September 5, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Cook, Australia with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb and Eider Duck and the humans are still on the Indian Pacific Railroad. The train is slowing down.

We approaching the town of Cook

We stopped at Cook.

This is Cook

When we, ducks and our 2 humans, entered the town, we doubled the population of Cook, Australia Yes, there are only 4 permanent residents of Cook. Cook was established in 1917 to support the Trans Australian Railway. That was the fist name of our train Cook formerly had 200 residents. This was the school in Cook, Australia.

School

We like the painting on this tower at the school.

Painting

More Cook art to see.

More mural painting

There was a swimming pool near the school.

Swimming pool–not used now

Doesn’t look like we could swim here now. Here is the train station.

Train Station

These buildings are not outhouses; they are jail cells,or gaol cells.

Gaol Cells

One is for females and one is for males. The prisoners did not stay here long; they were sent out of town on the next train.

Our train in Cook, Australia

Being in jail in these metal cells was like being in prison in a cooking pot. The city of Cook was built on the Nullarbor Plain, which is known for the lack or absence of trees. This rock with the plaque, commemorates the effort of men trying to defy this idea. These were the Men of the Trees.

Plaque to Men of the Trees

In 2006, 100 trees were planted in Cook. The surviving trees are the tallest on the Nullarbor Plain. When the railroad was privatized, most people left town, and now with only 4 permanent residents, Cook, Australia is almost a ghost town.

Cook A ghost town

We, Zeb and Eider Duck, and our humans are glad we were able to visit Cook.

Residence in Cook

If you travel on the Indian Pacific Railway, you may visit Cook also. Back on the Indian Pacific Railway, we are still crossing the Nullarbor Plain. This is called the Southern Outback. Although at times we see water holding ponds,

Water storage ponds

and some spots of green landscape,

Approaching Perth

do not be fooled. We are still on the Nullarbor Plain, a huge limestone plateau and desert.

Desert outback terrain

Now we are nearing the end of our ride and we see these sheep and that pipe is for transporting water.

Sheep by pipe to transport valuable water

All this riding on the train makes humans hungry, so they snacked on Snickers. The candy bar tasted just like the Snickers at home, but the writing on the package was a little different.

Tastes the same, just described a little differently

SnickersWe are almost at Perth, so it is about the end of our train ride. This is a great train and we hope you will ride it soon.

September 4, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Australia’s Indian Pacific Railway with Zeb and Eider Duck

We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, and humans are going on a train. Today we will leave Adelaide and stay on the train until we arrive in Perth, Western Australia, on the Indian Ocean. This sign explains a little about this train.

Explanation of train

We are in the Adelaide train station and we like this eagle with the sign about our train. Choo Choo’s Cafe is also great.

Statue in Adelaide train station Australian Wedge Tail Eagle

If you take the train, this Adelaide train station has the best amenities. We loved the Train Shop.

Of course we bought some souvenirs here

The other train stations we visited in Australia were nice, but not as nice as this one. It is time to get on our train.

The Indian Pacific Railway

We are settling in our seats. Very big and comfortable. The seats recline flat, but there is no foot rest.

Our train seat

The humans use their carry on bags as a foot rest. We do not have a sleeping compartment. The humans did not want to make early reservations, but these seats are very comfortable. And all the seats were not sold, so we had plenty of room to move around. Looking out the window we see the Southern Outback of Australia.

We like looking out the window

The sun is going down, so soon we will sleep.

Sun going down on Nullarbor Plain

Wow! The sunset and sunrise in the desert on the Nullarbor Plain is really bright.

Vivid sun

Now that morning has arrived, we see the Outback desert with the red ground.

Red ground on the Nullarbor Plain

There are a few trees in some places.

There are a few trees out there

The train is fairly close to the Eyre Highway and there are a few camping places, or caravan parks.

Camping

The Nullarbor Plain, is a limestone plateau, mostly a vast waterless, treeless expanse. Nullarbor is corrupt Latin for “no trees”. Our National Geographic travel guide describes the Nullarbor this way. For sheer size and scale, no place is like it–an 80,000 square mile limestone plateau, scoured by desert winds and scorched by temperatures that can easily exceed 120 degrees F beneath a pitiless summer sun. The plateau has no surface water at all, although an extensive system of flooded caves lies deep underground. Out here lies the world’s longest stretch of straight railroad track–more than 300 miles. From our train window, we saw a variety of landscapes.

Red dirt

Now would be a good time to tell you that although it was cold in Tasmania and cool on Kangaroo Island, we decided to travel to Australia during the Australian winter. We did not want to be in such extreme heat while trying to see many new places. But, we are getting hungry, so we go to our dining car.

Our place for food and views

This is the Matilda Cafe. It is our restaurant and our observation car. The huge windows are great and it was never crowded. We spent much of our train time here, looking out the windows and snacking. This is our breakfast.

Let’s eat!

Time to eat now. From our windows we saw a few kangaroos and sheep.

Sheep even here

There are a lot of sheep in Australia. Soon we will be stopping at a very small settlement. We will show you what we see next time. This is our first long train ride and it is fascinating. The scenery is desert, but it changes constantly.

September 2, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Adelaide’s Elder Park with Zeb and Eider Duck

Our time in Adelaide is almost over, so we decided to take the free city bus to Elder Park. This sign inside the bus shows the support for Adelaide’s athletic teams.

Support for the team and the fans.

We left the bus near the Adelaide Oval. This artistic design behind the stage caught our eyes.

Good art display

Crossing the bridge, we reached Elder Park, on the River Torrens.

The Adelaide Oval, River Torrens and Elder Park

These boats look like fun and good exercise, but not today.

Maybe another day

There were many friendly black swans in the river.

Graceful Black Swans are everywhere.

However, this may be a little too close to the swan.

Too close mom

We also saw some very curious pelicans. This one wants to know what he purchased at the toy store.

Anything for me?

These Australian pelicans are big.

Pelicans as tall as young humans

Pelican appears to be taller than these young humans. Again mom, maybe a little too close.

That is a long beak. We like the pink though

This fountain commemorates the visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in March 1954.

Commemorative Fountain

Nice gazebo.

Pretty gazebo

These are lights on the river.

Lights on the river

Very nice. This is a tourist boat. We are going on Pop Eye I.

We are going on this river boat.

We are traveling on the river.

Riding down the river

We like river boats. We pass the Adelaide Rowing Club.

Our first Rowing Club

Passing under the historic bridge, this friendly pedestrian waves to us.

Friendly pedestrian

We like this falling water.

Decorative falling water

If you have some time in Adelaide, we suggest a few hours or a day at this park. Relax and enjoy your vacation, or your home town.

August 31, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Adelaide, Australia’s Rundle Mall and Memorials with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb, Eider and the humans took Adelaide’s free city bus to view monuments and more. This statue is in memory of those who fell serving and defending Australia.

Remembering fallen héros

The Honorable Dame Roma Mitchell is honored here.

Honorable Dame Roma Mitchell

She is a former Governor of South Australia, a former Chancellor at the University of Adelaide and a former Judge on the Supreme Court of South Australia. Wow! She was a great lady! Here is the front of the Memorial remembering those lost in World War I and World War II.

Memorial for World War I and World War II

This is the back of the Memorial.

Back of War Memorial. We ducks are on the steps

Humans also walk inside the memorial to view additional exhibits. The streets of Adelaide are very clean. These trash containers are part of the reason.

We thought this trash container is pretty clever

Put trash in one place and cigarette butts in another place and keep Adelaide clean. The Art Gallery of South Australia hosts a special exhibit.

Art Gallery of South Australia

Sir Walter Watson Hughes, one of the founders of and the first donor to the University of Adelaide, is honored here.

Sir Walter Watson Hughs

Sir Douglas Mawson, Professor of Geology and Mineralogy was also an Antarctic scientist and explorer.

Sir Douglas Mawson

Australia honors many of its outstanding citizens. Adelaide is also home to the premier retail area of South Australia. Rundle Mall became Australia’s first pedestrian mall in 1976. We wandered around Rundle Mall just before sunset.

Rundle Mall. A retail destination

The street is lined with world famous retail stores.

Rundle Mall

We like the sculptures also. This fountain appeals to us. We find water soothing.

Water is soothing for us

Malls with flower shops always seem more friendly.

Flowers are so cheerful

Of course, mom found the local chocolate store.

Wonderful chocolate

We are glad she did; the chocolate was delicious. We like Adelaide. Tomorrow we will show you a little more before we leave town.

August 30, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Mythic Creatures at Denver’s Museum with Zeb the Duck

I, Zeb the Duck, saw Mythic Creatures at Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science.

Mythic Creatures in Denver

This is a special exhibit through September 7, 2015. It is good; don’t miss this one. This is the Kraken.

Kraken

Hundreds of years ago, European sailors told of a sea monster called a kraken that could toss ships into the air with its many long arms. Today we know of a living sea animal, the giant squid, that has eight arms and two tentacles. It can grow longer than a school bus, but it lives at great depths and is hardly ever seen. I, Zeb the Duck, may be in love with this mermaid.

Mermaid

This s a Yawkyawk made from fiber, by Marina Murdilnga.

Yawkyawk

This is an ancient spirit of northern Australia’s aboriginal people. This spirit that lives in the water, looks similar to a mermaid and has the power to give life. Some believe a woman can become pregnant just by going near their water home. This giant Optithecus blacki, lived in southeast Asia for almost a million years, until about 300,000 years ago.

He lived 300,000 years ago

In China fossilized teeth and jaws have been found. I am sitting by a fossilized jaw bone. This is a statue of a Griffin.

Griffin

A griffin is a legendary creature with the body, tail and back legs of a lion. A griffin has the head and wings of an eagle and has eagle’s talons on the front feet. The Griffin was thought to be an especially majestic creature. I liked this unicorn.

Unicorn

In modern fairy tales and stories, the mythic unicorn looks like a white horse with a single long horn on its head. But in older stories, this fantastic creature has a short, colored horn and the body of a goat. This is an ivory tusk from an arctic whale called a narwhal. In the Middle Ages, many believed these tusks to be unicorn horns.

Narwhal Whale Tusk

This chupacabra from Mexico lurks in the forest prying on goats and cattle, terrifying local residents.

Chupacabra

The chupacabra acts much like a vampire, killing animals by sucking their blood. The Barong Ket is King of the Spirits and an oversized village guardian for many residents of the island of Bali, Indonesia.

Barong Ket from Indonesia

Rangda is the half-goddess, half witch demon queen of Bali who often battles Barong. Elephant Bird is from Madagascar.

Elephant Bird from Madagascar

This bird, according to fossils, did exist on the island of Madagascar. However, even though legend says the bird could pick up elephants, he would not have been able to lift an elephant. Another problem with the legend: Elephant bird lived in Madagascar, but elephants never lived in Madagascar. The fossilized egg, also found in Madagascar is the largest egg ever found. This is Pegasus, son of the monster Medusa and Poseidon, the god of the sea and of horses.

Pegasus

Of all the mythic creatures that rise from the water, prowl across land, or fly through the air, the dragon is the most famous.

Dragon

A very impressive dragon. The Chinese Parade Dragon chases the “Pearl of Wisdom,” a baton carried by the parade leader.

Chinese Parade Dragon

These are just some of the mythic creatures you will see at this exhibit. We enjoyed our time here and believe you would enjoy it also. But, go soon. These mythic creatures are at Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science only until September 7, 2015

August 29, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Adelaide Central Market with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb and Eider Duck only have a couple days to explore Adelaide, in the state of South Australia. What to do? The humans decided to ride the free city bus that will give them an overview of the city. We like the old buildings that are still used today.

Old building still used today

This old church looks really inviting.

Pretty old church

While on the bus, mom started talking to a lady from Adelaide. The lady moved to Australia from the Philippines several years ago. She loves Australia. She told the humans that they had to see Central Market. The humans try to go where local people suggest, so we went to Central Market.

Central Market

This is a huge market with small restaurants, many everyday items for sale, and of course, lots of groceries. As we entered Central Market, we noticed that meat and vegetables are sold by the kilo.

Meat by the kilo

We are accustomed to buying items by the pound. But, one kilo is 2.2 pounds, so we are adjusting to the metric system. The bakery is near the entrance.

Aroma of bakery draws us closer

It smells so good, we need a closer look.

Yum

Yum! This aisle featuring fresh produce is so colorful.

Colorful Produce

This cheese shop certainly made us smile. Smelly Cheese Shop.

Smelly Cheese Store

The biggest surprise for us was the Some Thing Wild store. This is no normal butcher shop. Wild and exotic game is available here. Duck breast???

We ducks don’t like this

We Colorado Traveling Ducks are not sure we like that. The assorted sausages are better for us to see.

Many kinds of sausage

This kangaroo stir fry is ready to take home and cook.

Kangaroo stir fry

Could be a very nice dinner. Check out the special of the day.

Special of the month?

Crocodile ribs. I have never seen them for sale before. This market had all the normal market items, but we saw some new things too. Visit Central Market and try some of the food. You will enjoy new tastes. Again, we like the old buildings being used today. This one is across from Central Market.

Across from Central Market

When you visit Adelaide, ride the free city bus, routes 98 and 99. And talk to people. The people will suggest things for you to see and do. It is fun, also. We will show you more of Adelaide soon.

August 28, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Zeb and Eider Explore Mercure Resort on Kangaroo Island

Zeb, Eider and the humans have one more day to explore and enjoy Kangaroo Island. We are staying at the Mercure Resort here.

Our resort

From the Mercure, we follow some trails around the resort grounds.

On the trail

Kangaroo Island has a shortage of fresh water. This is part of the first desalination tank.

Desalination tank

Desalination is the process of removing salt from the ocean water so the water can be used for humans and landscaping. From our trail, the views are wonderful.

View from the trail

We can see the ocean also.

Beautiful views

You will notice that our resort is not in the cold, windy part of the island. Flinders Chase National Park, that we showed you the last two times, was beautiful, but the wind was very strong. Along this path, we enjoyed resting on this bench.

Enjoy the bench

A little more walking took us past this old stone house

Stone house

and to the beginning of another trail.

Cannery Trail

We loved this old equipment, once used on Kangaroo Island.

Old equipment

From the trail and road, we watched these black swans swimming so gracefully.

Swans are so graceful

Back at our resort, this is where we enjoy our breakfast buffet.

Part of breakfast buffet

The dining has this indoor portion

Inside dining area

and also an outdoor seating section. On a chilly evening, we enjoyed the fireplace near the bar.

A beverage, conversation and a warm fire here

The swimming pools are very nice and the view of the ocean from the pools is wonderful also.

Pools with a view

We do want to tell you that you cannot rent a vehicle on Kangaroo Island and there are no taxis. If you want a vehicle, you must bring it on the ferry with you. Also, it is best to make all tour arrangements before you arrive on Kangaroo Island. We were there in their winter, but we did not have tour options once we arrived, so be sure to plan ahead.

Our resort on Kangaroo Island

We really did enjoy Kangaroo Island and hope you visit the island if you are in South Australia. However, we are taking the ferry back to Adelaide now.

On the ferry to Adelaide

We liked Kangaroo Island, but more adventures are waiting for us.

August 26, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Zeb and Eider Visit Admirals Arch and Fur Seals on Australia’s Kangaroo Island

Zeb and Eider Duck are still in Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. This park is at the west end of the island and the winds are still quite strong. The surf of the Southern Ocean dramatically crashes against the rugged cliffs.

Crashing surf

We start down the boardwalk, heading for the New Zealand Fur Seals.

The boardwalk to see New Zealand Fur Seals

Looking down at the Southern Ocean, we are fascinated by the water crashing on the rocks.

Strong surf meets rugged coast

As we descend, we see this New Zealand Fur Seal resting.

Resting New Zealand Fur Seal

This is our tour guide while we are on Kangaroo Island.

Our guide

He has been friendly and extremely informative. We stop to admire this New Zealand Fur Seal.

Curled up for a nap

He is curled up and seems very relaxed here. Now we see Admirals Arch.

Admirals Arch

This arch gives us a different view of the ocean.

Admirals Arch

A very impressive rock formation. From Admirals Arch, we look at the Southern Ocean and relaxing New Zealand Fur Seals.

Looking down at New Zealand Fur Seals and Southern Ocean

We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, were on this walk, but it is very windy. This is one of the few times mom feels it is safe for us to pose for a photo.

It sure is windy!

We like seeing these fur seals.

Sitting up for a photo

Isn’t this one just adorable?

So cute!

We think so! As we go back up the boardwalk, we keep turning around to admire the ocean.

Rugged land

Our tour of Kangaroo Island is almost over. We will miss these ocean views.

We were here

We hope you visit Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island. We had a great time on our tour, but we are not done yet. Next time we will show you a little more of this wonderful island..

August 24, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Zeb and Eider Explore Australia’s Flinders Chase National Park

I, Zeb the Duck, and my cousin, Eider Duck, are on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Today we are in Flinders Chase National Park.

Flinders Chase National Park

We head for Bunker Hill Lookout.

To Bunker Hill Lookout

This is quite a steep drop to rough water.

Beautiful and powerful

We are on the west end of Kangaroo Island and the chilly, strong wind is really blowing. We are walking to the Remarkable Rocks. We are on the boardwalk on the way to the rocks,

On the boardwalk to Remarkable Rocks

but we have to be careful we don’t blow into the Southern Ocean. Ready to climb up the rocks.

We are going up there

This sign with Danger makes these Colorado Traveling Ducks a bit nervous. Wow! These rocks really are remarkable. The red on the rocks reminds us of the Bay of Fire in Tasmania.

Red on rocks

The color is probably also from lichen. We feel safe sitting while the rocks protect us from the wind.

We feel protected from wind here

These are great rocks. The ocean looks cold and rough.

Beautiful ocean

Little ducks would not have fun swimming in this water. The landscape here indicates that the wind is fairly constant.

Terrain shows results of constant ocean winds

Not much tall vegetation and the Southern Ocean dominates this end of Kangaroo Island. We are now heading to the lighthouse.

Great Lighthouse

The date over the door of this lighthouse is 1909. The view from the lighthouse is very impressive.

View from lighthouse

In our ducky opinion, a lighthouse was really necessary here to help guide the ships. When a human lighthouse keeper lived here, supplies were brought in every three months. This is the pulley used to haul supplies to the lighthouse keeper and to take anything from him to go back to town.

Pulley used to transport supplies

Flinders Chase National Park became a National Park in 1919. We like seeing so many things here. Our guide tells us there is still more to see here. We will tell you more about the park next time.

August 22, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Eucalyptus Oil Farm on Kangaroo Island with Zeb and Eider Duck

Today we visited a farmer that does not grow crops, does not have cows and does not have sheep. Lawrence, the farmer, does not use any sprays and no chemicals are used. He plants and cares for native Kangaroo Island Narrow Leaf Mallee eucalyptus trees. This is not one of the varieties of eucalyptus trees favored by the koalas.

Emu Ridge is a working farm

We were at Emu Ridge, the only commercial Eucalyptus Distillery remaining in South Australia. The eucalyptus oil is distilled in the traditional method. The eucalyptus plant is cut every few years and then taken to the distillery.

Eucalyptus still

The leaf is placed into a pot containing water, beneath which a fire is lit. The steam carrying the oil is passed through a system of cooling pipes. The oil separates and is piped off into containers. The raw oil undergoes another refining process to produce the final product, crystal clear oil. This is the process used to produce or distill eucalyptus oil over 100 years ago.

Old farm equipment still used

All parts of the plant are used in this process. There is no waste and any byproducts are recycled. They even produce their own electricity. Lawrence and his wife, Beverly, were sheep farmers, but in 1991 the wool prices took a sharp decline. They decided to revive the old custom of producing eucalyptus oil. Eucalyptus oil was the first true overseas export of Australia.

Why have eucalyptus oil?

The old shearing shed is now a plant nursery. Emu Ridge farm has been a major tourist destination since 1991. There is a retail outlet where you may purchase pure eucalyptus oil and other products.

So many products from Eucalyptus oil

Mom really liked some of the lotions and creams. Of course, the products also may be purchased online. Please visit http://www.EmuRidge.com.au for more information. The 4 minute video on the home page is really interesting. The humans were watching these kangaroos.

Kangaroos in the back yard

We really enjoyed seeing these kangaroos, too

We are watching these kangaroos

This is an emu, the inspiration for naming the farm Emu Ridge.

Emu at Emu Ridge

When you visit Kangaroo Island in South Australia, we hope you will visit Emu Ridge also. We loved it and we think you would enjoy it also.

	coloradotravelingduc… on Grandpa’s in the Tuff Sh…
	Tom Blickhahn on Grandpa’s in the Tuff Sh…
	The Chile Verde At T… on Denver’s Chili Verde for…
	The Mindful Migraine… on Return to Calhan and the Paint…
	Reagan on Eider Duck Heads to Homer,…