March 17, 2023
Since it was St. Patrick’s Day a band playing Irish music as we came ashore greeted us.
We were docked in the outer banks of port Adelaide about 40 minutes from the central business district. Adelaide is the capital and the fifth most populous city in Australia. Adelaide is noted for its many festivals, sporting events and it’s wine. It is also a major defense-manufacturing center and was celebrating that they will be building nuclear powered submarines under a new agreement with the US. This will bring back the jobs lost when car manufacturing ended.
I set off for a trip through the rolling mountains, gardens and orchards in the Adelaide Hills. We made a quick stop at Mount Lofty for a scenic view of Adelaide. The sky was cloudy so not great pictures but it was still a spectacular view from 2,100 feet above the city.
Then we were off to the World Heritage site of Hahndorf. Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement steeped in history and has a romantic feel with century-old chestnut and elm trees lining the main street. The gardens were in full bloom and the trees where starting to change as it is almost fall The restored timber framed buildings from the mid 1800s, filled in with wattle and daub, and its craft shops, bakeries and boutiques made for a laid back day. The Bratman statue made it impossible to not go into the shop where I was able to get a vegan bratwurst that was so good!!
Back at the port I took off walking along the shore to the marina where there were lots of beautiful boats that I dreamed of owning. I walked a bit too far and was really exhausted by the time I got back to the ship just before the all aboard time.
Another fun day adventuring!!!
Next is Margaret River, the wine district.
