Mighty Hot on the Mighty Murray
I don’t like the extreme weather here!
I also have found SA not particularly “Free Camp” friendly. There are lots of ugly” no camping you will be fined” signs. Many stop over points do not have toilets.
However…
I enjoyed the South Australian coastline with its spectacular scenery and good walk tracks. There are also very many lovely old stone homes, farms and commercial buildings from the 1850’s onward in SA.
Driving in to Canunda National Park and Coola Outstation was a bone shaking experience I would prefer not to repeat! The stones were large and sharp and I had to straddle the ruts with one wheel in the high scrubby center and one off the track to prevent the low bottom of the van scraping. Nerve wracking and slow!
The Lakeside vegetation, coastal habitat and dunes were lovely .The Coola outstation, occupied from the mid 1800’s to 1950 was still partly standing and gave me a sense of the isolation the outriders must have lived in. Plenty of roos and birds.
At Southend, Beachport and Robe, I walked around the intriguing limestone cliffs where the forces of nature, wind and waves, have created fascinating seastacks, reef platforms and weirdly sculptured cliffs. I perched for the night in my van on a precarious undercut cliff out near the Obelisk Light, surrounded on 3 sides by by sheer drops to wild water crashing on the rocks. No sleepwalking that night! I was completely out of sight of nearby houses. The spot was recommended to me by a gorgeously painted young “hippie” couple traveling with their small parrot.
Leaving the cliffs behind, I drove through Kingston SE and then along the Coorong to Meningie. It was extremely hot again with blasting hot winds. Horrible weather! I don’t find the Lakes attractive but I am told they are currently very low on water.
In the extreme weather I hung out in a shady park at Langhorne Creek (dry) for a couple of days before heading to beautiful Victor harbor.
I really enjoyed my stay, camped outside the home of Alister’s sister Marg and her husband Nigel for Christmas and New Year. I must say I much prefer their quality wines to my “chateau cardboard”. Christmas day with all of their extended family was a lot of fun. Maybe starting off with a glass of Moet champagne had something to do with goodwill and Christmas cheer!
Over the next few days Alister took me cycling, walking and driving around the very attractive Fleurieu Peninsula. We walked across the bridge to Granite Island. We viewed the mouth of the Murray where it runs into Lake Alexandrina. We looked across to Kangaroo Island. I was fascinated by the “white elephant” modern marina at Werrina with huge hills towering over it. The resort failed and was resold. It is a beautiful but rather remote little harbour.
Time to move on again!
In Strathalbyn I asked for the local BUG’s and found them.I don’t think Kay and then John knew what to think when a perfect stranger rang them asking to go cycling. They did make me very welcome though. I cycled from Milang to Goolwa with John where we joined about 10 friendly cyclists for a ride to the coffee shop at Middleton and back. John, Colin and I then returned to Milang. It was 90 kms of enjoyable riding in good company.
In Milang, Colin suggested we visit after lunch for a cuppa with him and Angela. I felt so comfortable with them all so when Angela invited me to park overnight in their yard and to join them for a roast dinner…well I couldn’t refuse could I?
Next morning I walked at 7am with Angela and Kay and several other local ladies. We covered the whole of Milang in an hour and with our chatter and a few barking dogs along the way I think we made sure the whole town was well awake!
Lovely people.
I spent a couple of very hot days in picturesque Strathalbyn swimming in the only pool for miles around whilst I attended to a couple of minor repairs to the van. Vibration had broken a catch on my storage box and the springs were creaking quite a lot. They were apparently just suffering from the dry and dusty conditions. I could sympathise! The blokes in the Strathfield garage were very helpful and easy on the purse as was Rhys at the Home Hardware.
In Langhorne Creek again, I met Kathy and Paul from Sydney. We enjoyed a couple of days relaxing under the trees and shared a delightful lunch and wine tasting at a nearby winery of which there are very many around here. Another baking hot day!
At Mannum on the mighty Murray I have spent the last few days just surviving the heat by constantly dipping in the muddy Murray with many other happy campers.
There are lots of ducks swimming about, a snake or two and ski boats buzzing about. We really know about it when the Paddle Steamer comes through as it blasts its loud horn all the way!
We all had cheap seats to the Jimmy Barnes, Adam Brand and Shannon Noll concert (we could hear it all from across the river). There were plenty of wild looking utes there. Friendly cowboys and girls with akubras were horsing around in the murky water. The river bank was packed out.
My gas fridge can’t cope so I bought a solid slab of ice. It is feeling better now.
I have had enough of being blasted by strong winds and grit in 45 – 48 degree temperatures and will be glad when I jump on a plane to Brisbane to join in the fun of my good friend Sylvia’s 60th this weekend.
Guess what? Today is a gorgeous day, sunshine and a gentle cool breeze.
