Explore Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Esperance, Albany, Fremantle, and Perth with tips on scenic drives, coastal towns, local highlights, and travel planning advice.
Adelaide to Perth: Our Australia Travel Stops
I have broken up our trip in Australia this past winter into three posts, first Tasmania, then Melbourne, and now I am finishing up with the rest of our Australian trip. These were a series of short stops, starting with two days in Adelaide.
Adelaide
It turns out the city of Adelaide is a 45 minute drive from the cruise port! You learn something new every trip.
We had a tour planned our first day there. We went to some overlook on our way to Hahndorf. The town of Hahndorf was super cute with a rich German history. For those of you from WNY, think of it as a German Lewiston located in Australia.
Hubby and I walked the town, had a pizza and a glass of wine in a wine bar that contained an old Lutheran school house inside of it! The school house was constructed in 1839, and the wine bar was built around that remaining one room. There was also a cooperage, old tools, and a Delphin clarifier.
Hubby just had time to get a gelato, (a scoop of rum raisin and a scoop of fig) before we had to run back to our bus. We spent a few hours in this quaint little town and could have easily spent a whole day.
The next day Hubby canceled our wildlife sanctuary tour. It was a long drive with a stop at the same (unimpressive) overlook. Since it was a Sunday and 45 minutes into Adelaide from our ship, I made Hubby look and see what was open. The answer was a market about 20 minutes from the drop off point, but we’d have to have taken the 8:30am shuttle in. Heh. Nope.
The marina next to us had a few restaurants that opened at noon, but no shops. Soooo it was a lazy day onboard.
Unfortunately, that evening we received devastating news. My younger brother – who was physically fit and very athletic – had passed away.
He and his wife had gone out with friends to a concert. They came home and he decided to snow blow/shovel the driveway. He was out longer than expected, and his wife went outside to find him collapsed. He had apparently had a heart attack and died.
To us, this was unreal.
That brother (I have two) was the one that did so much for my mother and he was the connection for all points of our family.
His grandchildren will miss out on his being fully engaged with their lives. I knew he’d never move south until they were out of high school as he did so much with them. They truly lost a fabulous grandfather and willing playmate.
Even now, months later I look at my phone and think, “Oh, I’ll send him this photo,” or call him with that story or joke. He’s never going to visit again, this time with his clubs so he can play the golf course we live on. We used to travel with him and his wife, and when we lived up north we dined out with them weekly. We were quite close.
His passing has left a hole in our family with the suddenness, and we are learning to cope with his being gone. He wasn’t sick, he wasn’t old, and he had so much to live for. A true tragedy.
And of course, we were halfway around the world and could be of no help to his widow or my mother.
Port Lincoln
I had considered not going on the tour today as I was still weepy over my brother’s death. Then I thought to myself – what am I going to do? Stay on board and cry? It also would not have been fair to Hubby.
So, after sleeping very little that night – Hubby was awakened by a call from my brother’s best friend at midnight. After that call we decided to call my mother and our SIL as with the time change it was 9am eastern – we went on a tour that included a fishing story and tasting.
This was right up Hubby’s alley and I am glad we went.
The tour started with taking us to the fishing and shrimping boats, and telling us the stories of the fisherman and divers. Port Lincoln is the “fishing capital of Australia.”
We went to a fish processor to see the different types of fish caught in the area.
We were given a demonstration of filleting. The calamari was fascinating how this skin is basically rolled up leaving a tube of meat to be cut.
We then went into the attached restaurant to try different types of seafood and fish, some of which was heavily smoked. Yesh. All that did was disguise the taste and did the seafood and fish no service. We did enjoy the very good fish and chips served to us.
After that, it was on to the local maritime museum. We watched a short video and then basically got a private tour of the place as just three of us “wanted a slower pace.”
There wasn’t much to Port Lincoln, so we returned to the ship.
Esperance
And then we were on to two sea days as we headed to Esperance. We encountered some very rough seas and we were not certain we would be able to tender in. It turned out fine, however.
In Esperance we were scheduled for a panoramic tour but Hubby said, “no more!” to those. He didn’t care to hear people yap for two hours and then get herded off to overlook a town.
So, he got together a shopping list for our “needs” (H&BA, cookies, and chocolate) and found the nearest Woolworth’s (next to a K-Mart – no joke) and we walked there and back.
There was N-O-T-H-I-N-G in this little town.
We did buy a sympathy card for my mother and our SIL and sent them off. The Australian post shrugged when Hubby asked how long it would take to arrive (it ended up being three weeks). It was $3 Australian to mail each card, so $2 US.
Albany
The next day we hit Albany and went on a local “cruise.”
It. Was. Fabulous.
We were greeted by pelicans that were very different in coloring and appearance than the ones we encounter in Florida. As we arrived there were stingrays swimming near the boat.
Inside this small lake we saw all manner of native birds including osprey. Captain Jack would throw a fish in the water (he had filled the fish with air in advance so it wouldn’t sink), the hawks would grab the fish and fly away with the fish in their talons to eat it (they do not eat while flying).
There was also a tea service with local damper bread.
And we got to taste local oysters.
Captain Jack told the story of how he rescued this guy when he was little and rehabbed him. The pelican has remained friendly and always comes to the boat. When we originally approached the boat this guy was trailing the captain on the gangway.
This guy was very friendly.
This has been the screensaver on my phone since I took the picture! It looks cartoonish, doesn’t it?
How’d you like to have been that lady!? I’d have died!
Just a terrific, informative, lovely tour.
Fremantle and Perth
The next day was our last day in Australia.
We docked in Fremantle which is a suburb of Perth.
Fremantle was a nice, small town with a hopping main drag full of restaurants and people. Since it was a Sunday, we chose to take a tour to another wildlife park, and a local winery.
The wildlife park was very nice but we did not have much time there. So, we decided to hit up the penguin exhibit and the crocodiles.
The little penguins are the smallest penguin species and the only penguin species to live permanently in Australian waters.
It was a hot day (90°) so the penguins were swimming in the pool, not toddling about.
The croc exhibit was a bust. Small crocodile just sitting behind a glass. We saw more active and larger crocodiles in St Augustine.
We made a quick trip through the nocturnal reptile house and saw a possum having dinner.
The winery was fine and I bought a bottle to enjoy in our cabin over the next three sea days.
Then we spent 90 minutes (!) driving through Perth without a stop so we could get a feel for the city.
By then, Hubby was ready to burst. He didn’t have breakfast, didn’t have lunch – and that man gets hangry – and then the “she didn’t shut up” complaints about the tour guide started. It is a TOUR. People are interested in the surrounding area. Trying to convince Hubby of that though…
And so, our time in Australia drew to a close.
This trip to Australia was much more enjoyable than our last time there.
The weather was wonderful for the most part, cooler than average with little rain. We went on some excellent tours and had a great time on those tours and in the cities.
And now, it is on to Asia.
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