South Australia

We are now in South Australia, having completed our trip on the Indian Pacific Railway. The train was really interesting, tucked into our little cabin it was a brilliant way to see such a vast, almost deserted landscape. We called into a small town with just 6 inhabitants left, temperature 45 degrees c so the air con on the train was more than welcome.

Arrived in Adelaide to have our affection for Australia to be reaffirmed. So much nicer than Perth and its environs. Visited Kangeroo island lived upto and exceeded expectations. Abundant wildlife and remarkable scenery.

We then decided to head north to the Flinders Ranges, the start of the outback. This may have been foolhardy in a Toyota Yaris with the tailend of cyclone Yasi approaching. Got there with some intersting road conditions but after being told by locals that other roads were already flooded and closed and much heavier rain due we turned tail and headed back. We kept ahead of the worst of the storm (see picture below)but still did some deep fording (yes the picture is the road) better suited to our Land Rover.

Now Sourth of Adelaide in rural area with beautiful landscapes and yet more wildlife. Today we stood amidst over 200 cockatoos roosting and noisily calling to one another. A memorable experience. Tomorrow we anticipate seeing dolphins and penguins off the coast nearby.