Saturday, March 17 – Westward bound

Iconic view. But who turned the lights out?

We woke up early, as we always do when we have a plane to catch, but since we'd been to bed early we felt reasonably well rested and not too jet-lagged. We packed up and were all set to check out by 6:20. We walked to Circular Quay, pausing for one last view of the Opera House.

One last view of the Harbour. It's quiet at this hour.

We arrived with plenty of time to spare. We even had time for a few pictures; the elevated train platform has a great view. But the huge cruise ship at the Overseas Passenger Terminal blocks out some of the Harbour Bridge.

So we caught the 6:30 train to the airport. As opposed to yesterday, this one was nearly empty. Lots of seats, pleasant cool air, and a worry-free ride. We had maybe $5 in credit left on our Opal Cards so we’ll save them for next time.

At the airport, we headed to the domestic terminal, and the Virgin Australia counters to check in for our flight to Adelaide. Since we are Delta Medallion members, I knew that we could use their priority check-in lines, but I didn’t think that our status would get us anything else. Boy was I wrong – what a pleasant experience!

After checking our bags and printing boarding passes, the agent asked us if we knew about their lounge. I replied that I did, but I didn’t think we had access. "But of course you do!" was the reply. "And you can enter through our private entrance for medallion members. Just go out of the building, turn left, and take the next door." So, we did just that.

There was no line, just a counter and a security screening lane. It was lightning fast - we just showed our boarding passes at the counter, and went through security in about 30 seconds. As we exited the screening area, we immediately passed through a door and entered the Virgin lounge. Sweet! 

Goodbye Sydney, until next time.

They had a nice breakfast buffet and a barista who was making coffee drinks. There were plenty of seats, too. We had a nice light breakfast.

After a most enjoyable stay, we boarded and soon we were on our way to Adelaide.







It was just about a 2 hour flight. As we made our final approach, I saw rain clouds offshore. Hopefully, they will stay there!

Adelaide from Summit, Mt. Lofty

We were early and got to our rental car, which was an upgrade. I’d rented an Audi A4, and they gave us a Q5. I wasn’t terribly excited to have a bigger SUV-type car but it didn’t drive like a big vehicle, which was lucky.

We drove about 45 minutes to the top of Mount Lofty, which wasn’t too exciting, and the weather was a bit overcast.

Flinders Column, Mt. Lofty

So we headed to the other side of the park for a short waterfall hike. But first, a bite to eat! There was a little cafe in the parking lot, called Utopia @ Waterfall Gulley. Nice menu and the food was tasty too!

Pork Sliders at Utopia

Chorizo Sausage

Then a quick hike to the waterfalls, but they were fairly small.

First Falls. Imaginative Name #1

Second Falls. Continuing the same theme!

There were several more falls further along the trail, but we figured it was best to get back on the road.

Next we visited Gorge Wildlife park. It was actually quite nice, and we stayed later than we expected. A good array of animals and birds to see.

Ring-tailed Lemurs

The photo ops weren't the best because of cages, but with some creative positioning, and adjusting depth of field for focusing, you can get the cage out of most of the pictures. I liked their faces.

I think this is a Serval Cat

This guy almost looks human.

The face on this fellow. He seemed pensive.

I couldn't stop laughing at this joey, just a bundle of gangly legs sticking out of mom's pouch. Looks kind of uncomfortable!

Snap this quickly, and then get out of range, before he spits on you.

Emu. Not the prettiest bird.

The marmosets were very playful. It was hard to get one sitting still.

The iguanas were no problem, though!

Lounging around, waiting to be held

The two otters were adorable. They played together like little kids. They reminded me of my nieces and nephews when they get together.






But the one thing that we didn't anticipate was that our admission ticket included a chance to hold a koala. So we stayed for that, and got a few pictures too.

A good photo op before continuing on to Barossa.

We were more impressed with the encounter than they were, I think.





A few more animals to see before we left.

Fruit bats, but we call them flying foxes. We'd seen them in Sydney last time, in the Royal Botanic Gardens. No cages that time.

Meerkats are adorable. And they have great poses. Very photogenic!

Capybara, the world's largest rodent. He has some serious teeth too. Hope he's yawning and not threatening to take a nibble out of me.

Patagonian Mara. A little smaller, but still a rodent, even though it sits like a dog.

Cassowary. The casque on top of its head is heavy and hard. Supposedly it can kill a human if it hits you in the right spot. And if the casque doesn't get you, its claws are even more dangerous - they look pretty nasty too. Not a very cuddly bird, but strikingly pretty colors.

These two kites were adorable, though.

Who was more curious? Us, or the otters?

Little Blue penguins.




Finally, we managed to pry ourselves away from the animals, and we headed on to Barossa.

Welcome to Lanzerac Country Estate!

We had planned for our 2-night stay there, at a B&B called Lanzerac Country Estate. We arrived a little before 5 and settled in. The owners were very welcoming, and they had a nice cheese and snack plate to welcome us. They gave us some dinner recommendations and offered to call for reservations once we decided where we wanted to eat. They even offered to drive us to dinner as well!




And it gets better. They have a happy hour in the lobby with wine at 6:00! So, of course after getting ready for dinner, we had an apertif with them and the other guests. I could get used to this service!

Pork Belly, one of the main courses. Paired with a Grenache.

It’s a quick drive to town but even better when somebody else does it for you. We had dinner at a restaurant called FermentAsian, a play on words reflecting their passion for Asian-inspired dishes, and fermented beverages. We decided to go for the tasting menu with wine pairings, which was quite good.

After a full meal, the restaurant called Justin and he came to pick us up, just as he’d promised.


Another great day! And tomorrow, there will be a full day of wine tasting!