Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour

Did you all have a great Christmas? I definitely did, as I celebrated it on the Groovy Great Ocean Road and Grampians Tour! It all started on Christmas Eve Day. The first day was the biggest day of driving. It was quite a long way to the Grampians, but luckily enough there was entertainment from our Groovy Guide Tom!  We played a game to introduce ourselves (very good idea), so in the first hours we knew EVERYTHING about each other. He also had an iPod with heaps of music on it, so it was definitely not a boring drive! After a morning coffee stop in the Adelaide Hills and a fuel stop in another town, we arrived in Frances. This was pretty much a town with a couple of houses and a pub, and at that pub we had lunch! After that we went to MacKenzie Falls, and took a small hike to there to take some great pictures. After that we went to some other lookouts in the Grampians and lastly arrived in Halls Gap. There we stayed at the Brambuks Backpackers. We saw lots of Kangaroos and had a little Christmas Eve party before going to bed.

 

The second day we made our way into the Grampians to visit some more great lookouts before cruising along the Great Ocean Road. Here we visited some great sights like the Bay of Martyrs, London Bridge, Loch and Gorge and the most beautiful part: the Twelve Apostles. We expected to see a great sunset there, but unfortunately it started to get really cloudy. Although we still enjoyed our time there and after sunset Tom cooked us a dinner at our hostel: the 13^th Apostle. Here we met another Groovy Grape group who came from Melbourne with tour guide Lorry. We all celebrated Christmas outside, while enjoying an (alcoholic) drink!

The third and last day we continued along the Great Ocean Road, to see the Twelve Apostles in the morning light and after that we made our way to the Otway National Park, which is one of the oldest temperate rainforests in the world. We then had an hour at the beach and drove to the official start and the historical section of the Great Ocean Road, with stops in the seaside villages of Apollo Bay, Lorne, Anglesea, Bells Beach and Torquay! Around 7 PM we arrived in Melbourne, sadly the tour was over. After 1 night in Hotel Discovery, I made my way to Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station where I took the Overland Train back to Adelaide for only $54!

If you want to see the Great Ocean Road & Grampians in a Groovy way, freecall: 1800 66 11 77 or phone: +61 8 8440 1640, email: getaways@groovygrape.com.au , or surf to www.groovygrape.com.au 

     

If you want to jump on the Overland train you can surf to: http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/site/the_overland.jsp and select the Red Service Seat.

Or stay at Hotel Discovery in Melbourne, check out: http://www.hoteldiscovery.com.au/

Groovy Kangaroo Island Tour

Guess who was a lucky bastard this weekend? Me! I went on a 2 day tour to Kangaroo Island on Saturday with Groovy Grape, my second Groovy trip!

My Saturday started really early. I had to wake up at 5AM, because our Groovy tour guide Dan was to pick me up at 5:45! After we picked everyone up from their hostels in the city we made our way to Cape Jervis, where we had to catch the 9AM ferry to Kangaroo Island. On our way we had the opportunity to have a little brekky (Australian word for breakfast) in the town of Yankalilla. We arrived at around 8AM to Cape Jervis, on time for getting the tickets and catch the Sealink ferry.

Vivonne Bay

After 50 minutes (of sleeping :P) on the ferry we arrived on Kangaroo Island. After buying some goon for the evening, we made our way to the highest point of Kangaroo Island, Prospect Hill. From there we had an amazing view of the island. Here, Dan told us about how Kangaroo Island was discovered, and what kind of animals you can find on the Island. After that we had a sandwich lunch and we made our way to Seal Bay, where we had a guided tour on the beach and saw heaps of sea lions who where lazing around.

When the Seal Bay tour was finished, we drove to a place called the Little Sahara for my favourite part of the trip, sand boarding! This is, as the name explains, the same as snow boarding, but on sand! We had so much fun! A couple of hours later we drove to Vivonne Bay. Vivonne Bay was rated the best beach in Australia (based on things like clarity of water, privacy and cleanliness) through research by the University of Sydney. After taking some nice pictures and chilling at the beach we made our way to the Groovy Cottage where we had a BBQ dinner, made a campfire and watched the amazing wildlife (kangaroos, koalas, geckos and even a scorpion).

Remarkable Rocks

The next day we visited Hanson Bay, at the koala sanctuary, the Remarkable Rocks where you can take some funny pictures and Admirals Arch where we spotted some New Zealand fur seals. After lunch and a visit to the Flinders Chase National Park visitors centre we headed back to Penneshaw, to take the ferry to Cape Jervis and drive back to Adelaide.

If you want to take a trip to Kangaroo Island call 1800 66 11 77, +61 8 8440 1640, email getaways@groovygrape.com.au , or surf to www.groovygrape.com.au !    

Rock Patrol: Days 3 to 6

The Groovy Bus - Mr. Cricket

Day 3

Leaving Coober Pedy at 5:00 AM, we drove through the desert in the dark of the night through which was quite exciting. We had breakfast as we watched the sun rise over the breakaways. It was a bit cold, but definitely worth it - it was beautiful!



That day we crossed the border of South Australia and the Northern Territory. We were really excited because we knew that we were getting closer to seeing Uluru, Ayers Rock and seeing that Australian icon is of course one of the highlights of the trip. Every time that we saw a big rock in a similar shape to Uluru we thought we that was THE rock, but our tour guide let us know that it was not the rock yet. Eventually, when we did see Uluru it was magical, capturing our attention instantly.



Our camp for the next two nights was at Yulara, where Groovy has it own site and shower and toilet facilities are only 20 meters away. That was the first night that we were going to sleep outside in swags. In the evening we went to the sunset lookout point at Uluru. We brought some champagne and classy goon to celebrate this unforgettable moment.



The Tough Ones - Sleeping in Swags

That night some of the group slept inside because they were too scared of snakes and spiders that might be outside. The tough people (including myself) slept outside in the swags which was a great adventurous experience and is amazing to sleep in the open air and gaze at the millions of stars in the sky.

The next morning everybody was still alive and except for some ants crawling on the swags no other creepy crawlies were spotted, hallelujah!

Day 4

We watched the sunrise at the lookout point at Kata Tjuta which was also worth getting up really early for. After breakfast at the car park we drove to Kata Tjuta to do the Valley of the Winds walk. This walk is absolutely amazing, but make sure that you start the walk before 11 am because otherwise a certain part of the track will be closed, due to the heat. In the afternoon we went to the cultural centre where we learned a lot about the aboriginal culture and afterwards went back to camp to chill in the pool for the rest of the day.

Day 5



Uluru Base Walk



That day we did the base walk and the Mala walk around Uluru, learning more about the stories and culture of the aboriginals. After the walk we headed back to camp, packed up our stuff and headed to our next destination - Kings Creek Station. It was another beautiful day so in the afternoon we chilled in the pool again and it was possible to go for an optional helicopter, quad bike or camel ride. I and some other passengers hopped on the back of a camel and a sexy Australian cowboy took us for a ride.

That night finally everybody was brave enough to sleep outside and it was a night which we will never forget. We were all lying in our swags and couldn’t stop staring at all the millions of stars in the sky, it was stunning!

Day 6



Kings Canyon at sunrise



The next morning we had to get up at 4 o’clock because we had to drive to Kings Canyon and hike to the top before sunrise. Firstly we had to climb Heart Attack Hill, which definitely makes your heart beat a lot faster than normal. We waited at the top of the hill for the sunrise and then continued the walk. It was an amazing walk with some great views, a beautiful crater and a landscape which reminded me of the moon. After the 3 hour walk we headed back to camp and prepared a massive Aussie BBQ. Totally stuffed we jumped in the bus and headed to our final destination - Alice Springs.

That night we decided to have dinner together at Annie’s Place in Alice Springs (only costs us $5 each) which ended with all of us dancing on the tables! After the party at Annie’s all the Groovers returned to their hostels and jumped in unfortunately a normal bed this night. The next day everybody went their own way, but definitely left with a lot of new great Groovy memories.

Rock Patrol: Days 1 & 2

Alligator Gorge

Day 1 Early on Wednesday morning I arrived at the Groovy office where tour guide Brian was waiting for me with the Groovy bus to start our desert trip. The swags, our beds for the next few days, were all loaded on the top of the trailer.

We picked all the 15 passengers up from the hostels in town and made our way up north. The first stop was at Clare Valley, which is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions, where we stopped to buy some drinks to share in the evening.  

The Southern Flinders Ranges are located next to the Clare Valley and east of the Spencer Gulf known for its beautiful nature.  Our campsite was in Wilmington, Stoney Creek. We had lunch at the campsite and because the rain seemed like it could come down any minute we decided that we would sleep in bunk beds in the shed that night. 

In the afternoon we took a hike through Alligator Gorge and spotted some kangaroos bouncing around. The walk through the Gorge was about an hour an a half and was absolutely beautiful. During this time people got to know each other a bit better, as most people were asleep on the bus.

After a lovely barbeque dinner at night the entire group played some card games, but didn’t go to bed that late because we had to get up early the next morning, to drive to Coober Pedy.

Don't fall asleep - you might miss a camel crossing

Day 2 After breakfast we headed to Coober Pedy, which was around 600 km away from Wilmington. The landscape that you drive through on the way is very remote; you can drive for hours and not see a car, person or town. You should pay attention though because you will spot camels, snakes, lizards, kangaroos, dingos and other wildlife over the drive. We made a stop at a Lake Hart, a beautiful salt lake where we took some nice pictures.

Lake Hart

Late in the afternoon we arrived in Coober Pedy, which is known as the opal capital of the world. We did an opal mine tour at Umoona, where you see a video about the history of opal mining and take a tour through an opal mine. They also show you how the town’s people live underground, which is quite interesting to see. For dinner we ordered some pizzas and enjoyed a couple of drinks, played some more card games and enjoyed each others company. That night we slept like the locals, underground! The locals sleep underground because the temperature outside is really hot and underground it is always constant and comfortable at 20 degrees Celsius.

Opal Mine - Coober Pedy

Next week you can read more about the Rock Patrol tour, we will cross the border of the Northern Territory and will finally see the big red rock: Uluru, do the amazing Kata Tjuta Walk and go to Kings Creek Station. 

Dinner Time!

Adelaide has hundreds of restaurants, but how do you know where to eat if you’ve just arrived here? Just read this blog and choosing a restaurant shouldn’t be a problem anymore!

Steak menu at the Excelsior 

 Excelsior Hotel (9/10) 110 Coglin Street, Brompton: They advertising their steak as the best steak in the west and I can tell you it’s true! At this restaurant I ate the best steak I’ve ever had. The staff are very friendly. On Friday evenings there is live band for entertainment that makes dinner heaps of fun. Go on a Wednesday or a Thursday in November and everything (!) is half price. 

Silk Road (4/10) 576-580 Port Road, Allenby Gardens: For a traditional Chinese meal go to Silk Road on Port Road. Unfortunately when we went there the stir-fry bbq lamb we wanted was not available and the kong pau chicken we ordered in place wasn’t that tasteful. Also the interior wasn’t that nice and it lacked atmosphere.

Ba Guo Bu Yi Chili Fish Soup

Ba Guo Bu Yi (8/10) 98 Gouger Street, Adelaide: Make your way to China Town in Adelaide, because this Chinese restaurant is great! They have quite a varied menu and the wait staff were very helpful, they served the food in only 10 minutes. Our food was absolutely delicious! The only negative thing about this place is that they could do with some new furniture, as it looks a bit old in my opinion.

Burp (7/10) 20 Hindley Street, Adelaide: Perfect for a meal or a quick snack. You all know Subway - this is similar, but with Mexican food like burritos, tacos, nachos, enchiladas and quesadillas instead of sandwiches.  The taste is great, and you can buy a meal for a very affordable prize. Check their menu at http://www.burpburritos.com/menu.html!

 

I have one last thing to say -

Enjoy your meal!!!

The Festival State

South Australia, the festival state - that’s what it says on every car number plate here in Adelaide. Although South Australia might not have the most interesting attractions in Australia, it definitely makes up for it with all the wicked festivals, concerts and events it hosts!

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

The surrounding parklands, the Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Oval and the Festival Centre is where it all happens. The Entertainment Centre is situated in Hindmarsh and is the where they host and stage the biggest international artists and entertainment, so for all the European and American visitors - you do not have to miss out on the shows of you favourite artists, whether it be Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne or the Kings of Leon.

Listening to some wicked tunes pumping out the speakers, enjoying a Coopers beer while chilling in the sun in a park - that’s what a festival is all about and Adelaide has all the elements you need for a great one. During the summer period (October- April) there are a bunch of festivals for all kinds of music lovers. From rock, metal, pop to world music, house and techno there is always a festival suitable for your taste. Check out the Gorgeous Festival, Day on the Green, Summadayze, the Big Day Out, WOM Adelaide, Future Music and Sound Wave just to name a few!

I of course don’t want to miss out on the Adelaide festival experience while in Australia, so I’ve bought a ticket for the Stereosonic Festival 2011. Great house and techno DJ’s from all over the world, such as Benny Benassi, Afrojack, Crookers, LMFAO, Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten and many others come to perform at this festival. Although the tickets are kind of expensive, it is definitely worth the money with all the different acts you get to see. Tickets are still available in Adelaide you can now buy them for $139.95 per ticket on this website: http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=49156&ref=totem.

The Zombie Walk in October every year

Something totally different is the Zombie Walk, an interesting event which is held in October every year. Young and old dress up as zombies and do the Zombie Walk from Rymill Park to Light Square.

So if you’re in the festival state or you’re planning on going there, check out the events calendar on the South Australia website: http://www.southaustralia.com/events.aspx and make sure that you don’t miss out on your favourite events and festivals while you’re here!

Nightlife in Adelaide...

If you love it to go out (just like me J), you have to be in Adelaide! Every Saturday I go out and I can tell you, this is nightlife to the max! The best clubs and pubs in Adelaide are located on Hindley Street and Rundle Street. A great place to start your evening is in The Elephant, located in a side street off Rundle Street - 1 Cinema Place. This is an English pub where it’s almost choccas (that’s Australian for busy) the whole night! Downstairs you can sit down and enjoy your drinks in a relaxed way, meanwhile upstairs plays a band. We enjoyed an imperial pint of Cooper’s Pale Ale (the local South Australian beer, similar to Hertog Jan) for just $5 and watched the band! When the band stops playing and you want to party even more, grab a taxi or walk to Hindley Street! In Hindley Street are some take-away restaurants that are great for a midnight snack and also some big night clubs to dance the night away.

Written by Jelle Verhoeven