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!