Beaches… 10 South Australian differences

I travel a lot. Aussies can travel a lot. But for near perfect beaches, many Aussie beaches can't be topped. Compare the beaches in South Australia (let alone Australia) to Bali or Phuket - beach destinations we flock to.

10 South Aussie differences:

1. White, smooth sand that doesn't hurt to walk on

2. Clean sand and water

3. Beautiful clear water (most of the time)

4. You leave the water without itching from sea lice

5. No touts to harass you

6. You can drive to a number of suburban beaches within half an hour of the CBD. An hour drive to the Fleurieu beaches of awesomeness.

7. Litter doesn't float to shore as you swim or surf

8. You don't have to sniff some strangers armpit as you lie on your towel, squeezed on a snippet of beach

9. Experienced surf lifesavers patrol sections of beach for safety

10. There is a beach for everyone - placid kids splash-around beaches (Horseshoe Bay, Glenelg, Kingston Park), trendy 'be seen' beaches (Henley), nudist beach (Maslin), all to your own beaches (KI, Eyre and Yorke Peninsula), and surf beaches (Mid Coast, Middleton, Waitpinga, Chiton, Parsons… all close to Adelaide).

Anyone have any favourites?

BSKT cafe yummies, Mermaid Beach QLD

I spot a number of cafes on the way in, and make a mental note that coffee is not far away. Thank goodness. I see a place called BSKT on the corner, two doors down from our apartment. It looks full and bustling with energy. Another mental note, 'I must go there'. A social media comment from a friend in Adelaide cements my thoughts, I need to go there. A coffee buff, he says I need to go there after my run one morning.

So I do. We go for coffee, and sit out the back. To my gleeful surprise, there is a kids play area. Hallelujah. We have been entertaining the kids on holiday with no toys, and finally, they are away from us. Happily. I eye the food coming out, and wish I had not just eaten breakfast at the apartment. The menu has me wanting to eat again, but I resist. Just. I tell Ben we are coming back for food tomorrow.

Pancakes with raw cacao, blueberries and other yummy super-food crunch. Awesome! Sweet potato and quinoa fritters. Yum! This is my kind of food. Delicious AND healthy. The menu is laden with super-foods, coconut and protein, I don't need to feel ultra guilty indulging at this place.

We sip on lattes in peace, looking out to the whitewash of waves (while not salivating over the menu). That rarely happens. Ahh. Double whammy - great coffee and time out from kids.

Gorgeous Festival - a day away from our kids.

A date without kids, with my bestie, and our men. Wow. This has not happened since…. err… umm… I can't remember if this has ever happened since having kids.

Ben pulls me up for a dance to The Timbers, love 'em. We are doing our shin-dig-jive when, BAM, I cop a frisbee to the back of the head. While I'm still rubbing it, and wondering if I'm bleeding, BAM, the frisbee hits me again, on my forehead. Ouch. I boot scoot it away from the stage so quick, hearing the lead singer casually saying 'hope no one has got hurt'.

I'm shocked but I have to laugh about it. I'm one of those people who will walk into doorways or trip over a mat that hundreds of people have walked over before me with no problems.

It's 32 degrees, but by about 4pm, cloud has come over, and it's beautifully overcast. Perfect. We have squeezed in among the crowd under the shade of the big gum trees, and have found more friends. Band after band are on stage, entertaining us with the chilled tunes. And we don't drink too much either… with a wait of half an hour or more for the bar, who could. We are also not going to get fat here, lines for the food, which have half sold out by the time we get to the front, are at least half an hour also.

But you know what, it is a great day, and it doesn't bother me.

Nothing is bothering me today. We sit and chat, we sit and listen, we sip wine, we wander, we even giggle on the ferris wheel (Ben hates heights). Life without kids. Every parent needs to do this for at least one day every few months, I reckon.

Well, nothing bothers me until we want to go home. Our taxi driver this morning suggested we book the return home during the day, to make sure the wait isn't too long. We listen, but decide to book just before wanting to leave, purely because, we didn't know when we wanted to leave. We ring Yellow Taxis, they confirm our booking, and then we wait. And wait. And wait. We try to call back. Always engaged. We call another taxi company to book. They are engaged too. We call Yellow Taxis again. Still no answer.

We booked our taxi at 11.30pm, and by 1am, we are still waiting. It's getting mildly cold. Everyone else is leaving - minus a few who are waiting for their taxis also. We are growing impatient. I'm getting very tired. Ben is getting hungry and grumpy. We've had enough. We ring my besties mum. She comes to get us.

Teenagers. We feel like teenagers again, having to call our parents to come get us. Shameful… What a crap ending to an awesome festival. But hey, a day without the kids. Bliss.

Bali Travel with Kids - 10 tips

BK… before kids.

We travelled a lot. We lived in various parts of the world. We penny-saved our way around Europe. We had adventures. We did an around the world trip in 6 weeks. We hiked. We home stayed.

And then kids came.

Having kids halts many, but it didn't stop us. Before our daughter turned one, she had been to Bali. Before our son turned one, we took them both to Phuket. And now, at three and five, they have returned to Bali. We've also had plenty of camper trailer holidays, interstate trips and holiday home getaways. Yes, the travel has tamed down, and surely nowhere near as adventurous as our travels before, but we are doing it.

Here are some tips to get you to Asia...

1. Don't call it a holiday. It's travel. With kids. These are two very different types of 'getting away', do not get confused.

2. Resorts. Pay for the luxury. The pools, the other adults, the restaurants and room service. It all comes in handy when you need to hang around for sleeps and early nights (before restaurant opening time in Asia).

3. Don't expect to tour much. Can you imagine going on an organised day tour with two little ones? Crying, toilet stops, noise, long day... Instead, hire a car and driver, and go at your own pace. You can see what you want, stop for nappy changes, not worry so much about screaming kids and go home when you have had enough.

4. Meet the locals. The locals love to get to know kids, and it is so much fun for everyone. Sit and play with local kids then laugh as restaurant staff fight over who looks after baby while you eat. You are spoken to more, and not just to sell.

5. Take nappy wipes and antibacterial spray. You will need it. Use everywhere, all the time.

6. Strollers are handy in the heat, even if they have outgrown them at home. Whiney kids are kept quiet when they don't have to walk. And soon enough, you will be used to sharing the road with the cars, tuk-tuks and motorbikes. I believe they know what they are doing, so trust in them, and just walk straight.

7. Take snacks and known food from home. Packet fruit, crackers etc are handy when you have fussy eaters.

8. Make sure your room has dark curtains for sleeping during the day - and doors that completely close to keep mosquitos and bugs out.

9. Get a nanny. We got Holiday Nanny Berta, and LOVE her. The kids took to her within minutes, whisking her away to show off our resort.

10. Take a trip without the kids.

It is worth it - no matter how hard.

Stevens Wines, McLaren Vale

McLaren Vale. It's home to some very decent wines. It's the secret sister to the Barossa. Especially on International Tourists radars. I'd say it's time for the world to know how good it is, but then, I kind of want to keep it to myself.

Only 20 minutes from our home, it's bordered by the rotund Willunga Hills, white sand and untamed beaches of Port Willunga, Maslins and Aldinga, and the countryside of Onkaparinga Hills.

The wineries that are here range from contemporary, to boutique, to home grown basics. Stevens Wines is nothing spectacular in terms of wine tasting ambience and scene setting. But what it does do well, is give you the authentic meet the winemaker experience. We are met by Graham himself, opening the door wide to the cellar door. I see a family man, a hard worker, and an honest man written on his face. Speaking to him, I also find out he has quite some humour. I guess you have to when working with winery tour participants. Graham has lived grapes and wine his whole life - having won the first vine pruning trophy at just nine years old. I guess you could say he knows a thing or two about making a good drop.

And his hard work and knowledge has payed off. For a small winery, with production of very few wines, it certainly pours a fine glass. At Australian Wine Shows, Stevens Wines has already won more than 50 awards, in just 2 seasons.

So, next time you are in McLaren Vale, don't just head to the big boys. Take a punt, and take the next turn off. You never know what treasures you may find.

www.grahamstevenswines.com.au

A weekend wandering in the Barossa

The suprise of having no plans... "So, what shall we do?" I ask Nat.

"Let's just go. And see what we can find. Not plan, just wander. Take pics. Discover." Nat replies.

That sounds awesome to me. It seems like years since I have just wandered, with no plans. With kids, planning is needed. But I still remember my backpacking days, when I would rock up to some foreign country with just a Lonely Planet - no iPhones back then - and start doing tours of the various accommodation options. Sometimes I'd be going for well over an hour before deciding. Ha! Not any more, not with two kids in tow. And I can't say I miss that part much either.

So our day begins. Our first stop is a town we discover by name on a shop window. Lyndoch. I should be embarrassed that I do not know where we are, considering this is basically on our back door step in the Barossa. But I really like the fact that I don't. We visit a boutique, the thrift shop, a gallery, and the bakery. No proper Aussie can go through a town without popping their head into the bakery. I end up with a very tasty vego pasty. 

Our day continues, surprises around each corner with a street music festival, creepy gallery and funky coffee shops. But the biggest surprise is to come, when we decide to book into some accommodation. Who would have thought - all accommodation in the Barossa, as far as Gawler and Kapunda, is booked out tonight. All, except for one cabin (with no linen or ensuite) in a caravan park that is home-base to bikies for the weekend, and one room that is more than we wanted to spend. We keep calling. But get nowhere. So we call back our expensive option… and it's been booked, two minutes ago. Geez Marie! We don't know whether to laugh or cry. I go with laugh. I think it's hilarious that we want to be free spirited, and then get spat on with nowhere to stay.

It's an hour or two from Adelaide, but we decide to make a day of it, before heading back home. We sit with a wine at Jacobs Creek, doing the obligatory check-in on Instagram, before wandering down around the wetlands. I'm so thankful Nat doesn't get a video happening, as I stomp my way along the path, thinking I'm scaring the snakes away. I'm extra cautious today, after a near miss yesterday, letting four children walk past a sunbaking snake near the pool, just 30cm from their feet. We drive aimlessly, and get lost on our wanderings through the hills, taking pics of trees and buxom hills as the sun sinks lower in the sky. It's not golden hour, but I don't want to be lost when it gets dark, so we head towards town (we think).

Another weekend, perhaps, we will make the stopover. Maybe we might book. 'Sweetie, it's October. No one comes up without booking. It's peak season. I'm sorry, we are fully booked,' laughed a lady over the phone to me today. Food for thought.

Thank you for a great day Barossa.

Look after one another.

I was thinking... What if we all looked after one another? How would that make the world different? Thinking of others…

What goes around, comes around - yes?

Whitefeather Red, thanks to Chook's Little Winery Tours

'What a blast! This place is the best ever...'

I'm sure it wasn't just the wine speaking? Or maybe just a little. But, looking at my pics, this place is still seriously different and cool. A little slice of ecclectic paradise in McLaren Vale. This place is Whitefeather Red.

On Chooks Little Winery Tours, we venture somewhere for about 10 minutes, from Stevens Cellar Door (somewhere near McLaren Flat). A mix of chat, wine and not needing to know = I'm not sure exactly where we go. www.winecompanion.com.au tells me Whitefeather Red is at 253 Binney Road, McLaren Vale, SA 5171. An invite that John, aka Moondog, gives us, confirms. When you go (and you should), be sure to make an appointment, you will be alone otherwise. 'Wine tasting and sales by appointment only'. The signs on arrival can be confusing too. 'No entry' and 'Entry' sit side by side at the entrance gate. Moondogs humour.

A surfbaord lies in the garden beside the fence, a brick path winds it's way around tall palm trees, and a deck for watching the sun set over the vines while geese waddle up and down the rows is at the other end of the garden. There's also a big bin for fires, surrounded by ramshackle chairs. A ukelele on the wall, begs to be played, and has the sign saying so. This is created by an artistic soul, with great ideas, zest for life and freedom of mind.

November 1st 2014 is the Whitefeather Fizz Launch. Why? Apparently 'Cos our Dancing Dove bubbles rock', the brochure says. And I'd tend to agree. And for the musos, you also get to bring your instrument… and join in with making some sounds. Moondog said he'll be leaving instruments around for those that can't bring any - so no excuse. Except for mine - I can't play. And believe me, nobody wants to hear me attempt.

We sit with Moondog for an hour or so at the freestyle wood table in the middle of his garden. A cheese platter is devoured, and more fizz bottles are brought out. I could easily sit and listen to his tales of travel for the rest of the afternoon. Being hungover from Champagne in Paris, he thought a hair salon patron was a moving scultpture and had to go up and poke the poor lady. Damn, he makes me laugh. And let's not even go to what conversations he has with his butcher. Let the fingers do the talking.

'There's no need to care and worry about it.' Moondog's final words on life.

Whitefeather Red - John Saunders 0424 355 011

Chooks Little Winery Tours - www.chookslittlewinerytours.com.au

Life. 'This too shall pass'.

Just a little food for thought after a fantastic weekend with family and friends...

Don't ever take anything for granted. Appreciate each moment. Say 'I love you' more often. Life isn't a destination, it's a journey. Enjoy it.

Playing with water and cameras...

So I really admire www.aquabumps.com.au (Eugene Tan) and now realise the skill that goes into his awesome photos. While staying at Port Elliot recently, I took my back up camera out for a play, in an Outex housing. It's a bit clunky, but seeing as I don't do a load of water stuff, I didn't want to fork out lotsa $$$ for a proper housing. It does mean though, that zooming, changing settings, or even seeing what I'm taking (the way I set it up) is hard.

Anyway. I never jump in the water without a wetsuit now, but taking these shots, I was having so much fun, I went in with just bikini and rashie and couldn't feel a thing. That's fun. That's excitement. That's me happy.

I'm going to have a play with these and see what I can make of them… then get back to you with a before and after. (I'm still excited…)