One of the most common questions I hear from my readers on this blog is “why is there no posts about Australia considering you are an Aussie?”
Fair point.
There will be many new posts about my life in Australia (when I am not giving my passport a workout) in 2016 and this is the first of them. These posts will not just serve to show off what South Australia has to offer, but also to show a little insight into my everyday life when I am not on the road.
Late last year I was still living in Adelaide, South Australia. Adelaide is where I was born and where I have spent the majority of my life. However, a sea change always does me good, and I decided in the later part of 2015 that I was going to uproot myself and move my home base from Adelaide to Darwin.
Once I had made that decision, I set out to appreciate some of the beauty of South Australia before I left it. Coincidentally, one of my best friends was celebrating her 23rd birthday, so in November, we spent the day together exploring some beautiful vineyards in the Adelaide Hills.
We hired a mini bus and driver for the day. Nobody wanted to be a designated driver (which is fair enough) so this was the best option.
We all met on the southern outskirts of the Adelaide CBD, hopped on the minibus and were off!
This is the gorgeous Meggan. I met her through my bestie Tessa (on the left) several years ago. She has lived all around Asia, South America and was recently in North Korea which led to me becoming insanely jealous!
On the left (above) is beautiful Laura and on the right is blonde bombshell Liv. We all became friends in year 11 (junior year to my lovely American readers) of high school and have been friends ever since. Laura is studying to be a kickass psychologist and Liv is the hottest vet nurse you’ll ever meet.
After about 45 minutes of driving we arrived at our first winery – Howard Vineyard. We were the only people there at this early part of the day which meant we were able to have a lovely and relaxed wine tasting.
These two lovely ladies, Monique (left) and Alicia (right) are one of the cutest couples I have ever met. These two seem to balance each other out perfectly.
This spunk of a man is my best ever male friend. He is the sorta guy that is super reserved when sober but becomes an absolute demon after knocking back a few “voddies”. He’s an amazing nurse and a barrel of laughs.
After trying every single wine on the tasting list at Howard Vineyard (and some more than once) it was back on the bus to the next vineyard!
This glorious human is another one of my besties! Her name is Tessa. This day out was to celebrate her birthday and she was relishing in the sun and booze. She herself hates wine, so I still have no idea why she chose a wine tasting day for her celebration, but despite proclaiming her dislike for fermented grapes, by the end of the day she was knocking them back as enthusiastically as the rest of us.
This second winery was Nepenthe Wines. We didn’t take too long to get elbow deep into a tasting and it wasn’t long before we all become rather jolly*.
*Jolly = inebriated
It is a gorgeous and photogenic winery, and on this day the sun beating down on it made it extra beautiful.
After a bit of frolicking on my own along the vines, Ethan and Tessa found me and it was time to get our obligatory ‘pose in front of the vines shot’.
Then it was time to re-hydrate with juice.
Our last stop of the day was Kersbrook Wines and Cider. By this point we were all pretty knackered but the prospect of wine, birthday cake and about three cheese platters kept us all moving.
After singing Happy Birthday to the now 23 year old Tessa, we all chowed down on a beautiful cake made by the lovely Laura and then worked to keep our blood alcohol content at a good (high) level.
By the time we had drunk our way to the dessert wines, it was getting late in the arvo and we needed to head back to the city.
By the time we arrived back to Adelaide and up to the balcony of a city hotel where Tessa and her other half were residing, the sun was setting in the sky and I was feeling totally content after a wonderful day in the beautiful Adelaide Hills.
T H E L O W D O W N
Hiring a minibus: There are many different companies in Adelaide – most of which are pretty good. Cost will depend on the number of seats on the bus. It makes sense to book a larger bus for a larger group and spend about $70-$80 each for the whole day.
Howard Vineyard: Howard is a relaxed and chilled out winery with a beautiful selection of wines
Nepenthe: The wines at Nepenthe are good but nothing to write home about, the real attraction here is the view
Kersbrook: The cider made at Kersbrook is ridiculously good
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 with 12-40mm M.Zuiko Pro Lens
Threads: I am wearing a gorgeous maxi by Aussie label Tigerlily
Remember: To pack snacks for the road, your drunk self will thank you for it