First Things First

I bought a car...and yes it's a Camry!

Notice my license plate is one letter short of VINO...it came that way, I swear!

I have my own car and I'm in Australia so what is the first thing I do? Find a kangaroo of course! Someone at the hostel told me about the Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary. Warrawong is home to 100 species of birds and native animals from wallabies and kangaroos to platypus and other aquatic life. It's only 25 minutes from Adelaide which makes it easy to learn about Australia's wildlife. The sanctuary is open 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm and offers free admission from 9am to 4pm. So obviously, I went before 4pm and it was awesome! Warrawong also offers guided tours and animal shows for an additional fee. I went friends from the hostel, Biljana, Susanne and Tamir, and had an amazing time. Check out our photos!

These wild parrots are everywhere in Australia, not just the sanctuary

Tamir petting a kangaroo

Biljana with a kangaroo

And me with a kangaroo. What can I say, we were excited to see kangaroos!

Eucalyptus forrest

If spotting koalas was a job, Biljana would be a professional!

I think it's sleeping?!

Turtles but no platypus :(

This is the only one we got to see!

On the way back to the city, we stopped at Mount Lofty.  It is a lookout point only 15 minutes from Adelaide which offers a spectacular panoramic view over Adelaide to the sea.

Adelaide in the distance

The crew

When we got back to the city, we went to the Botanical Gardens.  It was a great end to the day. We ate a late picnic lunch in the park while listening to a concert of Oldies but goodies :) and then continued walking through the gardens. We could still hear the music in the distance. It was soft and didn't cover up the sounds of the water and birds of the gardens.  

Magpie...also everywhere in Australia!

Cactus Garden

Flowers of the Cactus Garden

The National Wine Centre of Australia located in the Botanical Gardens

Pretty extensive selection of only Australian wines

Thanks Biljana, Susanne and Tamir for a great day!!!

Oz Music Month

I was listening to the radio today and found out November is Oz Music Month. Music Festivals start this month and go until the end of summer in February. My roommate introduced me to The Butterfly Effect and to their newest release, Worlds on Fire, from their new album, Final Conversation of Kings. They' re an alternative metal band from Brisbane, Australia with a nice range of styles, from smooth, mellow instrumentals to heavy metal. I am already a fan and hope to catch their show in Sydney!