annhig

yes, thanks, Mel. A really good read as ever, and full of useful and interesting detail for those of us who might be thinking of a holiday in the region.

sartoric

Thanks from me too for a good ole trip down memory lane. I used to keep a horse in stables near the summit of Mt Lofty, spent weekends hacking all over the place, aah, those were the days.

Kudos Mel for all the details and insights, makes it so much easier for people who might want to follow in your footsteps.

Where to next ?

Melnq8

Where to next?

Currently on the SI of NZ Sartoric.

margo_oz

annhig

When are you returning?

jarand

Every once in a while I come across a trip report that completely changes things, and this is one of them! Thank you! We are deep into planning for the Melbourne/Kangaroo Island portion of our Australian trip in November and December. We'll have a rental car, which of course will be a bit exciting since we'll be driving on the left side of the road (yikes!). We'll be in Port Campbell on a Monday, and the Aldgate Valley B&B near Hahndorf by Weds evening. So what to do in between? I'd just decided on Coonawarra, then I read your report. Nope. It will be Robe.

A few questions: Do you have a website that helps you find all of these scenic routes? My trusty googlemaps gets me from A to B, but showing all the lovely meandering routes--not so much. Any cellar doors or easy scenic walks between Robe and the Adelaide hills that you'd particularly recommend?

We will have two nights at the Aldgate Valley B&B. During the day, we'd like to meander around the Barossa Valley or maybe Adelaide or McLaren Vale. We're more interested in beautiful scenery, lovely walks, wildlife, cellar doors, and charming villages than yet-another big city (i.e. Adelaide). Having been to that area, do you have any suggestions?

Finally--I'm a Colorado girl too. We retired from teaching in Greeley several years ago and now live in a small mountain community up above Ft Collins.

Melnq8

Hi jarand -

I'm glad you found my trip report helpful.

Small world - I attended UNC!

I found this website invaluable in researching SA - I also used it while planning our first trip to SA in 2009.

http://www.southaustralia.com/

It provides numerous driving route suggestions and they'll send you free copies of the regional brochures should you need any. I found that breaking the state down into regions is an ideal way to approach trip planning.

On our first trip to SA we visited McLaren Vale, the Barossa, the Clare Valley, Coober Pedy and Flinders Ranges. It was a wonderful trip and it inspired a return visit. We've yet to visit KI - such effort and expense is needed to get there that we were unable to talk ourselves into going.

You might find my previous trip report helpful as well.

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...-australia.cfm

Robe and Mt Gambier are definitely the way to go, and I'd think easily done as part of a longer GOR trip. We've only visited the GOR as a side trip from MELB, so I'm not going to be much help on linking the gap between Port Campbell and Mount Gambier without taking a good look at a map.

Because you'll be near Hanhdorf, I suggest you just stay in the hills instead of adding the Barossa into the mix - as you can see above we had no trouble filling our time in the hills - I could probably spend a week there just poking through all the country towns. We just used the very detailed map in the Adelaide Hills brochure from the site above. Incredibly helpful.

Just an FYI about McLaren Vale - for me, it doesn't fall into the charming category - because its so close to Adelaide, it feels more like a busy suburb and lacks the atmosphere I look for in a wine region - but that's just me. By contrast, the hills ooze country charm, particularly away from Hahndorf.

Just get in your car and go.

jarand

Thank you! This is just what I needed. Adelaide Hills sounds exactly like our kind of place. The brochures and maps are excellent!

I also really enjoyed your other trip report. What Fun!!! You encouraged me that maybe we really can enjoy good food at a price that's within the realm of possibility. Some of my earlier research had me a little nervous.

When were you in Greeley? We lived there from 1987-2014.

Melnq8

You're very welcome.

Regarding costs, we found SA less expensive than Perth, but coming from the US, you're in for a shock.

I was in Greeley in the early 80's - put a lot of miles on my little car back then, making trips back and forth to see my now husband who went to the CO School of Mines.

jarand

Another question Mel. We are looking into couch surfing for a couple of nights on the trip. More than saving money, we are interested in making a real-life connection and sharing cultures. IF we do, it will be our first time, and I'm a bit nervous.

Often guests bring a small gift and cook a meal for the hosts. In your experience, is there anything quintessential American that you don't often find in Australia that might be enjoyed? Anything a typical Greeley-ite might eat that you don't find there? I wondered about Mexican food (quintessential American--I know...).

Thanks.

Melnq8

Just about anything Mexican! Fajitas, pico de gallo, green chile, nice spicy salsas. Sadly, Old El Paso passes for Mexican food here.

Nice tequilas are also difficult to find, margaritas as we know them are as rare as hen's teeth (limes are like gold here in Perth).

Good old American BBQ, smoked beef and ribs, brisket, spicy homemade BBQ sauce, cornbread, roasted turkey with the fixin's, that sort of thing.

I've never seen an apple pie here, not that I've recognized anyway, and pies in general (the sweet kind) are pretty rare in my experience. Key lime pie, pecan pie, any pie really. You can find cheesecake here, but it's nothing like the cheesecake I know (and love).

Chicken and dumplings/biscuits/waffles (pick your carb), biscuits and gravy, or standard American breakfast fare (Aussie bacon is a taste I'll never acquire, look for streaky here)...oops I think my southern roots are showing.

As far as bringing a small gift, I've found that regional cookbooks (like Junior League, etc) go over quite well. I usually accompany them with a set of US teaspoons.

Now I'm hungry.

jarand

Thank you Mel. Again helpful! Besides margie makin's, anything I won't be able to find (or will be priced completely out of range?)

Melnq8

Well, you won't find much in the chili category, although Coles (grocery store) sometimes has fresh jalapenos and habaneros. I have to bring in my chipotle (dried). I bring in cornmeal too as polenta just doesn't seem to work for me in cornbread. Never seen Masa flour or hominy here, which makes me suddenly crave posole!

Quarantine restrictions in AUS will prohibit you bringing in most of what you'd need that you can't find here anyway, so a bit of a moot point.

Green grocers are often Asian owned and you'll find items there than you can't find in the average grocery store. IGA stores tend to carry harder to find items. I found some chile in adobe sauce at my local IGA recently...oh, the excitement!

The fresh produce and chicken is fantastic here.

annhig

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