An Adelaide Wedding + Sorta Solo Trip 5d4n (Day 1) - Hahndorf and Cleland Wildlife Park
A wedding in Australia!
My first ever away cross an ocean wedding invitation!
My lovely childhood friend, Jo, was going to have her wedding ceremony at a lovely garden in Adelaide and she had invited me. She had invited some of our other friends but people began to drop out as the wedding date approached. Soon I was the only one left. I stuck to my guns and was determined not to let her be friendless. At least not from this part of the world.
I think that if a promise was made to attend a very close friend's wedding, it should be kept. IMO, certain memories are worth more than silly budgets.
It was unnerving to go to Australia again after so many years. I was surprised that I could sort out my visa, hassle free online. The last I went to Australia, I had to go to the airline office, present some ID and get the visa stapled in. Yes, many many years ago,
As the desert appeared in the window of the airplane, it was just breathtaking. Hmm, how close is Adelaide to the dessert?
On touchdown, I had a flashback of an incident with the Australian customs the last time I entered the continent. Basically they thought I was trying to plane hop. Puh-lease. Anyway, I insisted that the bride to be to wait at the clearance gate (in case the same thing happen again). Customs at Adelaide airport was very efficient and I went through without trouble.
Lots of hugs later and a T Bar Tea Salon later, I was sitting in the back of the car on the way to Hahndoft for lunch with the grooms family and friends. I kept telling my friend that I felt I was getting kidnapped and bundled cross-country.
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| Tea rack at T-bar |
Hahndorf is a small but boasts of the oldest German settlement in Australia. I was given time to roam the streets with my friend's family and I was done within half an hour? It's a quaint village with restored Fachwerk buildings. I didn't pick up anything there except for some hello gifts for my AirBnB hosts. My first AirBnB experience!
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| Soldiers' memorial |
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| I thought the aprons were very cute but it was out of my budget |
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| Shops like these lined the street |
I must admit that I did feel like I was intruding at times, but my lovely peeps made me as much included as possible.
Jo's husband then brought us up to Cleland Wildlife Park, a conservation park where visitors can interact with local Australian animals. It's like walking into the bush and encountering large groups of wallabies within reach. Of course, that won't happen in real life but it looks like that in the park. Kangaroos hop free and are not skittish of humans. It's a good place for a first time visitor to Australia or kids to get close and personal to the bigger animals. You may want to carry along some wet wipes to use after you are done touching them.
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| Spot the wallaby |
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| Local wandering birds |
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| Lone dingo in his winter coat |
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| These shrews were everywhere!! |
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| Trails through the park |
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| When on the trail, you will see Giant Kangaroos |
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| and baby kangaroos |
It's a good place to spend some time with the family wondering around.
Jo sent me to my hosts for my accommodation during my time in Adelaide. Her husband came up with me just to check the place out. I really appreciated his kind gesture because you never know with strangers. My experience with AirBnB in my next post!
Hahnorf Chinese Restaurant (hi uncles!)
Address: Main Street, Hahndorf SA 5245, Australia
Tel: +61 8 8388 7448
Price: AUD$$
Cleland Wildlife Park
Address: 365 Mount Lofty Summit Road, Crafers, SA 5152, Australia
Tel: +61 8 8339 2444
Email: clelandwildlifepark@sa.gov.au
Price: AUD$$
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