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

The Barossa Valley

This week I was lucky to go on my first Groovy Grape tour, the Barossa Valley single day tour!  After a nice bike ride through the rain I arrived at the Groovy Grape office to hop on the bus to the Barossa. The tour guide, Ngaire and I, picked everyone up at several locations around the city and drove towards our first stop, the Big Rocking Horse. Next to the rocking horse is a café, which is a nice place to get some coffee and brekkie to wake you up.

After their caffeine shot everyone had a bit more energy and we drove towards the Barossa Valley heading to the Whispering Wall. On the way to the Whispering Wall you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings, see some kangaroos jumping in the fields and the beautiful water reservoirs through the trees.

We arrived at the Whispering Wall, which was built between 1899 and 1903 and is the retaining wall of the Barossa Reservoir. When they finished building the wall they discovered something special about it, if one person stands at one side of the dam and another person at the other side (approx 150 meters distance) and whisper, they could hear each other loud and clear. The wall is now a popular tourist attraction.



View from Jacob's Creek Visitor's Centre



We drove up to our first winery, Jacob’s Creek.  The Barossa Valley produces about 45% of Australia’s wine and Jacob’s Creek probably produces over half of that 45%! The winery is located up in the hills, which is a beautiful location. We got a tour through the winery and they told us about the history of Jacob’s Creek. Afterwards we tasted some of their delicious wines.



Tasting Room at Kies Family Wines



After some wine tasting the group’s mood improved, so we pumped up the music in the bus and drove to the next winery.

Kies Family Wines was the second winery we visited. A small family owned winery, which opened their cellar door in 1985. We were able to taste a selection of their wines and had time to make some purchases. Their wines are very reasonably priced too!

The third winery that we visited was Richmond Grove, which is situated on a beautiful property that looks like a little castle. Here we took a Basket Press Cellar Tour, where we experienced over 100 years of winemaking history. It was really interesting to learn about the process of wine making. After the tour we tasted some of Richmond Grove’s wines, learnt about how to distinguish which vintage the wines are and how to taste wine properly.

Normally Groovy Grape does a barbie on the riverbank at Richmond Grove for lunch, but because the weather didn’t allow for this we went to the pub and had some lunch there instead.

After our big lunch we went to Seppeltsfield, which is famous for its 100 year vintage tawny (same taste as port, but because it is not made in Portugal you can’t call it port).  You can have a shot of the 100 year old vintage tawny for $30 or, if you are a backpacker on budget, you could just have a smell and imagine what it would taste like. We also tasted their wines which were again totally different than the wines at the other wineries, as they were mostly of the fortified variety.

If you would also like to experience a lovely wine tasting day in the Barossa Valley for only $85, call Groovy Grape on 1800 661 177 or +61 8 8440 1640 or book online: https://groovygrape.tourstogo.com.au/booking/?SESH_TOURSTOGO=soierpn34kvphdjgcthpp1u6c1

G’day mates!

I would like to introduce myself! My name is Jelle, I’m 19 years old, from Holland and trainee at the awesome Adelaide based tour operator Groovy Grape Getaways! I’ve lived here in Adelaide, South Australia for almost 1 month now, have 4 months to go and think this city is fantastic! In this blog I want to tell you about what I’m doing in my time here in Australia and what you should (or shouldn’t) do if you visit for yourself.

  

 When I arrived at Adelaide Airport it was surprisingly good weather. It was winter time, but almost the same temperature as the summer in Holland! When I met my fun and crazy roommates I knew this was going to be an awesome experience. In the first week I had some time to explore Adelaide, so I did Groovy Grape’s Barossa Valley Wine Tour ($85 for a great day of wine tasting and a delicious BBQ lunch, with marinated kangaroo!) and I can tell you, there is no better way to experience the local culture than to taste it – it’s delicious!

Another must-see around Adelaide is Glenelg, or “The Bay” as the locals like to call it. This is a beachside suburb with palm trees in the centre square giving it an awesome tropical, summery atmosphere. Grab some drinks from one of the many pubs down here, listen to the music and enjoy the vibe. It’s easy to get to Glenelg: you can just catch a tram, which departs from King William St in the city or the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Hindmarsh, home of some big concerts, including Kings of Leon coming up on the 11^th of November (tickets from $101). A day trip for the tram costs $8.80 and is the best value to get you to Glenelg and back. You can buy your ticket beforehand from a newsagent or on board the tram if there is a conductor (but if there’s no conductor, you get a free ride like I did!).

See ya in my next blog!



Hi there everyone...

Let me introduce myself, my name is Danielle. I am a 20 year old Dutchie and a trainee at Groovy grape Getaways. With this blog I would like to keep you guys updated about my life, including time at work, trips in and around Adelaide and of course, the nightlife!

I have been in Australia for 6 weeks now. I spent my first week in Sydney which was absolutely amazing and when I told people there that I would go to Adelaide to do my 5 month placement, they told me I was crazy. According to them Adelaide is one of the most boring cities in Australia. Well, I have been here for 5 weeks now and I can tell you guys it is not at all boring, it is bloody AWESOME out here!  

Adelaide is a lovely picturesque city, it is well known as the city of churches, but also has some beautiful beaches, home to great white sharks, 3 of the most dangerous snakes in the world and lovely koalas and kangaroos too.

Since I arrived, I have been quite lucky, because the weather has been pretty good even though it is winter here in Australia. I went to Adelaide Hills with my friends in a dodgy red pickup truck, which makes it even more Aussie. The Adelaide Hills are lovely and when you pass by a winery definitely go in to visit, because most of the time you can do some free wine tasting. South Australia is well known for their wine regions, as they certainly make some great wines. If you drive up the hills you might end up in a small town called Hahndorf.

Hahndorf is one of the most famous towns in the Adelaide Hills. It is a lovely small town and it is the oldest surviving German settlement in Australia and the evidence of that is still remaining in the city. You will definitely enjoy this small town up in the hills with all its nice souvenir shops, craft outlets, galleries, cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy having a drink or a bite. We definitely did, while enjoying the sun at the same time!

If you want to see some wild koalas hanging around in the trees you could go for some hiking in Morialta Falls and you will probably find them there. If the koalas don’t show up you will probably still enjoy the hike, because the surroundings are stunning. There are lots of hiking routes to explore up in the hills, so if you feel like having a sporty day and enjoying the surroundings at the same time, put on those hiking shoes and go up to the hills.

A couple of weeks ago I went to Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide hills, which was really entertaining and I am sure all tourists would love it. You can feed the kangaroos (believe me, after you feed 20 of them it is not that exciting anymore) and try to touch a Joey who’s chilling in mum’s pouch, but be careful (the mum will kill you).  You can also hold a koala and have your photograph taken with one at Cleland, you have to pay $30 for it but it is definitely worth the money!!! These sessions are held daily between 2 pm and 4 pm and on public holidays and Sundays they have an additional session between 11 am and 12 pm. 

Another option is attending the Koalas in Close-Up session which is held twice a day from 11 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 4 pm.  During these sessions you can enjoy petting and photographing the koalas, but no holding.

You could also attend one of the other daily shows:

12.30 pm Lorikeets

2 pm Tasmanian Devils

2.30 pm  Dingos                                        

3 pm Pelicans/waterfowl          

3.15 pm Forest aviary                      

1.30 pm (Sundays only) Snakes and reptiles           

Cleland Wildlife Park is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am to 5 pm. No admissions after 4.30 pm.  Entry is $18 for adults, $14.50 for concession and $11 for children (3 – 14 years).

In my next blog I will tell you blokes and sheilas something about the nightlife here in Oz, you definitely don’t wanna miss out on that one. Oh and I will also tell you some more about my work experience at groovy!