[Continuing my journal from our trip to Australia in 1992]
Saturday, July 4, 1992
As we drive southeast to Victor Harbor, we listen to news
reports on the radio about Americans gathering for a fireworks and Fourth of
July celebration. Apparently there is a large population of Americans in
Australia.
We
have heard that this is the time for whale watching at Victor Harbor and a
whale was sighted three days before but there is nothing for us to see. We walk
out to Granite Island and explore. An Aussie family tell us to watch for
droppings on the rocks and then look in the cracks and we will see the
penguins. To our delight, we find the little critters nestled in a pile of
rocks, one eye peeking out at us.
The
ocean is beautiful crashing against one side of the island. We look out in the
direction of Antarctica. It is breezy and cooler here but light jackets keep us
warm even though it is winter.
Hahndorf,
the first German settlement in Australia, seems like a good place for lunch. I
laugh. We have come half way around the world to Australia to eat German food.
Just
outside of Adelaide we stop at the Cleland Conservation Park. On our way in we
buy bags of food to feed the kangaroos and emus. To our delight and surprise,
the kangaroos are not the least bit bothered by us. To the contrary. They hop
right up and put their forepaws around my waist to beg for food. They are
gentle with us but we see some of them scrap with each other. The emus are like
ostriches and stand tall enough to look us right in the eye.
In
another section of the park we get to handle a koala. He is every bit as cute
as his stuffed polyester version at home.
I fall
asleep listening to Rob and Bob watching TV trying to figure out net ball, the
Australian version of basketball.
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