Amazing April

 We had a few days without any commitments so took the caravan up to Booleroo Centre, a 3 hour drive from Adelaide,  for the Steam & Traction Rally which was great, especially for OH as he loves things mechanical and noisy!  I enjoyed the day too, but only spent 1 day there while OH went back a second day and I stayed back at the van and did some painting so we both had some time doing what we love.

My watercolour painting done while away in the caravan

Booleroo Centre derives its name from the Aboriginal meaning "place of mud", which on other visits there has lived up to the name but on this visit the weather was nice and sunny and no mud.

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Windmills on display

I have noticed on our more recent trips into the rural areas that there are not so many windmills in the paddocks, so it was good to see a collection of them at Booleroo Centre. Solar pumps are now seen on many farms as they require less maintenance than the windmills.

As the weather was good, we decided to go further north to Quorn in the southern Flinders Ranges, about an hour's drive. Quorn is a beautiful old historic town with many old buildings and the Pichi Richi Railway which is a major tourist attraction but unfortunately the train was not  operating while we were there but we enjoyed the beautiful old town buildings and scenery.

Quorn Railway Station

The railway yards in the town

Old water tank in railway yard

Eagle sculpture on one of our walks

Sunset view from railway yard

Quorn Town Hall built 1890

Warren Gorge

Driving through Warren Gorge

Quandong Cafe in Quorn is one of the first cafes in town

Sculptures were by Queensland artist Ivan Lovett. Note that each sculpture was able to be lit at night and have more impact.

Sculptures in the park

Our next stop was Port Germein, another small coastal town with the longest jetty in South Australia.

A walk on the Port Broughton jetty

View of the ocean from our caravan site at Port Broughton

Port Broughton Hotel

Port Broughton jetty

First pelican to see this trip

We met a beautiful Alaskan Malamute in Port Broughton

A few Galahs we disturbed

So that's our short holiday done, and we got home safely which is always good as there is a lot of traffic on the roads now.  

Happy Easter and stay safe and enjoy whatever you do.

Chihuly Glass Sculptures

We had a lovely  day out at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens to see the Chihuly Glass Artwork Exhibition.  The weather today was absolutely perfect considering we have had many really hot days here in Adelaide, but today was only about 28C, and the Gardens have many shady paths and trees and we enjoyed being outside getting some exercise.

The sculptures were really amazing and the sunshine added to their brightness and the background of the gardens made it really beautiful.  We were surprised at the size of the sculptures and wondered how they were transported and displayed in the garden setting as they were huge.  The display is also open at night and is meant to be even better than in the day so we might go again.  There is an entry fee at night but I think it is reasonable and probably well worth the  experience.

Polyvitro Chandelier 2006

Glacier Ice and Lapis Chandelier 2024

Palm  House

The Adelaide Botanic Garden Palm House is a rare example of the larger iron and glass botanical houses of the mid-late 19th Century,

Ethereal Spring Persians 2022

The Sun, 2014

Vivid Lime Icicle Tower 2022

We didn't get around to all of the sculptures so hopefully we'll get back another day and I'll take my other camera to get some better shots as I have trouble seeing the screen on the phone in the bright sun.

PORT ADELAIDE

 We had a day out at the Port Dock Festival and enjoyed some of the activities and  walked around then decided to sit and have some early lunch, actually a late breakfast, of pancakes with hash browns and eggs and pancakes with maple syrup and it was delicious and very filling.

The Lighthouse is Port Adelaide's icon. It stands at the end of Commercial Road marking the place where the city meets the Port River.

First lit in 1869, the Lighthouse originally stood at the entrance to the Port River. It was prefabricated in England from iron plates and shipped to Adelaide in pieces, replacing the lightship Fitzjames that had been moored at the mouth of the Port River to mark the entrance to the harbour.

We then drove around the local area as there are a lot of lovely old buildings still standing although many have been knocked down and replaced by high rise apartments which seems to be the trend these days.

The old Bank of Adelaide building built in 1885

Our breakfast of pancakes

View of the Port River from the cafe

Street murals 

Hart's Mill

The Hart’s Mill complex is a group of buildings on the Port Adelaide waterfront that includes Hart’s Mill, the Adelaide Milling and Mercantile Company flour mill, and associated outbuildings and other structures. Together, they constitute South Australia’s longest continually operating flour production facility, one that spanned a 125-year period between 1855 and 1980.

Coast Guard display

Art Deco Municipal Offices

Tug Boat "Yelta" at Port Adelaide Wharf

Yelta is a steam tug which operated in the Australian state of South Australia from 1949 to 1976 within both the Port River and the waters of Gulf St Vincent.

St Vincent Street, Port Adelaide is a popular shopping area

Clock Tower on former Town Hall

Construction on the Institute Building began in 1874 and opened in 1876.

We had a great day out in Port Adelaide, hope you enjoy the photos.