C Inn Clare Central

... to Waikerie (123kms) on Monday. It was good to see Trevor back in the saddle again today, and he really enjoyed his 60kms before getting back on the bus - discretion the better part of valour!<br><br>The Uniting Church put on a sumptuous meal for us which was very welcome after the day's ride.<br><br>As mentioned, tomorrow is a rest day - time for washing, maintenance to the bikes and relaxation before the next five days riding. From Monday we will ...

... support car after seeing a physio who diagnosed a tracking problem with his knees which taping would fix. He was back in the ride!<br><br>Unfortunately due to our late start we only reach Snowtown today, about 55km short of our intended destination. It means that our "rest" day of 111km to Port Augusta will be like every other day at 166km. <br><br>We are staying in the local footy club rooms coutesy of Barry from the Bowling ...

... first roadside lunch &amp; force -fed ourselves all the fruit we had bought in the previous few days, before crossing the border. There was much guffawing and consternation when we found that the border was just a quarantine bin, and the armed guards we were expecting, were non-existent! Nelson is a nice place on the Glenelg River, which at that point actually had water in it, although that close to the coast, it was mostly salt I would expect. Made our way cross country to ...

... or less fresh for our next adventures. PT: O Vale de Clare é famoso pelos vinhos Riesling ai produzidos, mas, é claro, a nossa visita aqui foi puro acaso... :-D Já que aqui estavamos, tivemos que aproveitar e fomos visitar vários produtores de vinho. Seguimos parte do famoso caminho do Riesling (Riesling Trail), a pé, com várias paragens para provar vinhos, mais tarde voltamos com a carrinha para comprarmos algumas garrafas das caves Kilikanoon ...

... at Wolff Blass Winery and then to Penfolds to use up our sellar door pass. It took longer to get here than we thought. It was getting late and we did not get to Port Augusta as planned but found a caravan park in Gladstone, about 45 minutes south of Port Augusta. Nothing too exciting about the park. First night was VERY cold and we did not sleep real well.

... worth seeking a visit. End of wine trail in Clare Valley, and drive back to Tanunda. The guys were all tired and couldn't taste anymore, even as I wanted to go Annie's Lane, Taylors and Kirrihill Estate. Well, majority wins ... :-) We booked for dinner at Appellation, a very fine dining restaurant which Wee Keng was obviously interested to try out. And since it was his birthday the next day, we decided to give him a treat there ...

It is late in the day when we arrive in Clare after a long drive to escape the badlands of Coober Pedy and the South Australian outback. We are now in a large wine making region and the vineyards spread for miles all along the valley. There are some lovely country drives to be had and one can't help but pass cellar doors on the way. We'll be doing our best whilst we're here to help encourage small businesses by patronising their establishments!

Hoyleton is a small community in the mid - North of South Australia, a major wheat growing region, or 'God's own country' as the real estate agent described it. I'm sure that a lot of people would find this description a little confusing when seeing Hoyleton for the first time, it takes a little while to grow on you and it would be true to say that the actual attributes that persuaded god to call it His own country are not immediately obvious. Despite numerous ...

... d be away longer. But with my girlfriend, Alice, gone on a six-month tour through Europe and North America, I found it hard to justify moving to Melbourne and a job waiting tables. On my last days at the winery I thought of going back to Seoul. I could travel and see old friends and then fly on to Canada to meet Alice when she arrives in Montreal in November. She'll meet my friends and family, we'll travel across Canada, and in December we'll be back in Adelaide. We have a ...

... a fellow vintage rookie. Little Ben's on his fifth vintage with Jeanneret, and I'm his *****, even if he is six years my junior. Benny V and I are the young Turks of the winery beside the able if ponderous Craig, whose mutt Monty may just be the fifth man on our team. I soon learn that Aussies are mad about their animals and take their dogs everywhere they go. At times there are half a dozen or more visiting mutts running amok through the winery. Ben's wife Carissa ...