Two days ago, the cool wind flew through my hair while the warm sun shone on my face. The ferry to Mornington Peninsula rocked in the tumultuous water. Martin wandered the boat, taking in everything. 

It was a glorious day. 

We had started with getting some coffee and exploring the boutique shops in the posh beach town of Queenscliff. Joined by my friend and her former roommate, we wandered, marveling at the ornate buildings and finding some deals at the local thrift store (called an Op Shop here). 

The 45 minute ferry dropped Martin and I off in Sorento, another little beach town across the bay from Queenscliff. It appears Australia is filled with quaint beach towns. 

We ate lunch al fresco and people watched. I had a pumpkin couscous salad that was so good I forgot to take a photo. We caught the new James Bond movie, Spectre. Afterwards, we had an hour before our ferry departed, so we grabbed a baguette and some mint and rosemary jelly for a snack on the beach.

A seagull desperately chased away the other seagulls in an attempt at obtaining a morsel of bread. No luck, bully. I watched a family play cricket on the beach and the end of a stand up paddle board lesson. 

We caught the ferry, and this time I sat inside away from the chilly wind. 

Back in Queenscliff, we wandered around while waiting for the bus back to Ocean Grove. It was after 7 p.m. before we arrived back and not having motivation to cook, we grabbed fish and chips and some local beer for completely Australian meal. 

It was a perfect day.

Today we left Ocean Grove.

Two weeks we spent in that bliss-filled beach community. As I wiped the sleep from my eyes at the crack of dawn, I wondered why we were leaving my friend and such comfortable surroundings. Fourteen hours later and still another hour left on our bus ride to Adelaide, I’m questioning our reasoning again.

Martin and I often get asked how we choose where to go next. Logistics and desire, I guess. We planned next to nothing before arriving in Australia. Once we arrived, however, we spent several days reading about Australia and eventually narrowed our trip to three destinations: the first being Adelaide. 

Why Adelaide?

It’s near good wine. It has a nice climate. Sounds like it has a funky vibe. We’ll see if any of these things are true.

So far, we’ve struck out on all the wine we’ve had in Australia, but now we have recommendations from Australians who love wine. As a result, in a couple days I’ll brave driving on the opposite side of the road in an effort to find a delicious glass. Even if the wine is bad, I’m sure it will be an adventure!