Heading south in Aus - Another retrospective TR

Loading? then attaching? Can you elaborate please? I am dragging and dropping straight from FB which is really quick and easy but shows large. The few not from FB I resized and they are the more manageable size but I cnaat be bothered resizing a whole swag!.


Hmmm. At the bottom of the post window, there is the button to Attach Files. That's what I'm doing. I click on it and load the images from the files on my laptop. Once loaded, I just click on the add full size image at the appropriate location in the text/copy. It seems to work.
 
Balranald has 16 frog sculptures scattered around town. We found around half.


Those frog sculptures are sooooo cute!



Rio Vista Homestead and Arts Centre

That's an amazing homestead. The art is gorgeous as well!


The fountain is a replica installed in 1991. Following the drowning of her child in the fountain, the owner (William Chaffey's) second wife Hattie couldn't bear looking at it and it was donated to the town where it now stands.

How sad. :(


A curiosity in the bathroom, a Coiffure Tidy - which false ringlets would be wound around, together with ribbons etc.

I wonder how long it took to put a ringlet together and for an entire coiff to be done for the night?
 
The border between NSW and Victoria follows the wiggly line of the Murray here, with South Aus intersecting at right angles east of Renmark. Not far within the border you pass through quarantine control. We were thoroughly searched here - glovebox, back seats, esky's, the locked trunk and most boxes within it opened (looking for prohibited fruit and veg in order to protect their industries from the fruit fly). We had already checked this morning to make sure we were in the clear but it was much more stringent than our last fruit fly border crossing, several years ago, within NSW.

How times have changed. These days, no one is allowed in or out! :(



Unfortunately this visit there were not much wetlands to view - it was drylands.

Yikes! That is dry.




Kangaroos, like us, were hanging out for a glass or two of red or white.

Not quite! They don't have any glasses in hand.



Hawker's Tasting Platter for lunch - very tasty

WOW! That Hawker's Tasting Platter looks delicious. YUM!



Waikerie silo art

It's still pretty.



Maggie Beer's Farm Shop at Nuriootpa (for internationals Maggie Beer is a famous Aus chef including a popular TV show with colleague Simon Bryant, the Cook and the Chef).

I've been watching the Cook and the Chef a bit lately. I think Simon Bryant's style of cooking is more aligned to mine only because he likes spice and the asian flavours. But Maggie's dishes are always delicious looking. I'd like to go there some day, if the borders open up!



pheasants for the pot perhaps?

Awww. No. That one looks so cute!




Our bed for the night in nearby Tanunda, a cute little cottage.

That cottage looks lovely and cosy.
 


Tanunda retaining some of the most Germanic character

Very pretty town! I have yet to make it to the Barossa Valley. I always figured I would travel Australia in my golden age. Guess that might be sooner than I thought!


Coming from Qld, vistas of Spring blossom are rare.

Would you believe.....I'm starting to see blossoms around the neighbourhood? The year is flying past fast.


There was lots of beautiful cherry blossom.

Stunning!
 
Day 6 Into Adelaide

Our next stop for the morning was Seppetsfield, a very large commercial and well known winery. I tried some nice wines here but when a large tour group arrived I changed my mind about taking the heritage tour, and DH wasn't interested, and we moved on.

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We didn't go in to Chateau Yaldara (1847 wines) but it looked like it had a grand tasting room.

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View of vineyards

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Some km further on after a stop at Woodside Cheese factory and Melba's Chocolate Factory for provisions, we reached Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills. A stop at the Berenberg Farm Shop was a must-do for a much bigger range of products at prices equal to or below those sold in the supermarket.

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Hahndorf is reputed to be Australia's oldest surviving German settlement, established in 1839. As well as many historical buildings, there are also lots of speciality shops, boutiques and cafes.

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This is one of the oldest houses built in 1839 showing the German fetchwerk (half timbering) the town is famous for.

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The Old Mill, originally a steam-driven mill that dates from the 1850s.

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The Angel of Hahndorf sculpture by Craig Madson outside the Hahndorf Academy.

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The Academy was opened in 1857 to provide 'a sound and good English and German education, in order to enable its pupils to enter the learned professions or to prepare for commercial life'. It became a boarding school in 1863 then a Lutheran college and seminary. When the Education Dept opened up high schools in 1916 it became a hospital until 1937 then had various uses before becoming a gallery in 1967. It now houses a regional art gallery and German migration museum but we didn't go inside as we were getting late for our arrival into Adelaide.

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Our home for the next three nights, the Brighton Caravan Park in Seacliff. We stayed in a villa with views of the ocean that due to the poor weather we unfortunately never got to enjoy. The villa was brilliant though.

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View from the deck

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Brighton Beach in front of the caravan park

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Looking towards Brighton pier that I thought more impressive than the infamous Glenelg's. Entry was through the Arch of Remembrance.

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The old pub near the jetty and Jetty Rd that stretched inland lined with trendy eateries.

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By the time we got back with groceries it was dark.
 
Day 7 Warning Severe Weather Event

The weather report that greeted us the next morning. The seas were so high all ferries to Kangaroo Island were cancelled for the day. Thankfully not the day us and PIO's group were travelling. We decided to keep to our plans to visit Adelaide city anyway, catching the train.

Rundle Mall was an obvious stop. Truffles is sniffing, Horatio is sitting, Oliver is routing in the bin and a tourist is sitting on Augusta (to the rear). Given the weather warning the mall was very quiet as can be seen.


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This sculpture caught my eye.

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The Adelaide Arcade was a disconcerting replica of the Brisbane Arcade, except in Adelaide the basement is closed. (Apologies for large size - it won't load the original the right way round).

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A view inside from the upper gallery.

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We warmed ourselves with coffee and cake from a nice tea shop in the Arcade (but neglected to take a pic) then dodged the showers to walk briskly along North Terrace admiring the University of Adelaide Buildings. This is Elder Hall Conservatorium of Music (dating from 1883).

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Bonython Hall, the University's ceremonial hall (1936).

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The Brookman Building (originally the SA School of Mines and Industries).

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While Adelaide is renown as the city of churches I managed to distinguish our visit by not taking pictures of any! (In my defence the weather was not lending itself to meandering.)

 


A blustery Botanical Gardens

The entrance to the Gardens at the end of North Terrace

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There were signs up everywhere warning of the "extreme weather event" and advising do not walk under any trees, but we were here now.

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The Australian native garden

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Mamma duck and bubs

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A fountain in memorial to Mrs Henry Rymill, Commissioner for the Brownies 1934-1942

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The fountain outside the Bicentennial Conservatory, the largest single span conservatory in the southern hemisphere (and an escape from the deluge that came down).

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Very jungly but dry inside

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The weather also drove us in here, the Santos Museum of Economic Botany. First opened in 1881 it has been continuously used for the collection of 'useful' plants. Together the Museum is significant because the whole entity has survived, including the building architecture, showcases, collections and many labels. It was refurbished in 2009. It was wonderfully C19th feeling.

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We spent a longer time than anticipated checking out the displays.

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After sampling some excellent hot toasties in the cafe by the pond, the weather eased somewhat and we moved along a bit (but can't believe blue sky is showing here). This is the very pretty Palm House, a restored Victorian glasshouse imported from Bremen in Germany in 1875. It is thought to be the only one of its kind still in existence.

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Looking towards the Economic Garden

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With the rain seemingly temporarily eased but not the cold wind we made our way back into town, past the Botanic Hotel and Chambers on the corner, an example of high Victorian architectural style built in the boom of the 1860's to 1880's.

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A Controversial Art Gallery

Despite that blue sky, it teemed down again so the rest of the afternoon was a toss up between the Museum and the Art Gallery. The Art Gallery won. I had read that the new curator had set the galleries up by themes mixing styles, objects and eras, which had attracted a lot of controversy - people seemed to either hate or love it. I was curious what camp I would fall into.

The theme at the time of our visit was Being Human - who are we, where did we come from, where are we going? Here are an assortment of works that caught my eye.

The personification of Winter (1700s)

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I neglected to get the details of this one.

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Letter Rack by Edward Collier (1698), an example of tromp d'oeil.

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The most prominent work in this gallery, 'We are all flesh' by Berlinde De Bruckere, 2011/12. The notes say it is reminiscent of two disfigured horses (I thought more like a bull!) suspended in a dying state but it is an illusion. The guide says: "Its portrayal of suffering references altarpieces depicting Christian martyrdoms and its composition relates to the iconomgraphy associated with St Sebastian as a naked youth of androgynous beauty bound to a tree or column. De Bruyckere uses the body to ponder what it is to be human." Hmmm....

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Taking up a whole room, 'Absence Embodied' by Chiharu Shiota, 2018. This was quite powerful even if I have no idea of the point. Those are disembodied arms and feet holding the strands to the ground.

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The next set of galleries were in the theme of "Rapture". As the guide said "...included in these galleries are works from different periods and parts of the world, enabling us to consider the extent to which definitions of, and attitudes towards, beauty are historically bound and culturally conditioned".

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So yes or no, the juxtaposition of ancient and contemporary art? For me it was no, but then I mostly dislike contemporary art anyway. (The twins are Twin-subjector' by Thomas Hirschhorn, 2011.)


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Contemplating Death and the After Life

The theme After life had some of the most challenging and interesting conjunction of exhibits where I appreciated the curator's intent a bit better.

'The exact dimensions of staying behind' by Ricky Swallow, 2004-5.

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A horseman (Boeotian) from 6th century BCE Greece. Horse and rider figures were popular grave offerings in Boeotia during the 6th century and were probably an indication of the person's social and political status or an offering to a god.

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Meanwhile in 6th century AD, a Haniwa dog from Japan. These were placed around grave mounds to mark the tombs of aristocrats. It may represent the person's real dog and be intended to protect them. This practice ceased following the introduction of Buddhism in 552.

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'Still Life' by Giorgio Lucchesi, Italy,1901

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'The dead goldfinch (All that was left to love)' by George Elgar Hicks, UK, 1824

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Das swings unt roundabouts fur der kinder? Ja? Nein! Schweinhund! (Swings and Roundabouts for the children? Yes? No! Pigface!) Dinos Chapman 2011. Very hard to photograph and I spent far too long identifying individual scenes. The Macca's characters made it even more surreal. Apparently "this apocalyptic work addresses the darkness of the human experience by exploring emotions of horror and disgust. Must of its detail is in poor taste, revealing the black humour, irreverence and subversive wit for which artists are renowned. The psychotic rage of the MacDonald's characters symbolise the destructive excesses of capitalism, while the figurines in Nazi uniforms expose man's capacity for barbarity and violence. The work also raises the question of whether art should have a moral message".

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Something a bit nicer, Arthur Boyd, 1966-68, 'Nebuchadnezzar dreaming of gold'

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David Gulpilil, 'King brown snake with blue tongue lizard at Gulparil waterhole', 2013-14

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So my conclusion, on balance I prefer a more traditional style where works from archaeology or a set time period or by one artist are grouped together, but it is an interesting concept.
 
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Ooh! Seppelts looks like a great winery to visit.

I've never been to Adelaide. If we are ever let out of lockdown and if the borders ever open up, looks like a place to go.


And yes. I agree with you. I think I prefer artwork grouped by era rather than the eclectic collection.


Thank goodness we didn't have that weather for our ferry crossing or whilst we on the island!
 
Very pretty town! I have yet to make it to the Barossa Valley. I always figured I would travel Australia in my golden age. Guess that might be sooner than I thought!

There is so much to see. We have lots of friends traversing west and north-west Qld at the moment, wetting my interest, despite having travelled some of the roads. Cobbold Gorge for example, and the Age of Dinosaurs at Winton.


Would you believe.....I'm starting to see blossoms around the neighbourhood? The year is flying past fast.


Yep, I don't really like how fast the far end is flying towards us!

Stunning!
 
I used to live in Adelaide. Love the pictures of the city and your visit to Hahndorf! Scrolling through them brings back so many memories.
 
Day 8 Ever Popular Glenelg

The weather was marginally better this morning but still squally rain. We headed the few km along the coast to Glenelg late morning. It was very quiet. Perhaps it was our mood, or the weather, but we were underwhelmed unlike most visitors. The, what appeared to be new, development near the marina was quite ugly. Admittedly a wet cold day is not the time to visit a beach area! Friends have said it reminds them of an English seaside town so the rain should have added to the atmosphere! I will reserve judgement til another visit on a sunny day.

(NB. Thank you to Sayhello who gave a link for other frustrated people on the quickest way to fix an image rotation issue with Windows10 when posting here)

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Looking towards the Glenelg Pier

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Historic houses are dotted throughout the area. This is Glenara House built in 1873 for William Hill who was involved in many agricultural and business ventures in SA. It remained in the family until 1990.

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I liked the contrast between the old and the new. On the right is Albert Hall dating from 1878 and first occupied by William Kyffin Thomas, one of the first European colonists and part owner of two Adelaide newspapers. On the left, a modern beachhouse.

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Entrance to the pier

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Looking back from the end (the marina is out of view to the left).

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Cormorants

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Looking towards the Glenelg Mall with the Glenelg Town Hall on the left and the memorial to the founding of SA, centre.

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Close up of the memorial

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The rain came down again quite heavily so we beat a retreat back to the car and spent a quiet afternoon at home. The inside of our (messy) unit to show how spacious these cabins were.

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Late afternoon stroll

As the weather cleared in the late afternoon I went for a wander to the reserve behind the caravan park.

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Tjilbruke Monument commemorates the Tjilbruki dreaming and the Kaurna Aborigines. It represents the head, body and haunches of Tjilbruke with the stone lying across stone knees representing his nephew. In brief (I read the full story in plaques walking down to the beach) Tjilbruke was a master of fire making and a skilled hunter. He was out hunting an emu but lost it and then came across his nephew Kulultuwi cooking an emu he had just killed over a fire. By accident Kulultuwi had killed the emu Tjilbruke was hunting which was against tribal law. Tjilbruke forgave him but his nephew was with his two half brothers who were jealous of his popularity and they thought he should face tribal justice so they speared him to death then took him to the home of the clan and started to smoke the body. Later looking for him, Tjilbruke discovered his nephew's death. He took the body to a freshwater spring on the beach (below this spot). Tjilbruke then carried his nephew in mourning along the coast to Cape Jervis where he displayed the body to the Spirits of the Dead on Kangaroo Island. At each of his camps on the way his tears became the springs and water-holes of the Kaurna coastal hunting grounds. Tjilburke then went into a cave and feeling old and saddened by the death of his nephew he decided he no longer wanted to live as a man and with feathers from a Grey Currawong he turned into a Glossy Ibis. You can still see his spirit in the ibis that live around the springs and swamps.


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But I know what I thought it looked like 😜

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On the beach the para-surfers were enjoying the wind. We prayed for calmer weather so we would make it to Kangaroo Island on Monday.

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