page 2 -- Australia

We flew from Wellington via Melbourne into Adelaide, where we stayed with friend Karyn and her daughter Nichole; Karyn had some day trips organized to Cuddly Creek Park, Tea Tree Gully, and the beach and hill towns on Adelaide's outskirts. Sometimes her son Russell was able to join us. Marlys' enthusiasm for meeting marsupials was boundless, as was her desire to shop for souvenirs and gifts for her friends back in Seattle. In snatched moments, she was racing through the 7th Harry Potter book also, strongly urged on by me (so I could snag a turn).

Hair flattener time...a daily ritual for Karyn and Marlys.

Some joeys are very reluctant about leaving the pouch; what a patient mamah.

Russell and his lady Lauren, with new puppy.

Nichole hamming it up in Hahndorf.

The beach near Semaphore, on the LeFevre Peninsula.

Love those wombats.

Permanent Easter bonnet!

Friends Rob and Leonie then transferred us down to southern coast to their home in Victor Harbor. Despite some rotten weather, we tramped about to find kangaroos in the wild, a mother whale in the bay (alas, no photo), great scenery, more birds, and--on a night walk on offshore island--the local fairy penguins. Our friends also took us down to the mouth of the Murray River, on the Coorong where I spent a good deal of time in the '90s camping and watching pelicans, to see the reforming of Murray mouth/estuary. The Murray River is one of the major river systems in one of the driest continents of Earth.

Dredging the opening through the Coorong sandspit.

Wattle in bloom.

We ferried across the Gulf of St. Vincent over to Kangaroo Island for a couple days, the third largest of Australia's islands ... a marvelous place to savor wildlife (including a colony of Australian sea lions), honey from the world's only colony of Ligurian bees, rock formations, scenic vistas, art galleries, caves, family farms. Since my last experience there in early '90s, the islanders have developed a much more vibrant -- and more expensive! -- tourist industry. This includes some much needed upgrades/paving of the narrow twisting roads previously treacherously covered in smooth gravel marbles.

Cape Barren geese.