Day Trips

Around 34 hardy members braved the hot temperatures to join in the celebration of the twenty fourth Christmas in the Park. Despite temperatures heading towards 40 degrees, a good time was had by all as they shared breakfast among the shady trees of Hazelwood Park. The ladies all broke into song at one point with a rendition of A Ute Christmas Carol, much to the bemusement of their male partners. It was a fitting end to what has been an outstanding year for the club, and we all look forward to 2013 to be bigger and better with more members, more trips, and above all, more fun!

The weather was perfect for this important event on the club calendar. Mild temperatures, few clouds and a slight breeze. Members and friends numbered 33 and there were 17 excited children also in attendance. This year there were a number of activities for the children - cricket, tug-o-war, pinatas, and pin the wheel on the Nissan. An enjoyable lunch was had by all and afterwards the children played pass-the-parcel which concluded when Father Christmas arrived around 2:00pm. Each of the children received a present and a bag of lollies, and everyone enjoyed ice-cream and cool drinks. It was another great family picnic day and heralded the approach of yet another Christmas season.

42 members enjoyed our Mid Year Lunch at the Kaesler restaurant which is situated in the Barossa Valley. Our entree consisted of bread to share, Homemade Sliced Wedges with Sour cream & Sweet Chilli Sauce & Homemade Chicken & Smoked Bacon Pate. A variety of main courses were on offer; Kangaroo, Chicken fillet oven baked, Ocean Trout pan seared and homemade Fettuccini . All meals were accompanied by sauces and fresh hot vegetables. The piece de resistance was the Sticky Date Pudding served with Caramel sauce and a lashing of cream. This was all washed down by wines from the Kaesler Vineyards. Again another successful Nissan Function - Great Day - Great company - Great food!

At about 10:00am, twenty-three members and visitors arrived at the Willunga Farmers’ Market and immersed themselves into the wonderland of goods, which were available. These included organically grown fruit and vegetables, bread, fresh milk, honey ice cream, Coorong Mullet, potted herbs and flowers.

Next most of the group wandered up High Street to the Glenn Howlett Glass Studio. There they saw many items of blown glass and lead light, and also a lead light practical class in action.

At 11:15 am it was time to move on to Magpie Springs, which combines cellar door sales with a working studio and gallery.

The Wirra Wirra Vineyard Winery visit was scheduled for 1:00pm where the group enjoyed a guided tour followed by wine tasting and a cheese platter.

Then followed a visit to the Chocolate Box in McLaren Vale, and coffee and cake at Bracegirdles, to round off a great day.

The first event of the year was the Present & Past members Picnic which was held at Hazelwood Park. The weather was fine with 48past and present members attending. Everyone who attended would agree it was wonderful to catch up again and reminisce times of years gone by as well as present happenings. A perfect day for a picnic lunch with wonderful company made this a very successful event.

On a lovely sunny day some 26 or so members and family joined in a great day at Hazelwood Park for the annual children's Christmas picnic. The children all enjoyed themselves playing on the swings, or just running around exploring the area. The adults present also enjoyed themselves, although at a more sedate pace, just happy to enjoy each others company. Father Christmas arrived around 2:00pm and distributed presents and lollies to the children, and the older children (ladies) all managed to sit on his knee and also got some lollies. It was a great day all around.

This was a day trip to Normanville, Second Valley & Rapid Bay. John Fisher from the Lions Club Yankalilla lead the tour and Peter was our Tail end Charlie. There were 12 cars involving 24 members & friends who attended the day outing. Visited some great places, had a BBQ lunch, and enjoyed a small walk to a waterfall. Beautiful scenery of the coastal areas as well as countryside. Cameras were happily clicking.

A dozen members enjoyed a day trip on SteamRanger's Southern Encounter 621 “The Duke of Edinburgh” starting at Mount Barker, going to Goolwa, then on to Victor Harbor and return back to Mount Barker. Everyone enjoyed the trip, the scenery, the food, and the weather was perfect as well. Read the full account here.

Our Mid Year Lunch was held at the Pretoria Hotel at Mannum, situated by the riverbanks of the Murray River. 14 of our members made a weekend of it and stayed at the Mannum Caravan Park. The remainder of us made it a day trip up there. A total of 54 people attended and enjoyed a 3 course meal. It was noted by Colin our Vice President that it was the best attended Mid Year Lunch to date. As with most of our functions, it’s a great way for catching up with friends, especially members who have been on extended trips. One thing we can say about our club, we have plenty to talk about as well as enjoying each others company. So with Food, Fun and Great Company this made our lunch a great success. Many thanks to Jess & her staff for their friendliness and good old country service.

Sunday the 20th Dec 34 Nissan patrollers and family attended “Breakfast in the Park” . It was a morning of eating, drinking and enjoying the company of others before the Xmas season gets too busy. This year the weather was about as good as it gets with sunshine and blue skies. Champagne, fruit cake, quiches, bacon and eggs, and lots of Xmas nibbles

Sunday 7th November a group of members and visitors met at the top of Main South Road and headed for the markets at Myponga where some had scones with jam and cream while others looked around the markets. Then a trip across the Myponga dam and onto Yankalilla for a stop at the bakery. After lunch it was onto the waterfalls where we walked down to the falls and spent some time looking around before a nice drive down to Deep Creek Conservation Park to check out the camp grounds and the scenery and wild life before heading back home. A great day out with good company and a fantastic sunny day.

The club held its Mid Year Dinner on the 4th of July with a cruise on the Dolphin Explorer. We had 45 members attend a two course lunch and cruise on the Port River. Weather was sunny and allowed us to enjoy the decks for a view of the dolphins and the Port. We would like to thank Alison, Director of Adelaide Cruises, Elaine our waitress and Martin our bartender for outstanding service and a day to remember.

John and Sue had kindly invited the Nissan Patrol Club and the Jeep club for a fun night of slot car racing. It was obvious that John had put a lot of effort into his hobby. He had started to build the track approximately 3 years ago and had used computer programs to design it. He viewed tracks from all around the world. Just trying to keep the cars at a racing pace and still stay on the track was quite a challenge. The Jeep club won a trophy for overall wins and the Patrol club won fastest lap trophy. A good turn out by both clubs and a great night had by all.