except there are now many more doors and windows. Even so, they are tiny, hot, claustrophobic rooms even without the stench of disease and death. It became all too apparent how impossible a trap the men inside were caught in as the battle progressed and the men's courage and resolve in the face of overwhelming odds reduced me to tears.
The Zulu gathered on the hill behind the station late in the afternoon and began their battle preparation of war cries, foot stamping and shield thumping, working themselves into a frenzy. Colour Sergeant Bourne walked to every man with a hand on their shoulder exhorting them to 'Mark your man and wait until you see the whites of their eyes!' The Padre George Smith would not shoot being a man of God, but continually supplied the ammunition with the cry 'Don't swear boys, for Gods sake don't swear, just shoot!' Chard and Bromhead positioned themselves to lead their men and they waited. Eventually the Zulus threw themselves down the hill on to the barricades and were shot down by the score. The men of the 24th foot grimly defended their position as best they could. Lt Bromhead led bayonet charge after bayonet charge, but gradually the outer defences were breached and they were beaten back to the second line of defence and their battlefield was no bigger than a tennis court. Night fell quickly, as it does in these parts and now they could not even see their enemy. Enter stage left a little terrier called Pip. One of the fallen officers at Isandlwana had left him in the care of the surgeon Major Reynolds and he raced up and down the line barking at the next Zulu to hurl himself at the barricade. The line held. However, the Zulu had managed to set fire to the thatched roof of the mission and did finally break into the courtyard. The soldiers had to retreat to the small section around the kraal where a third line of defence had been constructed and carried on fighting. The hospital now stood alone with the exception of the few brave orderlies and the heroic cook who fought the Zulu from room to room dragging their charges through holes hacked in the wall to one corner of the building. Men died under horrific circumstances on both sides. The thatch was now on fire, so smoke was an additional factor, but at least there was a little light! A tiny window 8' off the ground was enlarged by Pte Hook (the cook) and two badly injured soldiers rushed from the kraal to catch the seriously ill soldiers as they were dropped from the window. They then carried them to the kraal time and time again under continual attack, before Hook the last man escaped the building. His fingers were now worn down to the bone, his finger tips never to recover. The fight retreated to the area around the kraal.
The martini rifle is heavy with a kick like a mule and these small men (there was not one over 5'4") had been firing and reloading continuously for hours. The barrels were red hot and glowed in the dark according to Zulu reports and the men's hands and faces were burned with the recoil. They tore the pockets off their red tunics to enable them to continue firing and still the Zulu threw themselves forward. Bear in mind that the temperature was 45 degrees during the day and had dropped little at night and these men, in Army tradition, had donned their wool uniform to fight. There would have been no time for a gulp of water either if they wanted to survive. All this time their small wiry little surgeon was treating the wounded in the open against the wall of the storehouse, which afforded him a small degree of shelter. This is the first example of a surgeon operating on the battlefield and of course he had virtually no supplies.
As dawn starts to break, all of a sudden the Zulu fall silent. Their scouts could see Lord Chelmsford's relief column approaching in the distance. Lt Chard orders his men to stop firing and they watch silently as the Zulu gather as many of their dead as they can and melt away into the hills, with respect on both sides. When Chelmsford's men reached the the defenders of Rorke's Drift these gallant soldiers had no voice left to cheer.
There were 11 VCs awarded that day, the most ever in a single battle and that is of course not counting those of Lts Melville and Coghill. This was a fight to the death and it would do us good to reflect on the immense bravery on both sides.
We were taken on this visit by Douglas Rattray, one of David's sons and I think it is fair to say he is clearly a chip off the old block. He led us around the battle site and made the actions of that day come alive almost 137 years later. It was an intensely emotional afternoon both for Doug and us, his horribly enthralled audience. It is virtually 9 years to the day since his father was murdered by thieves in front of his wife Nicky and we all had need of the handkerchieves by the end; the ladies openly and the gentleman more surreptitiously.
In keeping with family tradition, Doug is a first class lecturer and human being.
This is a visit and experience that will live with us for the rest of our lives.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 28
- Mittwoch, 27. Januar 2016 um 16:15
- Höhe über NN: 4.068 ft
SüdafrikaIsandlwana28°21’31” S 30°39’5” E
Isandlwana

(South) Umzinyathi DC, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
We departed for Isandlwana at 7.30 sharp this morning. A wake up call and a pot of coffee was delivered to the cabin at 6am, which was a kind thought-I think!
It was a beautiful sunny morning, as indeed it was on the morning of the 22nd January 1879 and that fatal confrontation between the men of the 24th Regiment of Foot and 20,000 Zulu warriors. The British central column under the command of Lord Chelmsford had crossed the Buffalo River into Zulu land at its natural fording point, Rorkes Drift (drift meaning exactly that, a river crossing), with the intention of meeting the Zulu in battle and subjugating their nation to British rule. This was something the proud Zulu were understandably opposed to. Lord Chelmsford had selected a vast and beautiful plain beneath the crag, that came to be known as Isandlwana, as his vantage point and his men, some 850 white tents, their wagons, horses, oxen and equipment were strewn about the camp, covering a considerable area. The Zulu proved elusive and on that fateful morning Lord Chelmsford took his senior officers and most of the troops into the adjoining valley looking for the Zulu army, leaving some 1400 men under the command of an inexperienced officer, Major Pullaine. Mistakes were made, no lookouts posted and by chance a small contingent of men discovered the might of the Zulu army in completely the opposite direction. They were settled in a gorge awaiting the opportunity to attack, once the anticipated eclipse of the moon had passed ( Day of the Dead Moon-a bad omen). The small group of soldiers made an attempt to attack before fleeing when faced with the enormity of the task. The 24th Regiment of Foot were ill prepared for the battle that then ensued. These men, drawn largely from South Wales, were a courageous, tight, fighting unit, but were completely overwhelmed by a massive attacking force of 6ft warriors, fleet of foot and carefully drilled on their plan of attack. The thundering of their drumming bare feet, thumping of their shields and bloodcurdling war cries must have struck terror into the men lined up to face them. It was total chaos, as is the way of war. Despite great valour and fierce resistance, the camp was overrun and the Zulu took no prisoners. They were fighting for their very identity and were and are an honourable people, completely sold down the river by the local representatives of the British Empire,
1329 soldiers were cut down that day by a force of warriors 20,000 strong. Just 55 escaped down the Fugitive's trail back to the river which had to be crossed in full speight. The Zulu proved to be a formidable enemy. Many Zulu warriors had jogged bare footed 100kms to reach the battlefield, another 15 kms during the battle and at the end were still strong enough and fast enough to overtake and kill a British soldier on horseback. When it became clear that all was lost and the retreat sounded, only those on horseback stood any chance of avoiding the Zulu spears or assegai. One of Major Pullaine's final tasks was to call the adjutant Lt Meville to him and order him to save the Queen's colour, the most sacred regimental object. They saluted and Melville took the heavy 20' colour in its leather case and rode for the river. Miraculously, amidst the melee, he reached it and was assessing where to cross when a lone Zulu appeared from hiding and speared his horse from under him. The horse, Melville and the colour all ended up in the fast flowing Buffalo river, being buffeted from rock to rock. Somehow, Melville managed to hold on to the colour and as he approached a coffin shaped rock he espied a NCC officer marooned on its top. Melville yelled to him to catch hold of the colour, hoping he could pull him out, but the two of them plus the colour ended up in the water, under heavy attack from the Zulus on the bank. They were swept downstream and were in a desperate situation, when Lt Coghill spotted them from the Natal bank. Coghill was a superb horseman and despite a badly sprained knee, (he could not mount his horse unaided or walk) had forded the river and now without a thought for his personal safety, plunged his horse back into the river to help the two men floundering in the water, with the colour. As he reached them, his horse was shot between the eyes by a Zulu wielding a British Martini rifle. Somehow they managed to reach the Natal bank and what they thought was relative safety, but in the strong current the heavy colour was wrenched from their grasp and carried downstream. Exhausted they dragged themselves up the bank and Higginson the Natal officer, who was in the best state, said he would try to find some loose horses. In truth he abandoned Melville and Coghill to their fate. Melville managed to carry Coghill up the steep bank to a rocky outcrop where they rested until they were found by a group of Zulus skirmishing on the Natal bank. Despite a fierce fight, the two brave soldiers were killed. They were found four days later, by a party sent out from Rorke's Drift to try and retrieve the colour and were buried where they lay, on land now belonging to Fugitive's Drift. Some years later, they were awarded the first posthumous VCs by Edward V11, as his mother Queen Victoria would only present a VC to the living. The colour was indeed found stuck in the rocks further downstream and returned in great triumph to what was left of the regiment at Rorke's Drift.
We were taken to Isandlwana by Mph'wa Ntabzi, a Zulu whose great grandfather and grandfather fought and fell in the battle and he told the story with emotion, detail and passion. He was a great friend of David Rattray and it was clearly very hard to do this in his place. Later in the afternoon we walked to the graves of Lts Melville and Coghill, accompanied by Andrew, a young officer from The Welsh Regiment, which the 24th foot has been incorporated into. They have a very strong relationship with Fugitive's Drift and regularly send out a representative to experience at first hand one of the regiment's most difficult campaigns. Andrew was able to add some interesting additional facts from the regimental archive and obviously to look at the actions that day from a professional soldier's point of view.
I cannot tell you how powerful these visits were today and we still have Rorke's Drift to come tomorrow. I feel rung out emotionally, when I think what these young soldiers went through so many miles from home to die in the most horrific circumstances and with the utmost bravery.
Imagine the reaction of Lord Chelmsford when he returned to Isandlwana some hours later. The decimated camp was knee deep in bodies of men and animals. There were no survivors beyond the 55 fugitives who made it across the Buffalo river back towards Rorke's Drift. The Zulu had removed their 3,500 dead on shields to their villages for burial and had ritually disembowelled their victims, as is their custom, to allow their spirit to escape and roam free...........RIP.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 27
- Dienstag, 26. Januar 2016 um 16:15
- Höhe über NN: 3.494 ft
SüdafrikaMabedlane28°23’27” S 30°36’31” E
Fugititive's Drift

(South) Umzinyathi DC, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
The journey from Three Tree Hill takes approximately 3 hours, via Ladysmith. The last 30 miles are off road and the scenery increasingly dramatic. We arrived here at Fugitive's Drift in time for lunch, to discover a series of beautifully appointed cabins on the lip of the Buffalo River Gorge, within the Fugitive's Drift Game Reserve. This is the life and work of the Rattray family, in particular the late David and his wife Nicky. She and their family continue David's work of training, developing and rebuilding the relationship between English speaking people and the Zulu of Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal. David was a renowned authority and lecturer on the Anglo Zulu wars having considerable exposure to the area and its people since childhood.
Close by the reserve lie the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift and gradually over the years a ground breaking destination has been built up around tours of the area and its history, particularly military. Over 20,000 visitors a year wing their way to this remote part of South Africa for the experience and that is exactly what we have done ourselves.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 26
- Montag, 25. Januar 2016 um 18:15
- Höhe über NN: 3.967 ft
SüdafrikaThree Tree Hill28°39’42” S 29°29’13” E
Spioenkop

(South) Umzinyathi DC, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Monday, January 25, 2016
I think it is fair to say the circumstances surrounding the Boer War were not our Nations finest hour. When war was finally declared, the might of the British Army were challenged by at most 20,000 Boers; farmers, who I think it is fair to say the British dismissed with a degree of arrogance. What they underestimated was that these men were tough, born to the saddle and hunting marksmen from a young age. This was not to be formal squared, fixed bayonet warfare. The Boers developed the first example of a commando style conflict which the professional British Army was ill equipped to counter.
The drive to Spioenkop from the lodge takes about 45 mins and a dirt road winds it's way up to the summit. There are Zulu villages all around and it is usual to acknowledge anyone you pass, as they will you. Goats, cattle and people roam freely across the roads, so between avoiding all of them plus the potholes, driving requires more concentration than normal!
Spioenkop rises dramatically from the surrounding countryside and is flanked by several lower hills that played a significant part in the battle and it's outcome. Iron rich, red sedimentary rock predominates the region with igneous extrusions, often basalt. This rock being much harder to erode, has resulted in hills like Spioenkop, with steep sides and a flat top. The British Empire had already been engaged in colonial South Africa some 20 years earlier against the Zulus and should have known some of the pitfalls that fighting in this country produced. Earlier on during the Anglo Boer War the British were heavily defeated at the battle of Majura trying to hold just such a hill. The lessons that should have been learnt from this encounter were seemingly ignored and General Redvers Buller and his command committed more men to an almost certain death by attempting a repeat performance, as part of the attempt to relieve the siege at nearby Ladysmith. In the early hours of January 24 1900, three Lancashire regiments scaled the mountain, which would have been no small task in the dark. They were burdened by a heavy uniform and greatcoat and had to carry all their supplies. Only one small bottle of water was allowed per man, which in the heat of summer on a South African exposed mountain top proved disastrous. There was a thick mist when the men staggered on to the summit and their commander Major-General Edward Woodgate and his officers attempted to arrange their battle lines with use of a compass, which proved inaccurate, because of the presence of so much iron in the rock. Consequently, when dawn broke and the mist lifted, there must have been a collective gasp, on the realisation that they were ill placed and surrounded by The Boer with their far superior weaponry, positioned on the surrounding lower hills. The battle that raged all day resulted in carnage for the young Lancashire soldiers crouching in their shallow trenches on the hill top. Simon Blackburn our guide, who owns Three Tree Hill, is a brilliant raconteur and held us spellbound as he walked us through the battle lines, pointing out the position of all the participants and my blood ran cold at what those boys had to endure. One can only imagine what the young Lancashire fusiliers (having come from the grey, damp, cramped conditions of Victorian industrial Lancashire) must have thought as they marched through this imposing majestic landscape. To die like animals outgunned and picked off by weapons sold by the British and Germans to the Boer, seems doubly galling. There are massed graves marking the trenches where they fell and individual memorial stones erected later by some families. The simple head stone that reduced me to tears and would any mother I suspect, was placed there by a mother who finally managed to visit the site of her son's death some 8 years later. She had carefully nurtured and brought from their garden a small cypress sapling and planted it in this foreign field that would be forever England, in memory of her beloved son. Against the odds it has thrived and now stands tall and proud, a fitting memorial for those 124 men who perished that day alongside her boy.
This battle has always been portrayed as a desperate defeat for the British Army, but in truth it was a stalemate . At the end of the day both sides retreated having believed they had lost. It was only the next morning when the Boers suddenly realised that their enemy had withdrawn, that they ascended Spioenkop once more and unexpectedly claimed the victory. It was a fascinating and gruelling visit in some ways and just the beginning of our battlefield exploration.
Incidentally, many of the young soldiers hailed from Liverpool and its environs. The Kop at Anfield was originally called Spioenkop in memory of their lost sons, before being nicknamed simply The Kop. A steep hillside that takes no prisoners .
Later in the day we took a game walk in the reserve, with Simon, attempting to see the white Rhino. It is grassland and acacia trees predominantly, which really enhances that Out of Africa feel. This reserve is particularly well known for the Rhino and I had spotted several from our verandah through the binoculars. It was a special thrill, however, to walk to within 500 yds of three of them, including a mother and calf. They are huge and give a whole new meaning to the phrase 'does my bum look big in this!' I will never complain again.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 25
- Sonntag, 24. Januar 2016 um 18:15
- Höhe über NN: 3.967 ft
SüdafrikaThree Tree Hill28°39’42” S 29°29’13” E
Three Tree Hill Lodge

Indlovu DC, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Today was another travelling day and we made our way further north, with the Drakensberg Mountains forever looming in the background. The vistas are so vast that I couldn't seriously capture them on my camera, but take my word for it, spectacular. Eventually, yet again we turned off the tar road and drove up and up until it didn't seem there could be anywhere else to go, before our home for the next two nights came into view. This is Three Tree Hill Lodge. Once more we are in a cabin, named Churchills, this time perched high on the hill overlooking Spioenkop itself and the Lodge's private game reserve around it. I probably don't have to tell you the views are again fantastic. In truth I'm running out of superlatives, so excuse me if I have to keep repeating myself. Heavy duty binoculars are provided and we have already espied animals galore. Tomorrow we are going to take a closer look at both the reserve and Spioenkop.
Dinner is taken at the main lodge with the other guests. The menu looks good, but not quite the epicurean fantasy of yesterday, which is probably just as well!. All is quiet as I tap away to you on the verandah, apart from the breeze and the call of the birds.
I wonder what delights tomorrow will bring?
I'll keep you posted, but no internet connection at the moment, so will send this to you when I can.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 24
- Samstag, 23. Januar 2016 um 20:30
- 8 °C
- Höhe über NN: 11.302 ft
LesothoThabana Ntlenyana29°28’0” S 29°15’60” E
The Drakensberg Mountains

South Cape DC, Western Cape, South Africa
Saturday, January 23, 2016
We collected another car this morning and headed north, passing Pietermaritzburg and turning off the motorway at Howick to take the scenic meandering Midlands route through the most beautiful countryside. If you had been told you were in England you might almost have taken it on board. The landscape is bigger and more majestic, but one can certainly see how 'The Midlands' came to be. Everything is very green and undulating with plentiful trees. This is mixed farming country. Geraldine and Reg, you would love it! The road twists and turns and there are small villages to explore and a variety of crafts on offer. The flowers were a particular joy to me, wild longiflorum lilies, eremurus, rare pink gladioli, stylosis lily, arum lilies and evening primrose to name but a few.
The one stop we did make was at Howick Falls, the spot where Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1962. It is such a beautiful area and in a split second his life was changed forever. A new museum is in the process of being built and at the moment an exhibition is set up in a glorified shed! It was so impressive. We lingered for an hour taking it all in and came away with the the reinforced feeling that here was an exceptional man whose life somehow seemed to be guided by a hand that was not his own. His beginnings were humble as the youngest son of a tribal chief in the Transkei. A friend persuaded his very traditional principled father to allow his son to attend the local English Methodist Mission School. It was here that he was given the English name Nelson, his birth name being Rolihlahla, which means ' pulling the branch of a tree, or, the one who disturbs the established order'. Prophetic or what? There began a process that he would negotiate all the days of his life, bridging the gap between his traditional tribal roots and the modern world.
Our continuing journey took us to a smaller more twisty road. We climbed up and up and there were potholes in the potholes. It had now started to rain hard and we began to wonder where on earth we would end up. Finally we spied the long awaited signpost 'Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse' and we turned on to a dirt track. Thank God for the 4x4. We climbed steadily for another 5kms, when incongruously there suddenly appeared a gateway set in a concrete wall and we had arrived. What a surprise awaited us. As we drew down the drive and parked in the covered cartshed a man materialised bearing a tray. He came to the car and opened my door. "Welcome, my name is Amen, would you like a drink of homemade lemonade?" proffering the tray and so began one of the most extraordinary evenings of our trip so far.
The rain continued to fall and quickly we and the luggage were whisked to our Wild West themed cabin. There are 11 cabins/ suites here and they are all differently themed. We were thunderstruck, plus once more the view out on to the mountains had to be seen to be believed.
"Come over to the house when you are ready for some refreshment" said our hostess, so we duly did as we were bid. We are surrounded by a beautiful garden, dripping at the moment to be sure, but lovely none the less, with the added bonus of the Drakensberg Mountains as a backdrop. We followed the directions to this amazing modern house set on a dammed lake. Weaver birds were flitting about, feeding their young in their nests hanging from the trees. Bulrushes fringed the edge and the whole effect was like something out of a film set. My eyes nearly popped out of my head and that was before we had seen the inside, which was equally mind blowing. Suitably refreshed, the dinner arrangements were explained. Here you eat in, as there is literally nowhere else to go. I would describe this establishment as a mountain gourmet's retreat. The dinner consists of five courses and you are taken through them one by one beforehand whilst sipping a pre dinner drinky. Masterchef eat your heart out, this is serious cheffing. The wine cellar is underground and you descend to select your preferred wine from a large selection. We ate this fabulous meal at a table overlooking the floodlit lake and it was a night to remember to say the least. As we left to return to the cabin, Phillippa, mine host said, " breakfast is relaxed, but culinarily serious. Arrive any time after 9 for a three course start to your day" (!!!!!!?) I'll fill you in tomorrow.
I was up early for me (I know, shock horror). The morning was crystal clear and the views even more spectacular. Cleopatra herself was now clearly visible. She is a rock formation named by an English soldier far from home and missing his young wife. The farm has always been known as Cleopatra's farm ever since. I wanted to take a quiet walk around the property whilst all was ....well...quiet! The bird life is fantastic. I spent quite a while watching the weaver birds noisily feeding their chicks, when a flash of blue caught my eye. Perched to my right peering into the water was a kingfisher! He spied a fish, dived down and caught it and returned to eat it on his perch, right in front of me. What about that?! I can't get over it.
Breakfast was yet again a culinary tour de force. Three small courses of pure heaven and the trouser waistband situation is becoming desperate. In one way we are disappointed that we are only here one night and in another relieved! This is the perfect spot for the wine group away weekend. Places to visit, walks galore, scenery to die for, plus food and wine to tempt an Egyptian mummy. Anyone up for it?Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 23
- Freitag, 22. Januar 2016 um 20:12
- ⛅ 25 °C
- Höhe über NN: 171 ft
SüdafrikaWild Waters29°51’31” S 31°1’19” E
Durban

South Cape DC, Western Cape, South Africa
Friday, January 22, 2016
It is a short flight from George to Durban, in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Natal was named by Vasco da Gama when he landed here on Christmas Eve 1497, calling it Terro do Natal - Christmas Country. Rolling hills are immediately evident on emerging from King Shaka Airport, but now clothed in grasses as opposed to fynbos. This area is known as The Midlands and we could instantly see how it acquired its English regional name.
We are staying at The Oyster Box at Umhlanga, some twenty kilometres north of the city on the Indian Ocean. The hotel is old and full of tradition and when we arrived, you could have been forgiven for thinking that you had stepped back into the days of the Raj! The bellhops are dressed from head to toe in Indian dress complete with turban, there are belted jackets and pith helmets galore, the receptionists are in salwar kameez and there is a permanent curry buffet for lunch and dinner set up on the ocean terrace! True to it's name, on the immense breakfast buffet laid out in the Palm Court was a large silver salver of prepared oysters to help yourself to. It was a novel start to the day, but not to be missed. However, I did pass on the offer of a glass of champagne to go with it, This is of course a beautiful hotel and the opportunity for people watching is just fabulous. Take Mr Fox for instance, who we encountered at lunch, dinner and breakfast this morning, sometimes accompanied by a young thing, sometimes alone, but on every occasion by a bottle of wine and an ice bucket!! There are the usual young ladies of interesting dress sense, with a phone stitched to their ear and conducting their business at full volume, usually in a flat piercing monotone. Oh, I could go on and on! However, this morning we were to take a guided tour with Cyril, who is of Zulu ancestry and a mine of information. The City of Durban is the third largest in South Africa, and it's biggest sea port. Ships are anchored off shore, literally awaiting the green light from the control tower to enter the harbour. Pilots are ferried backwards and forwards by helicopter! Durban was named after a Cape Governor, one Benjamin D'Urban and began life slowly, fought over by the Zulu, Voortrekkers and the British and from the mid 1800s developed as the most important port in the British Empire, mainly for the huge export of sugar cane, that was and is grown in abundance in its hinterland. The Zulu refused to work in the fields and as a consequence Indians were imported for the task, hence the large Indian population in the city and the sub-continental influence. British soldiers poured through the city during the Zulu and Boer Wars, to fight their final campaign in their famous redcoats and to wage the first campaign in khaki, then a controversial move. Durban was also the home of Mahatma Ghandi at this time, when both he and Winston Churchill were involved with the Boer War. This is clearly a city of the British Empire, as can be seen from the many public buildings dating back to the 1800s. As is often the case, our ancestors erected buildings in the London classical style to remind them of home and to make the statement that the British were in charge. We drove the Golden Mile, which bears little resemblance to Blackpool, as it is a stunningly beautiful golden beach that stretches for mile after mile and is now available to all. In the days of apartheid, only one small section was open to Africans. Victoria Market was a shopping stop. It is a massive bazaar housed in a turn of the century building. The spice stalls were particularly interesting and we had a long chat with a young lady stall holder, tasting the spices and finding out about mixes favoured by the various ethnic groups. The Botanic Gardens were, as ever, a joy and we spent a lovely half hour wandering around with an iced coffee in hand. Approaching the tea garden we encountered a troupe of monkeys who took a distinct interest in our drinks. We knew not to encourage them, but before we could work out what to do, a large lady with an even larger water pistol came charging out of the undergrowth to the rescue and they scattered. "They are naughty boys" she announced " I chase them away for you!" Not too many would have stood their ground I can tell you! We finished in the high end residential district with its beautifully manicured properties and the Greyville Racecourse, Durban Golf Club and various Sporting Stadia. Cyril made a very telling statement regarding a very young democratic South Africa winning the Rugby World Cup in 1995.
South Africa were the definite underdogs against New Zealand in the final and It was only a year after the first democratic elections. As you may recall, President Mandela, dressed in a South African rugby shirt, presented the trophy to Francois Pienaar, which they held aloft together. "Like everyone else, I was watching the game wherever I could and with friends. In my case it was with my boss and his family and our working family. When South Africa won everyone was overjoyed, we really felt the country had become one. My boss's wife threw her arms around me and gave me a hug. I was overcome. It was the first time a white woman had touched me, let alone hugged me!"
As I said, a first class morning in every respect.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 19
- Montag, 18. Januar 2016 um 21:12
- ☁️ 0 °C
- Höhe über NN: 289 ft
SüdafrikaPlettenberg Bay34°3’27” S 23°21’52” E
Plettenberg Bay

South Cape DC, Western Cape, South Africa
Monday, January 18, 2016
It was a wrench to leave the fabulous Kanonkop Guest House in Knysna this morning, where we had been so beautifully looked after. We ate breakfast eyeing that amazing view over Knysna Lagoon and took a final walk around the stunning garden before setting off.
It was a short journey to Plettenberg Bay, however, we stopped in the town to get haircuts - all this sun, good food and wine has resulted in luxuriant, unruly locks! Normal service is now resumed.
The journey anywhere along the garden route is like travelling through .....well......a garden!
Everything is lush and green and even now there are flowering plants everywhere. As you can imagine it is right up my alley. The background is always the coastal mountains clothed in natural forest, which is apparently wonderful to explore also, but perhaps another time.
Our new abode is The Emily Moon boutique hotel, situated just out of Plettenberg Bay town, built on an elevated site above the meandering Bitou river. It is a river valley to warm the heart of any physical geographer! Oxbow lakes abound. We were shown to our River Lodge and yet again there was an indrawn breath at the view. Very different from Knysna, but equally beautiful in it's own way. In every direction is the glorious river valley, classic wetlands with accompanying bird life and all Is quiet apart from the birds themselves. Best of all there is a verandah to settle on and soak it all up. The decor is eclectic and a shabby chic fusion of touches from all over the continent of Africa.
Dinner was taken at Emily's restaurant and it was heaving. Apparently, it is fully booked every night, as it is very popular locally and having tasted the food, we could see why. We do of course feel quite at home with 'Emily' as our hostess!Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 17
- Samstag, 16. Januar 2016 um 22:05
- 🌙 1 °C
- Höhe über NN: 43 ft
SüdafrikaKnysna Harbour34°2’6” S 23°2’47” E
Knysna

Knysna, Western Cape, South Africa
Saturday, January 16, 2016
It is a two hour drive from Oudtshoorn in the semi desert Little Karoo to Knysna on the garden route coast and what a difference that relatively short drive brings. I suspect we left Oudtshoorn in the nick of time as the temperature was due to be in the mid nineties today. It was a fantastic drive in that one started in semi desert and about half way to the coast the scenery suddenly changed and became greener the closer to the sea one travelled. The hillsides were now clothed in flowering fynbos of yet a different mix to before. We stopped for coffee quite by chance at a Rose Nursery and restaurant strangely enough called Rosenkof, which was the name of our hotel in Oudtshoorn. One could have been forgiven for thinking that this one was in a sub tropical alpine region, so different was the landscape. It was charming, there were roses, lavender and a beautiful garden. Stepping out of the car you were immediately aware that the air was fresher and perfumed. The views were stupendous and the restaurant and coffee pretty good too. They also did a nice line in quotations of which I'll give you a sight of later.
The closer to the coast we travelled the more lush and green the countryside became, as we descended from the Little Karoo plateau down to the coastal plain. We joined the N2 just outside of George and the National Route hugs the coastline all the way to Knysna. It is very beautiful. Knysna itself is set on a lagoon. This is strictly an estuary, which flows out to sea between two craggy headlands called rather originally 'The Heads'! A long low bridge spans the Lagoon and all of at sudden you are in Knysna itself, a small town which was founded in1876 with a gold rush. This was short lived; logging and the timber industry took over, due to the proximity of thick woodland clothing the coastal mountainsides. Today, it is one of the most popular spots to visit in South Africa and the views from our bedroom windows will tell you why. Kanonkop Guest House is like no Guest House I have ever seen and is set high on a hill above the town. One wall of our enormous room is completely glass and I think I could sit and drink in the jaw dropping views of the lagoon for the duration of our visit.
However, we are booked on a tour of the Featherbed Nature Reserve tomorrow so move I must!
The Featherbed Nature Reserve is privately owned and a South African Heritage site. It captures the essence of Knysna as somewhere special and clothes the flanks of the Western Heads. The only access is by ferry. Numbers are limited and you must join a guided tour. The morning was warm and sunny as we boarded the ferry and we had a very informative journey, care of Andre our guide, as we crossed the lagoon. It is certainly the way to see the Knysna region, from the water and we had a birds eye view of ...well...birds (!) including the rare black oyster catcher. There are some glorious homes dotted amidst the vegetation of the hillsides lining the lagoon, at a price of course. On arrival at the Featherbed Centre you are transported on a 4x4 train to the top of the headland through the indigenous forest catching glimpses of the fabulous estuary from all directions. Once reaching the top the views are even better and it is difficult to know which way to look. The entrance to the lagoon through a very narrow channel through the heads is treacherous and graded as the most difficult entrance for shipping by the Royal Navy and uninsurable by Lloyds, so that tells you something! We then were taken on a 2.2 km bush walk almost all downhill, which as most of you will know was going to be a test for me. A year ago, I certainly couldn't have done it, but managed it with care today to my joy. We arrived on the beautiful shoreline to marvel at Mother Nature all over again, before walking the coastal path back to the centre to lunch in the shade of the milkwood trees. It has been a marvellous day and we would recommend it to anyone in this neck of the woods.
We owe a great deal to Prof Smith; a chemist with a special interest in fish and the man responsible for the origin of this reserve. In 1938 he was called in to identify a strange looking fish trawled by a local fisherman. He was excited to realise that this was a living coelacanth, thought to be extinct for 70million years and to predate the dinosaurs. He eventually found another living specimen in 1952 and together with his wife devoted the rest of his life to not only their study, but fish in general. He wrote a very famous book and with the proceeds purchased the land that was to become The Featherbed Nature Reserve.
As for the name; where on earth did it come from I hear you ask? This port, despite its access problems, was once the third busiest in South Africa and crews had an uncomfortable and dangerous journey to get here, buffeted by huge seas and storms. On arrival and after running the gauntlet of the harbour entrance they had their best nights sleep in many a long month and it was said to be "like sleeping in a featherbed!" On early naval charts the bay was called Featherbed Bay and so the tradition began and has stuck over the years.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 16
- Freitag, 15. Januar 2016 um 21:25
- Höhe über NN: 318 ft
SüdafrikaKeurboomsrivier34°2’11” S 20°25’39” E
Oudtshoorn

Oudtshoorn, Western Cape, South Africa
Friday, January 15, 2016
This morning we set out to visit the Cango Caves system some 30 kms north of Oudtshoorn, just us and about 500 Frenchmen on Harley Davidsons, or so it seemed! Thankfully, the tour was in English. The caverns were gradually formed some 20million years ago in Pre Cambrian limestone under the Swartberg mountains and discovered by a Karoo farmer Jacobus van Zyll sliding down a rope with an oil lamp in 1780. It wasn't until the 1960/70s that the Caves were opened up to mass tourism and a careful balancing act has been struck to safeguard the amazing formations that they contain. You can only visit cavern one, which actually consists of several chambers and access to the other four are carefully controlled as the calcium carbonate formations are still active in various fantastic guises. One can see an interpretive film to fill in the gaps that are not covered by the tour. We were unsure quite what to expect, but it was certainly worth the visit and the caverns are indeed a wonder of nature.
We followed this with a visit to the Cango Ostrich Farm conveniently placed on the return trip to town. Again, there was a degree of reluctance, but as I said to Peter, we cannot visit the Ostrich capital of the world without seeing an Ostrich! This is a show farm as opposed to a commercial enterprise and the birds live a full life of up to 70 years. These days they are farmed for their meat and leather, the feathers being a very incidental offshoot. Close too, they are intriguing creatures with a real character of their own. The males are the grander of the species with their beautiful black and white plumage, but as our guide stated, the smaller brown females are definitely the sharper of the two. This is of course relative, as their eyes are larger than their brains and her quote of the day was that 'the lights are on, but there is nobody at home!' The eggs are enormous and extremely strong. It takes the chick 10-12 days to break out of the shell and a fully grown man of 200lbs can stand on one without breaking it. We enjoyed the tour in the company of a young American honeymoon couple from Chicago and a family with two young daughters from Cape Town. We made a jolly group and it was both fun and illuminating. Ostriches were fed, kissed and ridden and a lot learned in between!
I must be strong and try the meat this evening. It is on the menu here and there will be no better time to break my duck, or ostrich, if you get my drift!
This afternoon seemed the right time to visit one of the feather palaces built during the boom period with money made from 'ostrich gold'. The Le Roux Town House was built in 1908 as a weekend retreat for the farming family. All these homes were constructed of sandstone, which was the local stone of abundance and no expense was spared by these feather millionaires to proclaim their wealth to the world. All the furniture and fixtures and fittings were ordered from catalogues and the contents of the entire house shipped from England to Mossel Bay, the nearest port and brought overland by Ox Cart. The family changed nothing over the years and continued to use it as their weekend retreat from their even larger home on the farm until the early 60s, when the Oudtshoorn Museum Trust purchased it. The furniture on show now is not original as the family obviously kept it, but the wallpapers curtains and carpets are all still there in a fabulous state of preservation, including an amazing bordered Wilton carpet specially woven to exactly fit the unusually shaped parlour. I suspect the fact that it was only used at weekends, plus the warm dry climate, has helped here. All the wooden doors, architraves and built in furniture are painted to resemble top quality wood in trompe l'oeil tradition. It was very much the fashion with the very wealthy to do so, as it required a master craftsman at great expense, to achieve such an effect. Art Nouveau stained glass is on show throughout the house, edged in copper as opposed to lead, again as it was a more expensive medium. Trying to outdo the 'Joneses' has been going on from time immemorial!
However, the piece de resistance for Peter, was in the study (probably no surprise there!). A beautiful wooden filing cabinet stood in the corner, which he really coveted. Some like diamonds, others............ On enquiry of our guide, the piece was donated to the museum for use here in the house by a retired accountant. Well, would you ever!
I am sitting tapping away to you on the verandah outside our room. The rooms here are situated round around a lovely lawned oblong courtyard, with trees to shade them and a central fountain tinkling away in the background. It is all very relaxing, warm and comfortable and we shall make the most of it all before moving on tomorrow to Knysna on the Indian Ocean and the Garden Route.Weiterlesen
- Reise anzeigen
- Zur Bucket List hinzufügenVon der Bucket List entfernen
- Teilen
- Tag 14
- Mittwoch, 13. Januar 2016 um 21:25
- Höhe über NN: 318 ft
SüdafrikaKeurboomsrivier34°2’11” S 20°25’39” E
The Little Karoo

Swellendam, Western Cape, South Africa
Thursday, January 14, 2016
We awoke to a familiar sound this morning, the pit patter of rain on the patio! The locals are ecstatic, as the whole of South Africa is in the grip of a drought after the winter rains failed.
It was a travelling day in any case, as we had 225kms to cover through the Little Karoo to Oudtshoorn the ostrich capital of the world. Rte 62 is the inland mountain equivalent of the garden route and tends to be overlooked as a consequence. It is takes you through dramatic passes and valleys, through small non tourist dorps (towns) and villages and gives one the opportunity to see South Africa behind closed doors. Our journey today did all of that, plus the chance to view the Little Karoo first hand. This is an area of arid semi desert, in contrast with oases of fertile green valleys. The landscape is majestic and awe inspiring as the road rises and falls through a series of badlands where the colours seem almost sepia like. It is clothed in low fynbos of yet a different mix. When you stop and look closely it is a different story, plants are beautifully adapted to their habitat and there are flowers, but subtle and often strange looking. In the spring this region is a riot of brilliant colour for a few weeks, when everything flowers at once with the spring rains.
There were a couple of interesting places en route that will hold in the mind. Firstly, Barrydale, a small but charming town through Tradouw's Pass, with a character that makes you feel that it could be named after Barry on the Eggheads. We dropped into the best organised small supermarket I think I have ever come across and this was only reinforced by the fact that they sold oasis. I did a double take. You can scarcely buy it in the UK, let alone in the back end of South Africa! For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about - it is floral foam used for flower arranging. On advice we stopped at Diesel and Creamery, a converted garage and gas station whose decor is 1950s kitsch and quirky. They serve the best milk shakes in the world. There were Butterick sewing patterns framed on the back of the 'senhoritas' doors, a pair of stilettos in the corner as an adornment and a vintage bra hanging by the wash basin. I dread to think what artefacts were in the 'senhors' and as Peter didn't require the convenience, I didn't find out!
Secondly, in the middle of nowhere, with no settlement in site, loomed a low white building by the side of the road. Plastered on the side in bold lettering were the words 'RONNIES SEX SHOP'. I kid you not. There is photographic evidence. Peter screamed to a halt; he claims to take a photo?! There were several cars parked outside and it was only later that we found out that it is in fact a pub and the unusual name is to attract the curious customer. Sheer genius!
We arrived here in Oudtshoorn about 3pm and are staying at a small boutique hotel called The Rosenhof. Pure Victoriana, antique furniture and all. This is of course very much in keeping with the boom time of Oudtshoorn, when Victorian fashion was desperate for the very best ostrich feathers and the land and climate are perfect for their rearing. By the 1880s hundreds of thousands of kilograms of feathers were being exported for vast sums and serious fortunes were made. We will investigate this further tomorrow.
As a postscript, Peter, on prowling the room, (as is his habit), has come across this curious plugged in device that appears to have no purpose. 'What do think this is?' says he? 'Do you think we are being spied on?'
'Well' says I 'if that is the case they are going to be seriously disappointed!'
And on that note I'll say Nite Nite!!Weiterlesen