Adelaide and Kangaroo Island

So the third test was in Adelaide. Despite the two matches played, i still had some hope - at least for a better performance - at best the start of a proper comeback. In the end it was not to be. The match was better, both teams had periods of good play but overall australia continued to have the edge. But five days in one of the most iconic cricket grounds in the world, in good weather (thankfully cooling down as the match went on) has to be enjoyable regardless of the outcome. Given the match went to the full, i did not see a lot of Adelaide, but per my previous trip it appeared a relaxed city, with a good vibe albeit a bit quieter than other venues on the tour.

In between Adelaide and Melbourne tests, i had decided to spend a couple of days on Kangaroo Island. So this meant picking up a hire car, around a 90min drive and then a 45 min ferry journey to the island. Good decision. The island is quite small, you can drive to most places in an hour or so, and there are a lot of sites with either great scenery, great wildlife or both. So that includes Kangaroos, Wallabies, Dolphins, Penguins, Seals and lots of different birds. I managed to book onto a number of guided tours, all of which were well organised with guides that both had excellent knowledge of the particular wildlife, but also an obvious love and pride in the area in which they live. Kangaroo Island, like Tasmania, was booked on the back of a general feel that it would be interesting rather than a detailed knowledge/recommendation of what it offered. In both cases it has turned out to be a great decision.

Melbourne test starts Boxing Day. I have done the reverse journey from Kangaroo Island to Adelaide and Xmas day consists of a train journey to Melbourne. I took its "sister" train from Perth to Adelaide back in 2010 and that was very enjoyable. This trip is shorter - just a fairly full day - with no organised stops - but hopefully will be a good experience.