Hopping Around Australia!

Adding Kangaroos to the Family

Mirah and Rivah wanted us to bring back live kangaroos from Australia. We all knew that wasn’t really going to happen–and they admitted beforehand any gifted kangaroos would be stuffed–but the conversation was a lot of fun.

First, we discussed how we’d bring them back on the airplane. Mirah had an answer for that: “Just put dresses on them, so they will look like real people.” The girls had names: Mirah’s would be Jesse Bailey, and Rivah’s, Rainbow Lola. So, while in Australia we told them we were interviewing kangaroos to see if any wanted to come and live with Mirah and Rivah. 

Kangaroo Island

After Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, we flew to the state of South Australia and via its capital, Adelaide, to Kangaroo Island, where we spent a few days reveling in nature experience vs. urban adventures. One might compare the island to Wisconsin’s Door County (except that’s a peninsula) or Cape Cod, but way less gentrified, despite wineries, a few small towns, and beaches. We stayed in Kingscote,  the biggest town on the island. Our modest hotel faced the sea, and there was a path alongside the water to the business area of the town about a kilometer away. On our first foray after arriving, we discovered a swimming pool built as a tide pool of the ocean. Of course, I had to try this unique spot. It was a great swim.

At 9 am the next morning, we started a full (and I do mean full) day experiencing the rest of the island with our guide, Luca, an Italian resident who came to Australia after meeting his wife when she was a student in Italy. Along with just three others–a young couple from Switzerland and an Australian guy on holiday–we set off to see, walk, hike, and climb amazing places–until 7 pm. The variations in topography and climate reminded us of Northern California: from a forest-like home to koalas and kangaroos (too elusive to interview), to seal lion beach enclaves under warm sun, to clouds and chilly wind at Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks. On and off went our sunglasses and jackets! We circumnavigated the whole island with pleasant companions and Luca’s excellent narration. He even cooked a barbecue chicken skewer lunch at one stop. One of the most delightful guides we’ve ever had anywhere.

And what were the odds? Milwaukee Around the World

Later that evening, as we made our way into town for a relaxing dinner, we encountered a couple looking down the embankment at the tidepool pool. I ventured, “I swam there yesterday; it’s great.” The man countered,”Are you Americans?” It went on from there: they are Jennifer and Joe Teglia, who live in Shorewood, a Milwaukee suburb about 15 minutes from us. Though this wasn’t official Jewish geography (they aren’t), we discovered a few friends in common. (Oops, forgot to take a photo.)

Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, believe me, is out of the way, the last place you’d expect to meet another couple from Milwaukee. Unbelievable small world encounter.

Adelaide: Food, Wine, and Fun With Friends

The next morning we took the ferry that travels from Kangaroo Island to Cape Jervis, which is more than an hour’s drive from Adelaide. We’d decided to change planes in Adelaide and fly to the island, because the public transportation from the city to the ferry and back again is timed for local daytrippers (either early morning or late evening), and the alternative is arranging one’s own. We did the latter on return because we wanted the ferry experience (but not at 7 am) one-way. So, we bit the bullet and had a car meet us at the ferry to take us to our hotel in Adelaide. Along the route we passed a golf course with kangaroos hopping around (“FORE!”)–talk about hazards. 

Adelaide is a shipping center, the capital of South Australia, and a much smaller city than others we visited. With mountains backing up the Central Business District (CBD), it reminded me a little of Denver many decades ago. Going the opposite direction: Pacific beaches.

Like the rest of Australia, the cultural scene, including food, is quite diverse. We had Saturday lunch at the Central Market, a lively place near Chinatown, replete with 80+ vendors selling everything from organic produce to felafel to Chinese to sushi to “smelly cheese” to the local Haigh’s chocolate. The market opened in 1869, probably with less gourmet and multi-ethnic products. Our walks also took us to beautiful parks and monuments of famous South Australians, including a number of Nobel Prize winners. But Adelaide, especially on the weekend, is definitely a quieter city.

Except at the beach!

That evening we spent with our friends, Francine and Mika Johanssen. Francine, a marketing whiz, and our daughter-in-law, Amy, have been pals since primary school in the same hometown. Mika is Finnish and an executive in the global freight forwarding business. They moved to Australia from Shanghai about ten years ago and love it. Their daughter, 20, is now at university in Sydney. We hadn’t seen them since the 2008 Olympics in China when she was four. After drinks at their home, we had dinner outdoors at a Greek restaurant in a beachside development that reminded us of Laguna Beach Village. The area was rocking.

The next day Francine took us to the Adelaide Hills winery area for wine-tasting and touring at a couple of beautiful wineries with gardens, picnic areas, and lots of families enjoying the sunny Sunday afternoon. Fun (language) fact: in Australia tasting rooms are call cellar doors.

We left for Brisbane Monday morning. Still no kangaroos in tow!

Above: Admirals Arch caves