Life in the Riverland, South Australia

When our friends from Adelaide first found out that we were relocating to the Riverland, South Australia, their immediate response were, “Riverland? Where is that?” 

We would then have to patiently explain to them that the Riverland is a region in country South Australia and that it is a place well-known for its charming wineries and abundance of fresh fruits. In fact, Riverland is also known as South Australia’s fruit bowl. Once you’ve eaten Riverland fruits, you won’t want to eat fruits from elsewhere. They are absolutely delicious! 

I would have to admit that my first journey to the Riverland was a rather daunting experience. When we first considered moving to the Riverland, my husband and I took a bus from Adelaide to the Riverland to have a look at the place. 

Being a fairly new migrant at that time, I feared moving to the country town because I have heard so many stories from our local friends in Adelaide about the horrors of living in a country town in rural South Australia. 

The stories I heard varied – from having hardly any neighbours, just one or two shops in the entire town to living in the outback (ie. desertland) with no grass and trees in sight. They even told us that we will not have any friends in the country town and that we will be very lonely once we get there. 

While sitting in the bus on my way to the Riverland, we passed by a lot of dry and opened empty land with hardly any trees around. There were also hardly any cars on the road at that time. At that instance, I thought that maybe what my Adelaide friends had told me about the country town were all true. Fear crept into my mind. 

However, when I arrived at the Riverland, everything changed. I found the Riverland a very pleasant place to be with good weather conditions, friendly people and plenty of green pastures and fruit trees. The towns located in the Riverland region have really serene views as they are mostly set upon the magnificent Murray River. 

After living in the Riverland, South Australia for almost two years, I can confidently say that there are plenty of things to do in the Riverland and that Riverland is not a bad place to live in after all. Our friends from the Riverland introduced us to so many local favourite activities like fishing, boating, barbecuing by the riverside, jet skiing and having huge bonfires at the end of their farming harvest. My husband and I experienced walking through beautiful vineyards, fruit orchards, wild bird sanctuaries and managed to dine the local country cuisine prepared at bonfire events. We also had the opportunity to mingle with farmers and harvesters, and learnt about what country life is really all about. 

If I had not moved to the Riverland, I would not have experienced all these enriching things. Living in a country town can be fun if you learn to tap into the beauty of it. The tranquillity of unspoilt mother nature, laid-back lifestyle and the healthy lifestyle of eating fresh fruits and vegetables are the things that the city folks have really been missing when it comes to living in the country town. I learnt through my experience in the Riverland that there is more to life than shopping malls, huge carnival events, restaurants and movie tickets. I also learnt how to appreciate the hard work that farmers and harvesters have to endure just to produce the fruits and vegetables that we see readily available at our local grocers and supermarkets. 

As we are planning to move out of the Riverland next year to pursue our careers to the next level, my head feels heavy to leave this lovely region. There has been so many things that I learnt from our friends here and memories for us to keep. I will never forget the delicious taste of the fresh fruits straight off the fruit trees, wonderful adventures we experienced through participating in favourite local outdoor activities and valuable friendships we have gained along the way. I will always remember the Riverland, South Australia wherever I go. 

Here are some of the activities we did in the Riverland: 

Barbecuing along Murray River, Riverland, South Australia

Jet skiing at Lake Bonney, Barmera, South Australia

Fishing at Kingston on Murray, Riverland, South Australia

Riverland is a really nice place to visit and unwind. I would encourage you to visit the Riverland, South Australia to discover the beauty that this region has to offer. Your trip will not be wasted! 

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Famous Tourist Attractions in Penang Island, Malaysia

Penang Island, Malaysia has always had a special place in my heart. As a child, I spend a lot of my time in Penang as my grandparents used to live there. Having strong family roots at the island, I always looked forward to my regular weekend trips to this beautiful island especially to eat lots of delicious food.

My fond memory of this island is picking sea shells by the beach situated just behind a prestigious 5 star hotel with my sister and mother. We also made it a point to visit the local ‘kuih’ stall at Penang Plaza and always bought the specially blended yoghurt drink at the yoghurt vending machine at the plaza.

Although we always made regular trips to Penang, we never did any touristy stuff while we were there as we always went to the local hotspots with my Auntie who used to live there. One fine day, my sister, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I decided to go there, this time as tourists.

These are the places we visited:-

Penang Hill

We were privileged to sit the old train going up to Penang Hill before it was demolished. The train ride was fabulous, with us being able to get ourselves so close to nature as we travel alongside the tropical forest towards our destination. Once we reached the top of the hill, we enjoyed the refreshing cool air and tranquillity that Penang Hill has to offer. We decided to chill out in style at the hill by savouring some delicious English scones and fruit cake at a classy English restaurant called David Brown’s Restaurant.

The old train to Penang Hill

English scones and fruitcake

Fort Cornwallis

We also decided to indulge in a bit of history by visiting Fort Cornwallis. Fort Cornwallis is an interesting historical landmark in Georgetown, Penang. The fort was built over a century ago and it includes a chapel, prison cells, ammunitions storage area, a harbour light house and several old bronze cannons.

Bronze cannons at Fort Cornwallis

Tambun Biscuit Factory

As we love hunting for good food, we took the opportunity to buy some Tambun biscuits straight from the Him Heang biscuit factory at Burma Road, Penang. Tambun biscuit is a famous traditional Chinese biscuit in Penang. Although there are many places where you can buy Tambun biscuits in Penang, it is worth a drive to get your biscuits from Him Heang as their biscuits are exceptionally good. When you buy it straight from the factory, the Tambun biscuits are even more aromatic, fresh and delicious.

Food

If you have ever wondered why people often tell you that Penang food is good, stop wondering and try them for yourself! I guarantee you that you will find Penang food really, really good! If you like to eat Malaysian food, I would recommend you to try their Penang Nyonya food. If you like Western food, why not try some of the Western food made by the Penangites (Penang locals) and discover their fusion twist to everyday Western food.

During our trip to Penang, we ate ‘Loh Mee’. Loh Mee or Lor Mee is a Chinese egg noodle dish served with thick starchy gravy. The noodles are served with fish cakes, boiled eggs and pork. We went to an old coffee shop at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling called Hai Beng Coffee Shop. The ‘Loh Mee’ there is absolutely delicious!

The traditional shops in Penang

Loh Mee or Lor Mee

Hai Beng Coffee Shop at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling

That pretty much summarises my trip to Penang Island, Malaysia. Hope you enjoy what I have just shared with you.

Cheers,

Caroline Poh