The Ghan

Alright, one more apology about our lack of updates, but hopefully we can make up for it by telling you about all the cool stuff that's been keeping us busy!

We started off Day Three by relieving Casper of his duties. The Getz served us well. With a few hours to burn before our scheduled train departure, we parked ourselves and our bags at a cafe nearby, taking turns exploring the area. Around 11 we headed to the Adelaide Railway Station to hop aboard The Ghan, our train to Alice Springs.

Surprise! Wrong station! Good thing we got there so early! The station we needed was about a 10 minute bus ride away. No worries; we arrived in plenty of time. It was a good pulse jogger for the morning though!

The Ghan was named for the Afghani traders that settled here and established a trade route through central Australia. It takes a leisurely route of about 25 hours from Adelaide to Alice Springs. The economy Red Service section that we had tickets for came complete with a dining car and lounge (for an extra $10). Watching the scenery roll by, Caz and I played cards and listened to trivia about the Flinders Ranges.

Sleeping was not quite as comfortable as the website had made it look. Our seats were nice enough for sitting, and they reclined a good deal. Unfortunately, that left the legs at a strange angle that wasn't great for circulation. There was a lot of tossing and turning done between the two of us, but on the up side, we were awake to see the sunrise over our first view of the Australian Outback!

Only a few more hours now before we reach Alice Springs, which will likely be our last source of Internet for a while as we head on to Ayers Rock. For now, we're back in the lounge, searching the passing landscape for wild camels. Who knew?

Click on the photo below to view the full photo album! It's awesome!

Adelaide

First of all, our apologies for being absent on the blog! We just spent a week in the outback with no cell service or internet, so we've got heaps of stories to fill you in on!

But first to catch you up on Day Three.

We only spent 15 hours in Adelaide, so there's not too much to report on the city itself, but here are a few things that I will remember about "Radelaide":

• South Australia has its own time zone that is exactly 30 minutes behind Melbourne and Sydney. It's annoyingly pointless.
• Adelaide has a weird, New orleans vibe going on with the Victorian-style balconies and seedy adult shops on Hindley Street. But apart from that area, it seems like a really friendly place to live. Several people on the street stopped to offer directions, even when we didn't need them. I guess it's kinda hard to blend in when we're wearing backpacks and carrying grocery bags full of Cup-o-Noodles and Doritos.
• The gas station attendent told me about a yodeling, piano-playing Dingo in the Outback that we'll have to check out. Can't wait.
• I bought the first two Harry Potter books for our upcoming train ride (only about a decade behind the rest of the world), and it was sad how hard it was to find a bookstore. Only one out of three huge bookstores remains open on Rundle Mall as the rest have had to shut their brick and mortar doors due to competition from Amazon and other online stores. Sad times.
• Adelaide is in wine country, and we're looking forward to having a sneaky taste of local Shiraz on the train.

And that's about it! Next up is our adventure on the Ghan to Alice Springs so check back soon...it will be much more exciting!

South Australia

We got an early start on Day Two, and though it was raining, we decided to try our luck at Tower Hill, an ancient volcanic crater turned nature reserve. Excellent decision, for while Caz and I were not huge fans of the wet weather, the frolicking animals of Tower Hill didn't seem bothered at all. Inching Casper along the narrow, one way road winding through the park, we were treated to a veritable safari of Australian wildlife. Kangaroos hopped to and fro, many of them carrying adorable little joeys in their front pouches. They bounded across our path with no fear, although we didn't dare leave the car to try the walking trails. Kangaroos are very big and powerful, in case you were wondering. Better to stay cozy in the car.

Wild emus were another resident of Tower Hill. Much slower than the 'roos, but just as unconcerned about our little Getz, they strolled along the road and in the parking lot. One came very close to sticking his head straight in my window during a photo op. Their heads are really little compared to the rest of their bodies. While I've heard of emu farms in the States, it was quite neat to see them just wandering around in their own habitat.

Feeling quite cheerful about our wildlife encounter, we continued west towards Adelaide. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side this time. The sun peeked out now and again, but we were constantly pummeled with bouts of heavy rain. Still, Caz, Casper, and I sallied forth. The weather kept us from taking many sightseeing detours, but there were still a few notable bits. For one, the Big Lobster, which we happened on by chance. Supposedly there are Big things scattered all throughout Oz, and this was our first. It certainly was big; the Getz looked like a scooter next to it!

Another unexpected encounter was the car ferry. Now, I've been on ferries in the past. I've even taken a car onto one. But we're talking a 9 hour long journey. This ferry serviced just a small river. For bodies of water that size, I would have expected a bridge. We drove the car onto it along with a few others and took a couple minutes to stretch our legs and enjoy the sunshine as the ferry floated leisurely to the other side. Then we hopped back in and drove off as though there had been no interruption. Simple, but new and enjoyable.

Taking one last shot at sightseeing, we took a detour to Victor Harbor, a well known whale spotting site on the Fleurieu Peninsula. The town was quite cute, and it was the right time of year for sightings. However, as we parked, it began to hail. Just no luck with the weather. We tried waiting it out, but it didn't stop hailing until we left the parking lot. Figures. We parked again anyway and took a quick look at the harbor, but by then we were cold and hungry, so we cut our losses and finished our journey to Adelaide. Leg one: complete!

The Great Ocean Road

The start of our five-week loop around Oz could not have come soon enough! We were so excited to NOT be at work and to put our traveling shoes back on that we would've had fun no matter what got thrown our way on Day One. But as it turns out, we were blessed with an abundance of sunshine, epic coastlines, and wild koala sightings.

After some tricky navigating around the trams and bicycles of Melbourne's Monday morning rush hour (and Lauren's first hook turn!), we took off down the Great Ocean Road in our rental car, Casper the Friendly Getz. Let me tell you...little car, big heart.

We only had 350km to drive and all day to get there, so we took our sweet time, checking out the surfies and Split Point Lighthouse and frolicking in Southern Ocean along the way. The Great Ocean Road runs along the southern coast of Australia just west of Melbourne and is a must do for anyone visiting Victoria (that's our state by the way for all you yanks).

A friendly barista in Anglesea shared his local knowledge on where to spot wild koalas near Kennett River. The unsealed detour into the Eucalyptus forest of Otway National Park proved to be a worthy adventure as we watched koalas hanging from branches and munching on leaves. Well, one koala did that anyway while the rest of them napped as furry little balls in the treetops. Koalas can spend 16-18 hours per day completely motionless. Throw in the 5 hours they spend eating and there's really no time for anything else!

Just before sunset we reached the Twelve Apostles, the most famous feature of the Great Ocean Road. Years of erosion have left a series of stunning rock pillars along the coast. As you can tell by the name there used to be 12, but rockfalls and more erosion have caused a few to collapse in recent years.

Honestly, the viewing platform was full of annoying tourists and faced west making everything backlit at sunset, so I left the Twelve Apostles feeling a little underwhelmed.

Luckily Lauren pulled over at a small fishing spot just a few km down the road, and a short hike and one hopped fence to the cliff's edge gave us the spectacular views we didn't find at Twelve Apostles. The cliffs to the east were glowing bright orange in the setting sunlight, and we were able to catch the last moments of glory as the sun ducked behind the silouhetted rocks to the west. Epic end to an epic day. Epic beginning to an epic trip!

Be sure to check our the full photo album by clicking on the image below. Woo!

Ready for liftoff!

Welcome to our brand new travel blog! Both Caz and I have kept up travel journals in the past, but with our first great adventure as a traveling team on the horizon, we needed a fresh place to record our journey. And thus, Taylor Made For A Saturday Knight!

Here's a little background. Caz and I met while we were working at Coronet Peak ski field in Queenstown, New Zealand. We went our separate ways from there, but the beginning of this year found us together again in Melbourne, Australia. From swimming to swing dancing to triple-decker PB&Js, we've managed to have a lot of fun as we worked like crazy. Now the payoff has come!

Our plans are as follows: on Monday we will take a car and drive the Great Ocean Road, then divert inland to Adelaide. From there we'll take a 25 hour train ride to the very center of the country, Alice Springs. A 4WD campervan waits for us there, and we'll road trip it through the outback, with stops at Ayers Rock and Kakadu National Park. We'll drop off the car in Darwin and fly to Cairns on the east coast. In Cairns we're signed up for a 5 day scuba diving certification course out on the Great Barrier Reef. Then, joined by our friends Vinny and Shaina, we'll hit the road again to cruise down the coast. After a brief stop in Brisbane, we'll end the trip in Sydney, taking a few days to see the sights before heading back to Melbourne.

It's quite a trip, so watch this space! Great things lie ahead!