Jul 18 - Pengi Besuche Harndorf! Guest Blog!

  Hi Everyone!  It’s Pengi again with another big adventure.

  This little penguin was a little sad today because it was our last day at Victor Harbor.  I shall miss seeing my cousins and worry about them after learning about the dangers they face.  I hope that Joyce and the other people working at the penguin centre are able protect them and help the colony grow like my friends back home in Bicheno have.  I shall have to convince Jess and Mr Smart to return back here soon to check on their progress.
  We soon packed up our belongings and said goodbye to our home away from home away from home, as Mr Smart liked to call it.  As we packed the car, we noticed the big house on the hill in the distance again.

  We had noticed this house on the way into Victor Harbor, and during our journey had regularly spotted it, due to its prominent place on the hill.  Since we had a little time to kill, we decided to find it for a closer look.  Naturally it wasn’t too hard to find but it was surprising to learn that it was actually a private residence, not a hotel or reception centre.  They must have had a big family to require so much space!

Mt. Breckan

  The next activity for the day was a spot of whale watching.  Jess’s Mum had told us that there was quite a few spotted in the area and had supplied us with some binoculars to spot them.  I was still a little nervous about getting close to whales despite what Jess had told me about them only eating small fish.  Luckily we stayed on the land, not something you hear a penguin say too often!  It did make spotting them a tad hard though, even with the aid of the binoculars.  We did manage to find four of them playing in the sun and took many pictures of them.

Bashams Beach

  Mr Smart even took a video of it which makes them a little easier to see.



  Finally it was time to say goodbye to Victor Harbour and return home, with a stop or two along the way.  Looking back, we saw that Victor Harbor truly is the land the end of the rainbow!

  Our next stop was close to Adelaide, so we took a long leisurely drive through the countryside.  It was very picturesque though we noticed how windy it was, the car nearly being blown off the road a few times.  Well, not quite off the road, but it did swerve regularly.  It was even more apparent when we arrived in Handorf and had to leave the shelter of the car.  It was very windy, and Jess and Mr Smart had to huddle in their jackets while they walked along.  I for one was glad that I was snug in Mr Smart’s jacket also.  It was so nice when we finally found a place for lunch and were able to enjoy a traditional German weissbier in front of the fire.
  Mr Smart was quite adamant about enjoying the German experience of Harndorf and we ordered a Giant German Hotdog for lunch to share.  We had thought it would be nice light meal since we weren’t very hungry.  Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be bigger than me!

  After lunch, we strolled up and down the main street looking at the various souvenirs to take back with us.  Mr Smart has an in joke with his screen writing class from last year about babushka dolls, so naturally he had to take a photo of a whole wall of them! It was quite fortunate that he did though since they seemed to be the perfect gifts for Jess’s nieces that we were seeing in the evening.
  We finished our tour of Handorf and headed to the home of MinxB and BaconBones, Jess's brother and sister-in-law, for dinner.  It turned out to be a wonderful evening with Jess’s family.  Her nieces quite enjoyed their babushka presents and had great fun taking them apart and putting them back together.

  We were even lucky enough to get a visit from IronSmart!

  After a fun-filled afternoon playing with Jess's nieces, a delicious meal home-cooked for us by MinxB and a lovely evening all round, we finally returned to Adelaide, our home away from home and settled back in.  It was a wonderful trip down the coast and this little penguin looks forward to returning sometime soon.
  Love from Pengi

Jul 17 - Pengi Takes The Train. Guest Blog!

  Hi Everyone!  It’s Pengi again with yet another big adventure!

  Whoa.  What a lot of walking we did yesterday.  Both Jess and Mr Smart had really sore feet by the end of the day and this little penguin was glad that they had been kind enough to carry me everywhere.  Thankfully, today was going to involve far less walking.  Instead, it was going to involve a trip on a choo choo train!  One of the things Jess had been looking forward to showing us on this trip was the Cockle train that still ran between Victor Harbor and Goolwa.

   We had time for stop in at the Anchorage to enjoy our complimentary breakfast, and Mr Smart was particularly happy to enjoy another one of their marvelous coffees.

   After finishing the delicious meal, we made our way to the station though it seemed that we arrived too early and had to wait for the train to arrive.

  It wasn’t too long a wait before we heard the toot toot of the approaching train. We looked down the line to see the stationmaster performing the old job of manually closing the boom gates. He then held up the flags to signal the train driver that it was safe to enter the station.

  Once the train came to a complete stop, Jess decided that she wanted to sit in the red carriage, so I hurried inside and secured some seats for us.  While waiting, we learned that a group was running late so the train would wait for them to arrive before departing.  While I was eager to get underway, I was glad that the driver was being so considerate and making sure the other group didn’t miss out.

  Thankfully it wasn’t too long a wait and we were soon underway.  It was soo exiting to be zooming along and I was quite amazed to see how close to the beach we travelled.  So close in fact that we were able to spot whales that people were looking at.  Sadly, we couldn’t take any photos of them, despite the driver stopping to allow the passengers a view, since they were still far out to see.  I didn’t mind so much because whales make me nervous.  I know they mostly eat krill and small fish, but it’s hard to remember that when a great big one is swimming past a little penguin like me!

  The driver was such a nice man, not only had he waited for the group and stopped to let us see whales, but he even allowed us all to come to the front of the train and look out the window.  It was soo exciting to watch us zoom along as fast as could be.  It was even faster than a penguin swimming through the see.

  We also learned where the train got its name from.  People would travel to Goolwa to collect cockles from the Murray River and it became such a regular occurrence that they started to call it the Cockle train, and the name stuck.  The train line itself was built to transport goods from the Murray to the port at Victor Harbor.  When it was no longer used for that purpose, it was turned into a tourist attraction for little penguins like me.  And for humans as well I guess.
  All too soon we arrived at Goolwa and started our sightseeing of the town.  First up was a walk up to the top of the bridge crossing the Murray River.  Wow, what a great view it was, and it was amazing to see how big the Murray was.  No wonder Adelaide used it to get its drinking water.

  We then ventured back into the main area of the town, stopping to fuel up on coffee and a baby honey log.  We also marvelled at the street art spreading throughout.  It seems that someone had decided that the usual stobie poles were far too plain and decided to brighten them up according to various themes.
  We were slowly making our way to the sadder part of our trip.  Last year, Jess lost her beloved Granny Jean, and one of the purposes for our visit today was to see her house again.  It held so many fond memories for Jess and she regaled us with many tales from her childhood.  There was so many funny stories that this little penguin couldn’t help but smile and laugh at them, but I knew how sad Jess was that she was gone.  I gave her a hug which I hoped helped.  This little penguin suggests you all hug the people you love right now!

  After the somberness of visiting Granny Jean’s house, we made our way back to the wharf area.  There we decided that we would share a lunch together and when Jess saw that they had pie floaters on the menu, she insisted we try one since it was a South Australian tradition.  Mr Smart and I had grave misgivings about the idea but we always like to try everything at least once, so we agreed.  It was just as well that we did since it turned out to be quite delicious.  Even Jess was impressed by the quality of it and decided that it was one of the best she had ever had.

  After finishing our meal, we ventured over to the nearby Steam Exchange micro-brewery to acquire some presents for Jess’s brother.  They had a fine selection on offer and Mr Smart would have probably enjoyed having a schooner or two to taste, but sadly our train ride back wasn’t too far away.

  Jess and Mr Smart decided on the beers that they would be purchasing and we made our way back to the station in plenty of time to catch the last train back to Victor Harbor.  The ride back was just as fun as the ride in, and also included a stop along the way to spot some more whales.
  After arriving back at Victor Harbor, we returned to our room for a rest break before heading to the hotel’s restaurant for dinner.  They had many tasty options and I had to consider the menu carefully before deciding on what we would have for dinner.

  It seemed that I chose wisely, as the food they served up was quite divine.  I was quite partial to the school prawns, though Mr Smart didn’t seem too fond of them.  The only thing that remained was a dessert and coffee to cap off a wonderful and memorable day.

  Time for this little penguin to get some sleep!
  Love from Pengi.