Postcards from Australia Part 2: Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Fremantle and Perth

The Land Down Under

When and Where: 02/2023 – Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, Fremantle and Perth

64^th Country Visited; 3^rd Oceania Country Visited

My amazing journey to Australia continued on with a visit to Adelaide. Our ship docked at 2pm and I had an afternoon tour of the city. The excursion was not great as we circled the city in a tour bus and spent about an hour dropped off at a shopping plaza. I was able to get some supplies, candy and additional toiletries in advance of going to Africa. The crew has warned the passengers that supplies are scarce in Africa and we should be stocking up now. My favorite store in Australia and New Zealand is called Chemist Warehouse: it’s like a cross between Wal-Mart and Walgreens. So while in Adelaide, I made a pit stop at the Chemist Warehouse. In addition, I found a post office to mail an additional document needed by the government of the Republic of Ireland to finalize my dual citizenship petition. I also had passport photos taken. Finally, I made time to sit and have a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc in an outdoor café on the promenade. I sat and reminisced on how my life has changed since I’ve retired just 7 weeks ago. I’ve settled into a routine. I work out twice daily and run between 4-5 miles a day. I’ve shed nearly 20 pounds. I’ve also reconnected spiritually. I find time each day to sit in silence and reflect on my current life and what lies ahead. All is good. Life is good. I am so blessed. On the 40 minute ride back to the Zuiderdam, we again toured the city. I was disappointed there were not stops along the way to see and experience more of Adelaide. The challenge with Adelaide is the port is nowhere near the city and public transportation to downtown doesn’t run frequently from the port.

The next day in Adelaide, I went to Cleland Wildlife Park; a sanctuary for kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, Tasmanian devils and other animals native to Australia. Unlike a zoo, the tourists actually interact with the animals. At the entrance to the park stands a sign which shows how and when (and when not) to approach a kangaroo. Much to my surprise, they are very approachable. I bought a few bags of feed and I was on my way. I was accompanied by a cruise friend who had experience at wildlife parks. Our first stop was the Kangaroo enclosure. With a seed filled extended hand, I approached the first kangaroo. The kangaroo hopped over and gently ate the feed out of my hand. It was much easier than I thought. I continued feeding kangaroos for another half hour or so. Feeding kangaroos is something I wasn’t planning on doing but hey, I am in Australia. Next, we went to the wallaby enclosure. The wallabies were even more friendly. Groups would come over together and pander for feed. While sitting in the enclosure, I was attacked by an aggressive duck. Given my loud scream, you would have thought I was being mauled by a bear. It was 102 degrees in Adelaide this day so the koalas were off limits. Had the temperature been lower, the park rangers would let tourists hold them. I did see a Tasmanian devil. It looked like a giant sewer rat and nothing like the cartoon character. My trip to Cleland was quite enjoyable.

The following morning, we arrived on Kangaroo Island. Sometimes when I travel, I have low expectations for destinations or places I’ve not heard about before. This was the case with Kangaroo Island, but I was pleasantly surprised. The first thing I saw on the island was a large colony of penguins on rocks by the port. Two women on the cruise rented a car and invited me and two other guys to travel with them around the island. Given my experiences driving on the left side of the road in Ireland, I did not want to drive. Instead, I was the co-pilot managing the map and directions. The women had been to Kangaroo Island before so they knew where to go and what to see. Our first destination was over an our away, clear across the island to unusual rock formations known as The Remarkable Rocks. I thought to myself, “How remarkable can rocks be?” As we drove down the highway, we zoomed pass the tour buses so we would arrive at the Rocks first. We saw a lot of kangaroo roadkill along the way. Upon arrival at The Remarkable Rocks, I saw why they are remarkable. The rocks are naturally sculpted formations precariously balanced atop a granite outcrop. The rocks are believed to be 500-million years old and the result of erosion after the Ice Age. We wandered around and took various fun pictures. Next, we stopped at Admiral’s Arch, another rock formation sculpted by weathering and erosion from the sea over thousands of years. The ocean view through the arch was impressive and there were seals scattered about the nearby rocks. While the ladies went to see a raptor show, the guys went to the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park. Once again, I fed kangaroos and wallabies. I also got up close with a koala. Koalas are also docile. Overall, the day was very memorable and a lot of fun.

My final Australian port was Fremantle, a town just south of Perth. As a traveler, I’m not always confident about arriving at a destination and navigating the public transit system. Upon arrival in Fremantle, I was a bit intimidated by the idea of catching a train to Perth, a half hour away. Up early, I disembarked the ship, walked 15 minutes to the train, and headed north to Perth. The transit system turned out to be simple. I offboarded in downtown Perth and caught the Hop On-Hop Off bus. A short time thereafter, I arrived at Elizabeth Quay, a scenic viewpoint along the Swan River. Perth is a very modern clean town with pristine skyscrapers and palm tree lined streets. Perth is the most isolated city in the world: the next closest major city, Adelaide, is over 1,300 miles away. From Elizabeth Quay, I continued on to Optus Stadium, the sports and concert venue of Perth. The stadium walkway also offered great city views. After a photo stop, I had lunch in the stadium restaurant. My final stop of the day was Kings Park, the botanical gardens of Perth. Kings Park is mountainous and covered with lush greenery. It also offers spectacular views of Perth and the Swan River. It was blazing hot in Perth this day and the humidity was high. If it wasn’t over 100 degrees, it sure felt like it was. For someone who doesn’t sweat much, I was drenched. I came back to the Zuiderdam and crashed. Waking up the next morning, I again trained into Perth, but this time with Colton Smith, a crew member I met on the ship. He was a finalist on Season 15 of the Voice and is the lead singer of the ship’s rock band. We hung out, had a few drinks and walked up and down William Street shopping for last minute cruise supplies. The biggest challenge I, and other cruisers found in Perth was crossing the streets. The traffic green light rarely matched up with the pedestrian crossing green light. Combined with traffic on the opposite side of the road, it’s somewhat confusing. Our next 7 days are at sea. The next time we will see land will be in Mauritius (Africa) which is 3,230 nautical miles away. Overall Perth reminded me a lot of Sydney, but on a much smaller scale. Like all the Australian cities I visited, it’s beautiful. I would definitely like to visit Australia again!