Barmera Main Street Comes to Life at Christmas Pageant 2013

The usually quiet Barmera Main Street suddenly came to life during the Barmera Christmas Pageant 2013 held on 13 December 2013 at Barmera, Riverland, South Australia. 

The lively event attracted many visitors from around the Riverland region and also from elsewhere to spectate the array of fun-filled activities that were specially organised to bring out a high-spirited Christmas mode amongst them. 

At the start of the pageant, vintage car enthusiasts were enthralled as owners of stylish-looking vintage cars drove along the Barmera Main Street to showcase their prized possessions. 

The vintage car procession was followed by a beautiful float parade. During the parade, members from the local community, churches, schools, clubs, associations and businesses proudly paraded their floats as they moved merrily along the streets of Barmera town. Children gathered around them to receive a generous share of lollies from the float parade participants to fulfill their Christmas wishes. 

The adults and senior citizens were not left out. Some went home happily with some free pot plants to complete their gardens. Some had a good time catching up with their family and friends while grabbing a quick bite from some of the street stalls. 

The pinnacle of the event was its magical kaleidoscope of fireworks. Visitors were captivated while watching the spectacular fireworks displays which were displayed overlooking beautiful Lake Bonney. To enhance the magical moment, the animated fireworks were displayed together with melodious songs to accompany them. 

I was particularly impressed by this year’s float parade and unique firework displays. I especially loved watching the firework displays this year as it had a unique twist to it when the fireworks suddenly turned into a shape of a waterfall halfway during the show. 

Barmera Christmas Pageant 2013 Vintage Car Show

Barmera Christmas Pageant 2013 Float Parade

Santa Claus and his new pet dog at the pageant

The mesmerising fireworks displays managed to conclude my night with complete bliss. It was truly a memorable experience attending such an enjoyable event like this. 

I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all those who have helped to make the Barmera Christmas Pageant 2013 a success. Good job to all of you! You made my day. 

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

Alba Café, Berri, Riverland, South Australia

Friends are precious gifts because they are the ones who will lift you up and motivate you whenever you need that extra boost of hope and energy. 

One fine day after our usual church service, our friends from Malaysia took us out for lunch at a swish looking café in Berri, Riverland, South Australia to cheer us up. 

The café was situated just beside the Berri Visitor Information Centre and it was overlooking the splendours of the beautiful Murray River. 

We ordered two main course dishes for lunch – the Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich and the Big Breakfast. 

Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich

Big Breakfast

We were very pleased with the Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich, but didn’t quite like the taste of the Big Breakfast. The Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich tasted really good. It had the right amount of seasoning and the sandwich bread was toasted to perfection. However, we found that the Big Breakfast wasn’t really special because the dish could have been easily prepared at home and it didn’t have that ‘oomph’ factor. 

Apart from that, we do recommend you to go to Alba Café as the prices there are pretty reasonable and you can take the opportunity to unwind while eating there because of its beautiful setting and tranquil surroundings.

Here is the address of Alba Café:

340 Riverview Drive
Berri, South Australia 5343

Cheers,

Caroline Poh

A Bustling Country Town in South Australia

Who would have guessed that a small country town could turn into a bustling town like this? 

This is Gawler, South Australia! 

Gawler town in South Australia

Gawler is the first country town in South Australia. The town is situated 44 km north of the Adelaide CBD and close to Barossa Valley, a major wine producing and tourist attraction area in South Australia. Its prominent location between the two major locations in South Australia has contributed greatly towards its development over the recent years. 

My husband and I would usually drive past Gawler whenever we are on our way to Adelaide but during a recent trip to Adelaide, we decided to stop by Gawler instead.

I must say that I was very surprised that Gawler did not resemble a normal South Australian country town at all. Instead, the town looks just like any other suburb in Adelaide. In fact, it looked like a pretty upmarket Adelaide suburb like Norwood! 

During our time in Gawler, we walked past the streets and discovered so many shops that consisted of retail outlets and restaurants. There are also several small shopping centres in Gawler. 

I managed to do a quick search on the internet to find out the main attractions of Gawler before our brief stopover. The main attractions of Gawler are the Gawler Town Hall, Gawler Clock Tower and Gawler Railway Station. We managed to visit these main attractions during our visit. 

Here are some of the photos we have taken during our trip to Gawler: 

Gawler Town Hall in South Australia

Gawler Clock Tower in South Australia

Gawler Railway Station in South Australia

An old train exhibit at Gawler Railway Station in South Australia

The railway tracks at Gawler Railway Station in South Australia

Gawler, South Australia has grown tremendously over the years and has become like any other suburb in Adelaide. It is connected directly to Adelaide by train and people can get easy access from Gawler to Adelaide by car too. It is a bustling country town that is like no other. Gawler is quite a nice place to visit. However, if it’s a country town you are after, Gawler will probably not be your ideal place to visit. 

Cheers,

Caroline Poh