Kiwis winter in Adelaide

Markets – Beach walks – Almond Blossom Festival – Wine – Galwa – Port Elliot – Cycleways

Markets are HOT in Adelaide and practically mainstream

We are in Adelaide for a winter holiday, but before heading off to our base in Port Willunga, South of Adelaide, we shop up for goodies at the Adelaide Central Market.   Two days later we are at the prize winning Saturday Willunga Farmers Market – smaller and more grass roots local growers. Between these markets we barely need a supermarket and our shelves are stocked with great local produce for the next 10 days of holiday. It would be so cool to live here and have it all so close.

PS: Late July is also the time this community celebrates the annual Almond Blossom Festival – check out the programmme here

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The Beaches

Its colder than I am used to in a winter in the north of New Zealand, so we are looking for things to do that work around and with the weather. First choice if its fine is always a walk on the beach – Port Willunga is great, or head up over the hills and follow the coastal track as far as ….. Watch the weather though, we make it home one day just before a hailstorm hits.

The Fleurieu Peninsula south of Adelaide is full of winter travel options

If you are into wine you need go no further than cruising the fantastic McLaren Vale wine and cheese trail, but we are off to Golwa, Port Elliot and Victor Harbour for a drive. Gorgeous country – it is raining and the grass is green and it’s hard to believe that this is a dry climate. But when the summer comes these hills will be bare and the dams will struggle to cope, everyone has an egg timer in their showers and all around us people are installing rain water tanks.

Golwa

Its raining in Golwa, so we bundle ourselves into the Lime Café. It’s a good choice. We share a delicious homemade chocolate caramel and spice apple and pecan cake with butterscotch sauce. The Bruschetta sounded tempting – Grilled round bread topped with pesto, slow roasted tomato, crispy Proscuitto, haloumi and rocket, drizzled with olive oil – for $11. The coffee was good and strong, and I notice the sign that says they had won the barrista challenge award a few years back. They are definitely keeping up the standards.

Still raining, so we browse some excellent shops – including one claiming to be the oldest in the area, and a recyle boutique beside Lime. There is some fabulous public art around the place. Liz tells me that when she lived here she was involved in supporting some of these community arts projects – including the mosaic pelican. We were so pleased to join in on a public art project where locals were encouraging people to add their image to an emerging butchers paper mural – fabulous.

On our way out of Golwa we pass the train station, and a train is about to leave – on the spur of the moment I jump on and Liz agrees to drive on to meet me at Port Elliot.

Port Elliot

It’s the Cockle Train and our timing was perfect – it operates on Wednesday and Sundays only, doing three trips a day through to Port Elliot and Victor Harbour and return. A totally volunteer run effort – they restored the trains, and take turns driving, telling stories and being the guard.

Cockle Train

In Port Elliot its time for lunch and there is no debate – it has to be seafood at the Flying Fish Café. It’s a wild day – sea is pounding on the breakwater. It is beautiful whatever the weather. Last time I was here we walked around the cliffs and saw two large whales frolicking just off the coast. Today we drop into the Whale centre to see if any have been sighted nearby, but not today.

We head off instead to another beautiful public mosaic artwork at ……  The small the white and black feet weave the story of the local indigenous peoples, their reactions to imported food, the stolen generation and more. A huge whale seems to hold the story and tensions expressed there together. It is clear that whoever designed and worked on this mural worked hard to uncover the stories and to express both the pain and injustice along with a newfound desire to not marginalize this story, and to begin to find a way to express Sorry and to find a way to move forward.

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Off for a Cycling trip – as the NZ Tui Advert says “YEAH RIGHT”

Today I am planning to have a coffee at the fabulous Blessed Cheese Café in McLaren Vale before hiring a bike to ride from McLaren Vale to Willunga and return. The best laid plans of mice and …. The bike shop has a sign on it saying “Mondays – gone riding”. Foiled again.

I have heard so much about it – off road, but paved, winding through wineries and gum trees, past a labyrinth and playgrounds. Bummer, I have been here twice now, and have tried to do this bike trail each time. There are lots of great cycleways nearby – Port Willunga to Willunga, along the coast and more. Maybe next time.

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