After our 3 great days at Ayers Rock in the middle of the continent, our journey went further south today. At 10.20am our plane with Qantas went via Alice Springs to Adelaide in the state of South Australia.
Table of contents
Our flight via Alice Springs to Adelaide
With Quantas we started on time in Ayers Rock and made a short stopover in Alice Springs. From there the flight continued to Adelaide, where we were loaded around 4pm.
Our car rental for South Australia
Right at the airport in Adelaide we picked up our rental car at Redspot Sixt. We have booked this with all insurances via DERTOUR.
Our rental car in Adelaide
Our apartment in Adelaide
After we had our car, we drove to our accommodation in the Norwood district. With the Cricket World Cup quarter-finals in Adelaide tomorrow, hotel prices were outrageously expensive at the time. So for the first time we booked accommodation through Airbnb. We rented a two-bedroom apartment with kitchen, which cost half as much as a hotel room, and was absolutely great. The hosts were very nice and handed us the apartment personally. A clean and well-equipped accommodation in a quiet area. There was nothing missing, there was even a washing machine. Parking is free in the driveway. We enjoyed our stay at Norwood Apartment and can only recommend it.
After our hostess handed us the keys and showed the apartment, we went shopping and made ourselves something delicious to eat.
The Gorge Wildlife Park
The next day we went after breakfast to the Gorge Wildlife Park, which is about 40 minutes drive from Adelaide(route in Google Maps). The park has been in existence since 1965. There are a few other zoos in Adelaide and the surrounding area. But we decided on this, because you can get very close to the Australian animals in big free enclosures and you also get the opportunity to hold a koala on your arm.
Map of Gorge Wildlife Park
Admission costs 15 AUD per person (approx. 11 Euros). This is really very cheap for what you get. At the entrance we first equipped ourselves with a large pack of food (which consisted of a pack of butter biscuits) and immediately went into the kangaroo enclosure. As soon as we were in it, the first curious people came to us and wanted to be fed and caressed. That was just great! Even a kangaroo mom with a baby in a bag could be fed and caressed by us without hesitation. But the small park also has many other animals that are native to Australia: wallabies, camels (who would have thought there were 1 million wild camels in Australia?), Tasmanian devils, penguins, meerkats, quokas and of course wombats (which could also be fed and stroked).
Holding a koala on your arm
Three times a day, the park has a great opportunity to hold a koala in your arms – at no extra cost. By comparison, Sydney Zoo is offering aud 20 to take a photo next to a koala. At Cleland Wildlife Park in Adelaide, you can hold a koala in your arm – but for AUD 30 extra. Here everything was included in the entrance fee and of course we did not miss it. The koala was quite peaceful, fluffy and somehow looks like a cuddly toy on his arm.
A video from Gorge Wildlife Park
Here is a short video from Gorge Wildlife Park.
After four hours we went back to Adelaide. Finally, we can say that Gorge Wildlife Park is definitely one of the most interesting wildlife parks we have ever visited. It’s not very big, but interacting with all the animals is just incredibly great 🙂
At the end of the day we were still shopping and then made some preparations & research for New Zealand for our further trip.
All travelogues from Australia (2015)
With the entry to Australia the 2nd half of our 6-month world trip started for us. During our stay in "Down Under" we experienced a lot on the east coast, in the south and in the interior of the country: We visited the big cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Cairns, explored one of the country's most famous landmarks - Ayers Rock, held a sugar-sweet koala in our arms, experienced kangaroos in the wild, drove along the Great Ocean Road, went on a diving cruise on the Great Barrier Reef and experienced a breathtaking scenic flight over Whitsunday Island and Whitehaven Beach. We enjoyed our trip through Australia very much and the country has enchanted us from the beginning.
» New South Wales: Sydney - Tourist Attractions, Things to Do & Photo spots» Northern Territory: Ayers Rock (Uluru) & the Kata Tjuta (Olgas)
» South Australia: Adelaide - Holding a Koala at Gorge Wildlife Park
» South Australia: Adelaide – Tourist Attractions, Things to Do & Photo spots
» Victoria: The town of Hahndorf & Kangaroos at Cape Bridgewater
» Victoria: The Great Ocean Road – 12 Apostles, Parrots & Koalas
» Victoria: Melbourne – Tourist Attractions & Dendy Street Beach
» Queensland: Brisbane – Tourist Attractions, Things to Do & Photo spots
» Queensland: Airlie Beach – Gateway to the Whitsundays & Great Barrier Reef
» Queensland: Airlie Beach – A sightseeing flight over the Great Barrier Reef
» Queensland: Airlie Beach – Whitsunday Islands & Whitehaven Beach
» Queensland: Cairns – Scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef
» Queensland: Cairns – Snorkel, Dive & Cruise the Great Barrier