Blue Lake to Cave Gardens

is only slightly less than 1.5 kilometres than the kookaburra flies.

Yes, Mt. Gambier South Oz is not exactly the hugest nor largest thriving metropolis out there, but at least it is Out There! Not for me though, heck I think Naracoorte is too big. A place just about my size would be Reedy Creek. Heck, it's close enough to that big smoke of Lucindale for me! Can you tell I like small towns? BTW, whilst we drove "thru" Reedy Creek I noticed there was only 1 (one, uno, einz) building visible from the "road".

Yeah, I could handle living there! The fact that the single building was a CFS (Country Fire Service) depot/shack made me feel right at home. Wifey-poo however feels that Naracoorte is more her size. Harumph.

*screech* go the brakes as we shift gears!

Hey look, I can cook. Here's proof:


And if you'd like to make the dish by your very own oneses, I have explained how to do that right here.

The above sentence is highlighted, it's what is called a LINC in the biz. Pardon me for showing off my skillz.

Back to The Limestone Coast and Mt Gambier! Here's some info (in case you were interested about Blue Lake):



And here is a picture PROVING (or proofing depending on the context of course) that whilst it was raining...


... Blue Lake is still really *bleepin'* BLUE!

No, there are no (as is NONE) photo enhancements done to nor on the above picture. Trust me.

Lake water is not supposed to look that colour when it is overcast, rainy, and the angle of the sunlight still only 2 hours after dawn. Oops, who's chasing Dawn????

Next stop: Cave Gardens!

Cave Gardens was the original waterin' hole for this particular area. And when the Europeans got to this area (after killing the original inhabitants of course) they also used it as a water source. The town of Mt. Gambier was built around the water source, hence Cave Gardens is right smack dab in the middle of the hustlin' bustlin' downtown Mt Gambier! Don't worry, rush hour is very short.

See what I mean?



But before we get to the first bit of Cave Gardens, I just have to share with you my not-so-latest 3d stuff. I'm assuming that all my loyal readers will have seen or perhaps at least heard of the second X-Dude movie. You know, the movie based on a comic called "X-MEN" where all the really cool "X-MEN" were not "MEN" but were actually "WOMEN"?

Anyhows, did anyone of you think that the inky-poof teleporting-in effect for Nightcrawler was nifty? I did. So I quite naturally did what anyone who thought that Calvin (from the comic strip) was just not using his imagination enough would do.

Hereupon I humbly present to you (dear reader) an here-to-fore unknown gem from the master of imagination (that'd be Calvin, from the comic strip) of... well... something...



I shall now take a bow. And I shall take that bow and shoot an arrow with it.


Alrighty, enuff stupidness and sillytude from me. It is far past time to let Momma Nature (who has had so much more practice than myself) show off her beautiful work!

Cave Gardens, Mt Gambier.














And what would life be like without a video?




Did any of you notice a particular critter in some of those pictures or a part of that video? Something that was perhaps not bipedal and non-hairy?

Perhaps this will help refresh your mammaries...



Next up: The Birds and The Bees of Cave Gardens!
don't worry, it'll be safe for work. maybe

♫Plannin Out a Route We're Gonna Take Real Soon♫

How soon? In two hours from now! How's that for soon?

It's the 12th Wedding Anniversary betwixt Yours Truly and Wifey-Poo. I must say, it still only seems like yesterday... *happy sigh*

Anyways, we're heading down to the Fleurieu Peninsula for 3 days. It's been a few years since we've been down that way even though it's practically the backyard for us.

I'll type in our quite changeable itinerary which is subject to change without notice. Except for where we are staying each night.

Heading out of here at 10 AM Sat. Which means closer to 11, of course. Stop off at Clarendon Oval for a nice cuppa and start to relax. Probably pick up a pastry at the wonderful, vintage, been-there-forever, Clarendon Bakery. Yes, I know it's only 23 minutes along the road through the hills (and I can get there in 49 minutes on the bicycle, but it's a good place to relax.

We'll then leisurely drive through Blewitt Springs on the way to the Maglieri winery in McLaren Vale. Pick up a bottle of Shiraz to go with the lasagna I've already made for dinner Saturday night. Also lots of pics will be taken of Maglieri. I plan on doing a photo tour of it for you, especially for http://twitter.com/#!/WarpdElfAtYrSvc since I'm the one who turned her onto the Maglieri wines and she has to special order them as she's in the US.

Then into the heart of McLaren Vale to pick up some goodies for lunch (at the Myponga reservoir lookout) at The Almond and Olive Train

Across to the coast for Aldinga then south to Sellick's Beach. Stopping for pics anywhere along the way we want to!

Down to Myponga Reservoir for lunch, a drive over the damn, then down to Carrickalinga and then a quick jaunt to Normanville. Should be around 4 PM at this point. We're staying at the Jetty Caravan Park right on the beach in one of their cabins. Drop stuff off then head down past Rapid Bay and Cape Jervis. Never been all the way down to the Cape. Not much there but it's the ferry terminal for Kangaroo Island (next trip). Back up to Normanville, wine, dinner on the beach, hopefully get some great sunset pics.

I'll skip the evening entertainment and leave that to your fertile imaginations.

Brekkie of sausage and eggs Sun morn. Outta Normanville by 9 or so. Head to Victor Harbour via Inman Valley (get some fresh apples there -- it's all orchard country). We've done Victor Harbour enough times that we won't stay long there, but I'll get some pics of the horse drawn tram that goes to Granite Island for ya. Head to Goolwa and Hindmarsh island, gonna see how many of the barrages that link the inner islands together are open. Hopefully good pics. Looking out for water birds in the wetlands. Head up to Milang via Currency Creek and pick up a bottle at the winery there for after dinner at Milang. Get to Milang around 2 PM.

Milang is a wonderful, sleepy, quiet little town on Lake Alexandrina. We've stayed there before. Once we check in we'll have the rest of the arvo to wander through the wetlands and get some awesomely great pics for you. And we'll hit The Railway Cafe. They are only open on the weekends and they serve a wonderful Devonshire Cream Tea.

Dinner at the Pier Hotel in Milang. It's supposed to be a hidden gem of a restaurant on the Fleurieu. If the night is clear we'll be star-gazing (ZERO light pollution down there!). And since it faces East over the Lake we'll get sunrise pics the next morning.

Monday brekkie is eggs and sausage again, no huge hurry to leave but probably heading out of Milang around 10 or 11 AM.

Head north to Strath via Langhorne. A stop in Strathalbyn at the main park for tea. Hopefully many great parrot pics from there. Little Corellas nest there by the thousands.

Continue north to Mt Barker (it's getting too big, no reason to stop) and to Hahndorf as I need a new hat from a special leather/hat store, only found in Hahndorf. Grab some fresh produce at the market there, then back to Sturt via Stirling and Upper Sturt.

Hopefully back at the ole homestead in Sturt around 5 pm Monday. Chinese takeout plus fresh veggies for dinner.

How's that sound for a trip?

And the car just got serviced, plus a bunch of work done. We're SET!

Outta here in 1 hour and 40 mins.