Page 10 - Jupiter Ocean Mile - July '20

Page 10, Jupiter Ocean Mile
South Australia … A Beautiful Blend

By Don Kiselewski, MCC, ground. Today, it is the animals that are the drawing card for Since the land north
D.S., Palm Beach Gardens the island. Included in the plethora of animal life seen in their of Alice Springs is flat
Travel Leaders natural habitat are kangaroo, wallaby, echidna, koala, little and the road is straight,
I could not have said (Fairy) penguins, sea lions and even Ligurian bees, the only land trains made up
it better: “the potpourri of pure strain left on earth. The queen bees are shipped all over of king-size rigs that
South Australia will keep the the world to beekeepers in little matchboxes. towed three to four
traveling visitor experiencing Grapes further add to the blends of South Australia, for full length trailers,
a myriad of life styles, it is the Barossa Valley that produces the major portion of transported the goods
cultures, sights and sounds.” the Australian wines we drink. They are world famous for and merchandise to the
The Australian state of the Shiraz, and it’s a good bet that next time you look at the north. In 2006 this last
South Australia is about one label of Australian wine that indicates a product of South portion of the railroad
and a half times larger than Australia that it came from the Barossa Valley. Food and was completed, and the
our state of Texas; however, it has only about one-tenth of the wine produce the blend that makes this an excellent location 3,000-kilometer run
population, which ranks it fifth among the other divisions of to enjoy. between Darwin an Adelaide is made twice a week.
the country. Located on the central south side of the continent, If you are ready for rough and tumble, nothing in this South Australia’s diverse lifestyles, wine, culinary offerings,
its southern border is the coastline on the Great Australian world could match the unique blend of Coober Pedy. Five wildlife and festivals are set within a colorful and easy going
Bight portion of the Indian Ocean. South Australia shares its hundred or so miles northwest of the urban city of Adelaide atmosphere, which truly make it “a beautiful blend.”
land borders with the four other mainland Australian states lies this truly outback desert town. For those of you who Don Kiselewski writes from his personal experiences,
and the Northern Territory. have seen the movie Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, you having traveled in 122 countries and cruised the oceans,
In 1627, Europeans made their first sighting of South can relate to my comments. It gets to 120 degrees in the seas and rivers of the world. Palm Beach Gardens Travel
Australia when the Gulden Zeepaert, a Dutch ship summer at daytime and close to freezing in the winter Leaders, his family owned and operated agency, is located
commanded by Francois Thijssen, cruised the coast and nights. To protect themselves from the elements, the locals at Mirasol Town Square, 11360 North Jog Road, Building
named the area, Pieter Nuyts land. However, it was Matthew live underground in homes drilled into the earth. Not only A, Suite 102-6, Palm Beach Gardens. The agency has been
Flinders and Nicolas Baudin who first mapped the coast in homes, but churches and other types of occupancies protect serving the travel needs of the South Florida area for over
1802. They changed the name to Terre Napoleon. themselves in this manor. Why, you may ask? Because, it’s a quarter of a century. Contact him at (561) 694-9696 or
Thirty-two years later, the South Australian Act was passed the Opal Capital of the World, where the precious stones are Aussie@PBGTravel.com.
that established the state’s area, and more importantly that mined and processed. Photos by Don Kiselewski
the colony was to be the embodiment of British society and The extraction and capturing of the raw opals is done in
“convict-free.” In this regard, South Australia’s origin was two ways. First an auger drills a four-foot diameter hole in
unique. Unlike the other provinces whose origins were based the ground, brings up the sand, rock and (hopefully) some
upon convict settlements, South Australia was planned by opals. The hole can be 30- to 40-feet deep. If they hit a vein,
the British to be a center of civilization for free immigrants, they drop a man into the hole to the level of the vein where he
promising civil liberties and religious tolerance. chips out the opal. This is how the area got the name Coober
Governor Hindmarsh proclaimed the province on Pedy. When the aborigines saw the operation they proclaimed,
December 28, 1836. The British decided to do it by the “Coober Pedy,” which means, “white man in a hole.”
numbers in populating the colony, establishing what was The second and less glamorous way to get opals is by
known as systematic colonization. This was Edward noodling. The material that is brought up from the hole
Gibbon Wakefield’s theory, which was also employed in contains opal. That’s how they knew to stop drilling. This
New Zealand. loose material from the hole is hauled to a central location,
Nine ships carrying some 636 people destined to “christen” where it is fed by conveyor into a small (air-conditioned)
the colony had to make an unscheduled stop at Kingscote on shed that is completely dark, except for black light. Opals
Kangaroo Island until the powers to be decided just where to will glisten in black light, so when the stones roll by they
locate the city. Adelaide was finally chosen as the site. From are picked off the conveyor.
this tiny beginning, Adelaide has grown to the state capital as Everyone in Coober Pedy has a story of how they made
well as containing the majority of the state’s population; the it and lost it. Much the same as I would imagine the kind of
balance of which has settled in the fertile southeast portion stories came out of our California Gold rush. The people who
of the state, along the coast and the Murray River. live there are hearty. They have to be to exist! They deal in
Adelaide is one of the key ingredients in the “beautiful opals and cash with their own particular blend of life.
blend” of South Australia; a truly laid back city that enjoys the Embellishing the blend of the great outback wouldn’t be
simpler things of life. Oh, there is plenty of nightlife, sports complete without the mention of the camels. Yes, camels Admirals Arch in Flinders National Park
and other high energy activities, but it is the simpler way of were left over from the building of The Ghan. When the
life that sets it apart. Recognized as Australia’s Festival City, world famous railroad line from Adelaide to Stuart (today’s
it hosts the country’s premier art festival every March. This Alice Springs) was constructed, there were no roads to
is but one of what seems to be never ending festivals and transport the wooden sleepers (or ties as they are often called)
entertainment. There are numerous venues throughout the to the middle of the desert. So, with typical Aussie ingenuity
city that can be reached in no more than a 15-minute walk. camels were imported from Afghanistan to become the ships
The city itself is circled by parks so it’s green and open in of the sand to move the freight. After the initial construction,
any direction just a few blocks away. many were turned loose and still roam freely throughout the
When the city was designed, the requirement for the outback. The Ghan got its name from the shortened version
street width was determined by the radius required to do a of Afghan.
“U” turn with a double team of horses pulling a wagon. This The Ghan made its first departure north on August
resulted in extra wide streets and as a bonus today, there is 4, 1929. The line was narrow gauge traversed by steam
no such thing as gridlock or a traffic jam. You can get almost engines. Today, the line has had all of the old ties removed
everywhere in the city in 15 minutes. The center of the city and replaced with ones made of concrete, termite-resistant
houses a wonderful market with fresh meat and produce and, members. Until 2006 the line ran only north to the center
it’s just a short streetcar ride from the center to the beach on of Australia, where land trains then carried the freight north
the Gulf of St. Vincent. to Darwin and other destinations in the Northern Territory. Cape du Couedic Lighthouse
Just across the Gulf to the south lies Kangaroo Island, still
another blend to the character of South Australia. The island
was sparsely populated with little productive use until the
end of WWII. Returning servicemen were given homesteads
to work the land. In addition, the island was stocked with
native animals, except dingos, to serve as a natural breeding
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