Just paddling along singing a song.
I flew back into Adelaide after a fun weekend in Brisbane. Great to see everyone again and Sylvia didn’t look any older either. I think 60 is the new 50! She’s going Gr8.
Public transport was cheap and easy in Adelaide. $2.70 had me picked up by bus at the airport door and after two x 20minute journeys I was out at Clarence Gardens to collect my van from Alister’s relatives.
A big day ahead as after rising at 4am to fly from Brisbane I then needed to drive 500 kms from Adelaide to Winnap in SW Victoria to meet friends for a 5 day canoe trip down the Glenelg River..
On the Dukes highway just after I passed Tintinara 3 semis clipped each other and all rolled over, completely blocking the highway! I was about the 4th vehicle to arrive. Within 10 minutes their was a long lineup of B doubles, road trains, caravans, motorhomes and cars all pulled up. One driver was hurt a bit and the others were ok. Police and Ambo’s arrived. A detour down along the coast was going to be long and tedious.
Imagine all of these huge vehicles managing to do U- turns on a narrow highway with little space. It was happening though. I had the UHF radio on and had just “ done a Uey” myself when I heard on the radio that there was a way through. A gravel detour. The truckies were all grumbling about getting their rigs dusty.
Arriving in Winnap at Paeston Canoe Hire’s delightful property, I met up with cycling friends Mike and his daughter Jess and Michelle who I met on the bus home to Portland after the Great Vic 2009. We were all very excited in anticipation of our journey. We met Pete and Rose who were great fun and we joined them at several camps.
It was a fabulous week of perfect weather, great company and 63 kms of canoeing through the Glenelg river forest. We camped on the banks each night, swum in the river frequently, bushwalked and saw lots of wildlife.
A copperhead snake swimming beside us aroused my curiosity. We followed it for a closer look with me paddling forward and Michelle in the front paddling nervously backwards until it raised its head for a look at us…whoops… let’s get out of here!
A koala in an overhanging low branch eyeballed us as we paddled underneath him. A wombat stood in mid track as we walked one morning up to view the Margaret Rose Caves. Kangaroos hopped away and echidnas waddled in search of ants. A blue yabby was in a spring at one of our secluded green campsites. Wombats and possums were around our tents at night and the birdlife was varied and prolific.
The scenery was magnificent as we paddled downstream, sometimes crisscrossing the river sometimes singing along and stopping in at little jetties for a cuppa or lunch. Most days, with no breeze to ripple the river, we had a perfect mirror image of tree branches, cliffs and bushland.
On the last day as we neared Nelson we had head winds to challenge us. We shared a drink at the Nelson pub whilst we waited for Ross to collect us. Mike and Michelle unloaded the storage barrels and did a sprint out to the mouth and back getting absolutely soaked in the process but arriving back grinning from ear to ear. A great finish
We weren’t ready to say goodbye and end our journey so we camped one more night at Paeston and shared our second counter meal at the Dartmoor pub where the publican is amazingly surly. His full on grumpiness gave us a few chuckles.
Now it was time for me to head back to Brisbane for a number of reasons. I need to return to some solid work. ( money) I am rapt to have some really good house sits for a 12 month period which will enable me to do that and to join in with friends, family and community again. I need to belong somewhere!
I am in Manly until mid April and then Birkdale after that.
My beautiful van is listed on rvpoint.com.au. I want to have a separate vehicle to drive. I also don’t want it to sit unused for 12 months devaluing and getting grimy.
My next plan is to buy a tray back ute and a slide on camper and take off again further afield next year. Can I sit still for that Long?
Hope to see many of you very soon.
Sue
xxx
