WE'RE HEADED TO THE EYRE PENINSULA

Firstly, apologies for the format of the last blog.  We were plagued with technical difficulties uploading the photos as the blogger format has changed and we’ve also got a new computer –a Toshiba - which wouldn’t let us load the photos.  It’s been a nightmare for Richard (the technical whizz) to sort out, with many frustrated attempts.  He’s now loaded Google Chrome which another blogger suggested and that seems to be working ok. 

Saturday 11^th April  -   We left Buronga and headed towards our next stop at Burra – about a 4 hour drive.   After about an hour’s drive, we came to the South Australian border and had the “fruit police border checkpoint inspection”.   We passed through Wakerie and wanted to stop off at the main park for lunch.  As it was school holidays there weren’t any spare parking spots as it’s a very small area.  Wakerie is a popular area for water sports on the river.   We drove to Cadell to get the ferry over the river into Morgan.  What a beautiful little spot – very popular with families for picnics and water sports.  There’s a lovely little caravan park on one end of the river.  It was a very picturesque spot.  We had a walk around the park and continued on our drive towards Burra an historic old Cornish mining township. At one time, the mines at Burra supplied 89% of South Australian and 5% of World supplies of copper for a period of 15 years. We stayed at Burra Caravan Park which was quite small but on the river with lots of ducks and geese wandering around.  The place was full of groups of grey nomads.  There were lots of ruins from the mining era around the place.  The miner’s cottages have been refurbished and are available for hire.  We could see the miners’ “dug outs” on the side of the river. You could go right down and look through them but they were locked up for the day by the time we got there. 

Sunday 12^th April  -  We left Burra  at 9am and headed towards our next destination of Port Augusta – a 3-4 hour drive.  We arrived at Port Augusta and stayed at The Foreshore Caravan Park.   Port Augusta is called “The Crossroads to The Outback” and is the beginning of The Eyre Peninsula.  It  was a 10 minute drive from the main town area to the caravan park.   What the brochures didn’t tell us was that Port Augusta is a “dry zone” as there are problems with the high population of indigenous people and alcohol.   Our caravan park had fencing all around (we discovered most of the other parks did the same thing).  The “compound” (which is the nickname we gave it as it felt just like a prison) was locked at 9pm and you had to arrange to get a key if you were going to be out later than that time.  We were advised not to go into town past that time.  After that piece of advice we had no intention of venturing out into town at night time.  The place was unlocked at 7am the following morning.

We had a waterfront spot – the view spoilt slightly by the wire fencing.  We could walk onto the beach area in front of the park and let Sally off the lead for a run.    The sand was mostly red mud but ok to walk on.  We had a magnificent background view of The Flinders Ranges which had spectacular colours of browns and reds right along the foreshore. 

Monday 13^th April  -  We went for a drive to see The Matthew Flinders  Lookout.  It was very spectacular and certainly worth the half hour drive to see it, with stunning views across the river of  The Flinders Ranges.   The variation in colours of reds, browns and greens was amazing.  The Lookout is a memorial Cairn dedicated to where Matthew Flinders stood in 1802 to name Mt. Brown, Mt. Arden, Point Lowly and Curlew Point in The Flinders Ranges.

We had noticed clumps of what we thought were horrible weeds everywhere.  We discovered these plants were called Chenopods and thrived in arid zones, where droughts can last for decades.  They have become specialists in collecting, storing and conserving water.  There is no overcrowding – each plant has its own space and hair-like roots that collect water so efficiently that nothing else can establish or thrive beside them.  We looked at them with new eyes and far more respect than we had at first.

When we left the Lookout, we drove back past town towards the airport and The Royal Flying Doctors Base  where we hoped to be able to do a tour.  One tour was just finishing and we were lucky enough to get our own private tour when that had finished.  They even let us take Sally inside with us (I had to hold her in my arms).  We saw a 15 minute video of the services they provide, with incredible patient stories of survival and were in total awe of just how much they actually do to educate the outback with regular dental clinics, women’s health clinics as well as emergency rescues, inter-hospital transfers and transportation of donor recipients.  They also offer a 24 hour telephone health consultation.  We learned how remote communities have a locked “medicine box” filled with antibiotics and basic medical supplies which are all numbered and can be accessed when necessary via a phone link-up with an on-line doctor.  Each plane on the base costs $6,000,000.  The Port Augusta Base currently have 11 planes and cover an area of 840,000 square kilometres. They are mainly financed through donations.  We saw inside one of the planes and spoke to one of the nurses on board restocking supplies for the next call out.  She had been a nurse for over 30 years and had worked in many outback hospitals and  clinics before joining the RFDS 2 years ago.  She was really informative and friendly and absolutely loved her job and was totally dedicated to what she was doing.   She told us that the doctors don’t always go out on a call with the nurse – only when necessary or when more than one patient is involved that a nurse thinks she may not be able to deal with. We were filled with so much admiration and respect for what they do. There are 50 RFDS bases throughout rural Australia.  What an absolutely amazing service they provide to the folks living in those communities and what peace of mind to know that medical help is available 24/7.  We should all dig deep into our pockets and donate to the RFDS – you just never know when you might need them.   The tour cost was a gold coin donation.

The red mud beach outside "the compound" - notice the chenopods too

View from Flinders View lookout

view looking out of the fencing in 'the compound"

Tuesday 14^th April   -  We left Port Augusta for our next destination Point Lowly, a 50 minute drive further along The Eyre Peninsula from Port Augusta.  We arrived at 10am and weren’t sure if there would be any free spots as it’s a very popular free camping area.  We passed four caravans going in the opposite direction and were hopeful that we could take one of those vacant spots.  Unfortunately we also passed lots of dead kangaroos which was very upsetting.  There were 3 areas available for setting up camp at Point Lowly – one right on the beach front, but it was full of large pebbles, so not ideal for walking on constantly.   Further up the hill by the toilets and bbq areas was quite full, so we drove further along to the next area which was flatter and tarmacked, so more ideal to set our van up.  We had a choice of a few spots thankfully and selected the one we preferred.  It didn’t take us long to get sorted out and go for a long walk around our new coastal surroundings.  It was an absolutely beautiful spot, with the ocean on our doorstep, a jetty for fishing, boat ramp, break wall and a tarmacked road for the coastal walk up to The Lighthouse.  On the road behind us there was a sandy flat beach to walk on and let Sally off the lead.  The water was a beautiful clear turquoise colour.  Our new neighbours told us about a local man that goes fishing in his boat  every day and sells his catch  either from his boat or his shed behind where our van was parked.  You are allowed to stay here for a maximum of 14 nights at one time.  There are toilets,  showers (cold), a dump point and tap to fill up water bottles – paradise – and all for free.  Most people we spoke to had been there for at least a week.  It wasn’t a hard choice to make!!    

Point Lowly  is one  of  four areas that the Giant Cuttlefish come to annually to spawn between May and August.  They are one of the largest species in the World and can reach 60cm in length and up to 5kg in weight.  You’re not allowed to catch squid or cuttlefish during this breeding season.  Divers from all over Australia and the World flock to Whyalla to watch these giant creatures spawning and laying their eggs on the rocky ledges.  

Wednesday 15^th April  -  We went for a drive to the main town of Whyalla  a 30 minute drive from Point Lowly.  Whyalla is where “The Outback Meets the Ocean” and is the third largest town in South Australia.  We were expecting it to be quite big.  The first thing we noticed was the red dust on the buildings and footpaths from the steelworks, which is the main industry in that area. The main shopping centre “Westland” -  advertised as “South Australia’s Largest Regional Shopping Centre” was so much smaller than we’d imagined.  It had the usual supermarkets Coles and Woolworths and a few speciality shops but was pretty disappointing.  The other one “Whyalla City Plaza” –“ Whyalla’s Largest and Most Prestigious Shopping Precinct” ( I thought hello at last I’ve got some “big” shops to wander around in)  turned out to be the local high street shops with no big stores or anything exciting to satisfy my “retail fix”.  Oh well, think of all the money I saved!!   Richard was suitably happy as he loathes, hates and detests shopping.  We “dash in and dash out” for whatever’s necessary.  He gets so bored when I want “to browse around”.  I’m always told “you can’t fit anything else in the van” and “you don’t need anything else” – totally hopeless!!!    

We went to Hummock Hill Lookout which was a gun battery and observation post to protect the shipyards during World War 11.  It had terrific panoramic views across Whyalla.  We went up Queen Elizabeth Drive to get to the top.   The Queen opened the monument during her Jubilee Visit in 1986.  The monument  was a gift from BHP to the city to commemorate it’s centenary year.  Hummock Hill was the site of the first settlement in 1901 and became a town in 1914.  The booming town was named a city in 1961.   BHP Steelworks started production in Whyalla in 1965.  The Whyalla Shipyards closed in 1978 after constructing  66 ships.  

our caravan is 4th from the left

View from the jetty looking across to the caravans

View from under our awning

sunset in paradise!!!

coastal walk to The Lighthouse

Thursday 18^th April  -  We went for a drive to Fitzgerald Bay – another free camping area, a 20 minute drive from Point Lowly, the last 2km being dirt road.  The track goes a further 15km to Point Douglas, but we didn’t want to go any further.  Coming down the hill into Fitzgerald Bay the view was absolutely stunning and we were so glad we hadn’t missed this spectacle.  Fitzgerald Bay is where Southern Star Aquaculture have their cages in the water to grow yellow tail kingfish.  They take 18 months to two years before they can be harvested and sold to markets in Australia, America, Europe and Japan.  These fish became world famous when they were served at The Royal Wedding of Princess Mary and Prince Frederick.

There were many caravans parked by the water and it was a fabulous spot, mainly mangroves up to the water’s edge and a dusty road behind.  We decided we liked the area and it was certainly worthwhile looking at what it had to offer but we preferred to stay put at Point Lowly.

We will be staying here until at least Tuesday of next week as Richard  ordered a new camera from Harvey Norman on Monday.  It is supposed to be into the store in 5 days.  Today is Friday and it hasn’t  arrived yet.  What a pity – we just have to stay put here in this beautiful spot until the camera arrives.     By the way, just in case you’re interested the camera is a Nikon DS200 with twin lens kit, 24mp and HD video (you’re probably like me – none the wiser).  I haven’t dared ask “how much”.  It’s a belated birthday present to himself and he’s had his heart set on a new camera for ages. You’ll hear all about it and hopefully see “improved” photos on the next edition of our blog.

Fitzgerald Bay

Next Week:  We will be continuing our journey further along The Eyre Peninsula to Cowell which is one of the best fishing destinations in South Australia, famous for oysters and jade products.  We will also be going to Arno Bay which I’m very much looking forward to.

OUR FIRST WEEK BACK ON THE ROAD

Tuesday2^nd April   - We were both excited and sad to be leaving our dear friends at Warnervale.  They have made us so welcome and opened their hearts and home to us once again.  We left their driveway at 9am intending to get to Gunning for an overnight  stop, approximately a 4 hour drive.  The drive on the freeway towards Sydney was fraught with the “wobbles” as the caravan was swaying in the wind too much.  Richard decided to keep to an 85-90 maximum speed.  He stopped a few times and made minor technical adjustments in the height of the tow bar to the A frame and decided “we’re overloaded” and it was all my fault with all the extras I’d loaded the van up with (hard not to take many things when you’re living full time in the van – I mean it’s not quite the same as going away for a few week’s holiday!!!).   Anyway, I decided silence was golden and got on with my crosswords until we’d passed Sydney and the traffic wasn’t as bad.  We stopped at a new large rest area just past Campbelltown for morning tea.  It was very busy and noisy there so we didn’t stay any longer than necessary.  Kate had loaded me up with some of her delicious sticky date cake to keep us nourished for morning tea.  We’d had it for dessert the previous night warm with caramel sauce, but it tasted just as delicious cold with a quick roadside brew.  Thank you yet again Kate.

We got to the little town of Gunning at 1 o’clock and pulled up beside the river.  It was a beautiful day and we got chatting to another couple having lunch at the same table as us.  The ducks were swimming and roaming about.  It was lovely and peaceful there.  There were lots of vacant spots but they started filling up quickly with the new tenants for that evening.  Much as we had wanted to stay there, we decided to keep going to Wagga to lessen the driving time for the following day.  We arrived at Wilks Park in Wagga at 4pm and found a suitable spot.  The area was crowded with vans from the Easter break still.  It was a very large area so there wasn’t a problem finding somewhere to park.  Since our last visit to the park, the Council have put in a new covered bbq area with lights to make your stay there easier.    Very considerate.

Wednesday 3^rd April  -  We left Wagga at 9am headed for Lake Benanee (1 ½ hours before Mildura) our intended stopover for the night.  Driving through the Hay Plains again was pretty boring as the landscape is so very flat, dry and practically treeless.  We did spot a few frolicking emus now and then and had to stop for a herd of cattle walking from one side of the road to the other with not a hurry in the world.  To be fair a sign did warn us of “5km cattle crossing”.  It did break the monotony somewhat. We passed by “Quilters Road” and “Poison Waterholes Creek” (well you’ve got to look for anything amusing you can find to alleviate the boredom).  Richard had treated us to a new IPod and had loaded it up with about 13,000 songs to keep us awake whilst driving.  It was my task to learn how to use it and be the resident DJ for the duration of the trip.  I’m not the most savvy person with technology and made Richard quite frustrated when I’d ask “another dumb question that he’d already told me a million times” – an interesting trip as you can imagine!!.  We arrived at Lake Benanee at 4pm.   There were already quite a few vans pulled in.  We were trying to get a waterside spot beside the river, but they weren’t flat enough to park on.  We soon found a suitable spot and took Sally onto the beach for a long awaited run around. Lake Benanee is a large irrigation lake and a popular free camping area. It’s set back from the main road with toilets.  We soon got chatting to a couple that had been on the road for 13 years with a home renovated bus.  We had happy hour with them and another couple that were beside them.  Sally loved the freedom of roaming around off the leash.   It was a beautiful stopover and very quiet at night.

Thursday 4^th April  -  We wanted to stay another night at Lake Benanee.  Unfortunately the generator had stopped working and we were forced to drive on to our next destination at Buronga   about 1 ½  hours drive from Lake Benanee.  We arrived at Buronga Riverside Caravan Park at midday and were given a site beside the swimming pool.  It was a huge caravan park and very well maintained and laid out.   Many of the trees and bushes had solar lights that looked really pretty at night time.  The pool had solar lights and looked lovely at night also.  We quickly got set up and had a wander around.  We walked to the river bank and watched the paddle steamers passing by.  The park was full of ducks so we had to keep Sally on her lead all the time which she wasn’t too happy about.  The grounds were extremely well maintained and the amenities blocks immaculate.  There were so many lovely touches around the place that you don’t find in other parks.  There was also a separate washing machine for pet blankets.  It’s the first time I’ve ever come across that. We walked down to the river edge with our wine and beer and sat for ages looking at the water and everyone else having happy hour by the waterside.  It was certainly very relaxing.

You’ll be relieved to know the generator was only a small problem – the micro switch????  Anyway, it’s up and running a dream now and ready for our next free camp spot.  We also found the fridge wasn’t working properly – wasn’t cooling down or else froze everything solid.  So many teething problems on the start of our trip.  The first 2 days we were constantly adjusting the setting on the fridge.  Thankfully it  settled down and the beer/wine/cheese and dips were  perfectly chilled for the next “happy hour”.

Monday 8^th April  -  We went on The Melbourne Paddle Steamer for a 2 hour leisurely trip up and down The Murray River.  It was $29 each with refreshments available at the kiosk. We sat on the upper deck to listen to Captain Lance’s commentary and learnt that The Melbourne was licensed to carry 300 passengers.  It is 98’ long and 21’ wide.  It has operated continuously in Mildura for the past 30 years , alongside The Rothsbury.

 On approaching The Lock, Captain Lance had to blast his hooter three long whistles to alert the Lock Master that we were approaching,  as  the  paddle steamers weren't visible from that side of The Weir.  Construction started on The Weir in August 1923 and took 4 years to complete.  The Weir chamber is made from concrete and is 61 metres long, 17 wide and 7.6 deep.  The first paddle steamer passed through The Lock on the 2nd of August 1927.  We went through Lock 11.  It took about 20 minutes for the lock gates to open and shut before we could continue our journey further down The Murray.  It was amazing to see how fast the water levels dropped.  It was like going down an elevator in slow motion – the sides of the walls got higher and higher.   We then went around the other side of The Weir to see the cascading waters.  There were quite a few other tourists aboard The Melbourne also.  The trips runs twice a day with a Thursday  evening dinner/music cruise.  We decided to have a champagne  with our lunch.  I was stunned when I asked for 2 glasses to be told there weren't any more champagnes left as all the piccolos that had been put in the fridge that morning were sold.  They obviously weren’t prepared for many customers in need of some bubbly with their lunch.  I reluctantly settled for 2 savs instead –not quite the same thing when you fancied a bubble or two!!! 

We continued our journey past  The Mildura Homestead – an historic village that’s free to visit, past posh houses and new ones under construction and on to Apex Beach which is beside the caravan park we stayed at a few weeks ago when we first collected the new van.  We turned around here and made our way back up to The Lock once more.  Anyone that wanted to steer The Melbourne was welcome to do so and received a “Skipper’s Certificate” for their efforts.

Paddle steamers have been operating on The Murray since 1853.  Australia has the biggest collection of working paddle steamers in the World.

All too soon we were back at Mildura Wharf and our trip back in time was completed.  It was certainly a worthwhile and enjoyable trip and one that we’d highly recommend.

The Melbourne Paddle Steamer

View from the banks of our caravan park 

me steering The Melbourne

Richard steering The Melbourne

enjoying a liquid lunch on The Melbourne

Tuesday 9^th April  -  We had an early start as the van was going back to Halls Jayco for a 1,000km service and we had to be there at 8.30.  This consisted of minor adjustments to the wheel nuts and fixing up any teething problems. It was basically to validate the 12 month warranty period and took 4 hours to complete.  We were left homeless in the boiling sun with Sally and had to find something to do whilst the service was being carried out.  We went back to Apex Beach and let Sally run riot along the beach. She had a ball chasing ducks into the water.  We had our morning cuppa relaxing by the river and went to visit The Mildura Homestead.  This is an accurate reconstruction of the first Mildura Station built by the Jamieson Brothers in 1847 and stands as one of Mildura’s biggest links to the past in the pastoral and irrigation industries.  It includes a homestead, outbuildings, woolshed and rose garden and can be hired for rustic weddings and functions. It was very interesting to walk around and inside all the old buildings.  We were impressed by the biggest fireplace we’d ever seen in one of the smallest rooms and could imagine it’s occupants scurrying about their business whilst  being roasted by the heat.  The rose garden was very well maintained with some beautifully strong smelling roses growing there.  There was lots of old machinery on display outside and Richard was fascinated by it.

Thursday 11^th April  -  Richard’s 59^th birthday.  We were going to leave Buronga today but decided to stay another day as it was Richard’s birthday so that we could go out for dinner that night. We picked the only thai restaurant in Mildura called the Thai Riffic.  It was licensed which we normally don’t go to.  It was located in the main strip of restaurants.  We were pleasantly surprised walking up to the restaurant by how pretty the street was with hanging vines and ivies over the covered walkway with fairy lights hanging down that went all the way up the road, called "Feast Street".  It looked so pretty and all the restaurants were buzzing with diners – it felt like a busy Saturday night at Parramatta. Luckily we’d booked our restaurant as it was full.  Richard wanted to sit outside on the Al Fresco table and I wanted to sit inside as it looked beautiful inside.  I won as all the outside tables were taken. We had a beautiful meal and finished off sharing deep fried banana with coconut ice cream (the only dessert on offer).  I was disappointed they didn’t have my favourite dessert deep fried ice cream. Nevertheless we were so full when we left and had really enjoyed the evening.  The waitresses were really friendly, helpful and efficient.

I forgot to mention in the last blog that we had to have the washing machine in the van replaced on the third day after picking it up brand new as it was leaking everywhere.  We thought it might have been a pinched pipe, but it turned out to be a major problem and involved taking the bench top off the vanity unity in the bathroom to access the machine (great design forethought with that one).  Jayco had to put in a new washing machine and took the whole day to do so.  Another day stranded in the hot sun!! 

Today we had to take the van into Jayco once more as we discovered the washing machine leaked during the two loads we did yesterday. We were none too pleased or impressed.  After 2 hours we got a phone call to inform us they couldn’t find any further leaks but had made a note of it on our warranty, making us very frustrated to say the least. 

We are now free to leave Buronga, although we have thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and would rate the park 10/10.  We would certainly not hesitate to recommend this park to stay at.  I would say it’s the best place in Mildura to stay and it is also in the top 20 of tourist destinations in Australia.

That brings me to the end of this long blog (thank goodness I hear you all sigh and say).

Tomorrow we head off through Renmark, Wakerie and Cadell and make our way through to The Eyre Peninsula in  South Australia. I’ll tell you all about it in our next blog edition. Thanks for your company so far.  Tune in next week for the latest news .