23rd – 24th May

Refrigerator replaced and all business completed we left Adelaide to resume our journey northward.  We have found Adelaide a slow city to move around, (lots of traffic lights and few freeways) although today we have had a good run.  It is still drizzly and there is a southerly wind and it becomes a tail wind for much of the journey to Port Augusta.

  Lunch at Red Hill

At the Port we were able to leave the car hooked to the van and that meant an easy early start for us next morning.  The wind had dropped and apart from a few drops of rain we had a fine but cloudy day to start out northward trip to the South Australian Outback.

First day out and we found the Stuart Highway was a road in good condition.  Long straight stretches with surprising little traffic made for a relatively easy drive.  The day was cold though and the temp did not rise above 14 degrees.

The country we drove through was quite green and the only red was found in the occasional dirt track and the escarpments.  There were very few trees and those that did exist were stunted in growth.  The cover was mostly in the form of low scrubs and salt bush as against grasses and the variation in colour in these bushes from all manner of greys and greens was wonderful.  Later in the day Alice took a lot of time photographing the wild flowers together with this shrubbery – her delight.

 Typical country

 

 

 There were some good photo shots along the road looking out over the low plains and in some cases very large salt water lakes.  Our first stop was at Pimba where the road to Woomera and Roxby Downs turns off the Stuart.  Here we topped up with fuel and had a short stop.  It is an interesting experience going to the bar in the roadhouse to pay for your fuel.  Most of the trucks we were encountering turned off here as it appeared they were carting to and from the uranium mine at Roxby.  This reduced the traffic further.

We topped up fuel again at Glendambo mostly as security.  Ian was uncertain of the refuelling opportunities along this mostly deserted road.  Glendambo really is just a whistlestop community.

 

  Triple trailer road trains
Salt lakes

  Lake Hart

Finally around 2:30pm we pulled into a road side rest area at Bon Bon, the name of the adjoining cattle station. 

  Bon Bon road side stop

It is Wednesday night, we have no power, phone or TV reception and the state of origin is on.  One might say this is dreadful organisation but in South Australia NRL does not get any recognition at all so even if we were in town it would be unlikely that we would get coverage.  Go Mighty Maroons!!!

The day has ended with a magnificent outback sunset. 

Amazing!

20th – 22nd May

Our journey to Port Augusta started well travelling up through the peninsula but it ended in a bang.  30 klms short of our destination the caravan began to shudder as the passenger side tyre blew. We had always wondered what that experience would be like when it happened and now we knew.  It was safe though and we were able to quickly pull off the highway far enough to not obstruct traffic.  One may plan in our minds what to do but now we had opportunity to put it all to the test and thankfully we successfully made the necessary change.  It was interesting however as the van shook every time a large B Double flew past at full speed.

Prior to leaving home we knew that while our tyres looked in good condition they were over five years old and past the recommended life.  We had sought advice from the manufacturer and asked our tyre dealer to look over them and all had agreed we should be OK.  But now we thought we had better change the others before we headed to remote territory.  The spare on the car had never ever seen the bitumen but was even older than the van so it received the same treatment.

The car was also due for a major service and we had planned that a week prior.  To add to our challenges our refrigerator had again failed us and after  talking to all of the country service agents we had decided to return to Adelaide and have it attended to as this was the most expedient option – time and cost.  The visit to PA was becoming a maintenance challenge.

The sign at the entry of Port Augusta says “Crossroads of the Nation” and that is what we found is pretty much true.  The park in which we are staying is full of travellers heading for either Darwin, Perth, Broken Hill or Eyre Peninsula.  They all have a story of some kind and every state is represented here.  The town depends on the traveller tourist trade also as I was to find out from the Mitsubishi service agent.   In the two nights we spent here we were able to glean so much information of what lay ahead of us and tips of where to stay.  The town really is more of an industrial town and apart from some improvements along the beach side we did not find the vistit attractive.

Friday morning we set off for Adelaide and chose to take an alternative route parallel to the main route but through the Clare Valley.  As it happened a ferocious weather front was approaching the peninsula and Adelaide so going further inland was an added incentive.  The route took us through Horricks Gap in the Southern Flinders ranges.  We travelled from the flats surrounding the Spencer Gulf up 450 M in a very short distance and then over into some amazing grazing and broad acre flats type country.

 The ranges were covered sparsely with trees in contrast with the mountains we have in Queensland.  Thus every valley and spur was clearly visible.

We travelled through the small villages of Willmington, Melrose & Murray Town, all small in population but rich in history.  The old stone farmhouses were everywhere and in the towns the pubs in their old style were a real picture. 

At Laura we stopped for lunch at a park in the main street.  The park was really green which is something we are not seeing a lot of as fields are being readied for planting and vineyards are finished their harvest. It has been quite dry here so green is not common.

At Clare we stopped for two nights.  The Clare Valley is quite picturesque and scores of Cellar Doors have established quite a tourist industry – mostly from Adelaide area or vanners like us.  The caravan park was large and quite full of visitors.  We are blessed again in that the park is tucked in beside a high ridge.  The winds that we have been expecting are whistling through the tree tops above us.  We are sheltered however and the showers are only spasmodic.
We drove around the area checking out the lookouts etc and while the views were outstanding the cloudy windy weather made photos impossible.

 

 The old unused railway track has been converted into a hiking / riding trail and it travels for quite some klms through vineyards and countryside.  I really wish we had something like this in our home area.  

 Here the trail crosses the road via a replica of an old rail bridge.

It is Alice’s birthday on Sunday so we head to a hotel for dinner to celebrate.  As we were walking down the main street trying to decide where to eat we met another couple visiting from Adelaide area.  We chatted for several minutes as if we had known each other forever.   Then a local woman saw our rego plate and stopped to ask us how we had got on in the floods etc.  She told us all of her family in Queensland and what was to be seen in Clare.  She recommended a hotel for us to go to.  We continue to be pleasantly surprised at the friendliness of the people we are meeting.  It really is great.

We chose the recommended hotel restaurant and it was a real family affair.  The atmosphere was quite friendly and it was great being in such a warm environment out of the cold.. During the meal out of the blue a couple come up to us and tell us that they had seen us during the day as we were looking around.  They had been biking along the trail as we had stopped to take photographs.  They had travelled up from Adelaide for the weekend and they told us how they cycled down the trail and visited the wineries.  I love cycling but not sure how I would go if I combined it with wine tasting.  The celebration was very enjoyable.

Sunday morning and we left for Adelaide.  By now the rain was starting and it was pretty cold.  In contrast to that however the wind was behind us for much of the trip.  At first the traffic was light but as we came closer to Adelaide it increased significantly as many people appeared to be out visiting markets etc.

We had chosen a park which we thought was close to the workshop to which we had to take the van for the repair.  As it turned out it also was located in a small reserve tucked in a small gorge.  We were sheltered from the wind again.  Aren’t we blessed?  For this trip to Adelaide it is mostly business so we did not really get much chance to take advantage of pleasant surroundings.

 Entry to Brown Hill Creek camp

15th – 19th May

Our stay at Stansbury has been a very interesting one.  We have met some very friendly people.  I thought Queenslanders were the friendliest but South Australians are right up there.  We have been approached by so many asking about the floods and cyclone in Queensland and whether we had been impacted.  Caravaners never ask you about your employment or your history. One is just accepted as we are.  In my experience it is unique.

We have had some great weather and some terrible weather with gale force winds that blew all night.  One night we were up at 1:00am trying to secure our awning in high wind.

Yorke Peninsula is beautiful country mostly made up of wheat and sheep farming.  The east coast is very flat with few hills at all while the west side does rise to about 200 metres as one travels further north.  There are some beautiful stretches of coast line with sharp cliffs (approx 30m high) falling into the sea.  The soil is mainly a limestone type material and it is not strong so cliffs are regularly undercut by the sea leaving some spectacular scenery.

We spent one day visiting Innes National Park which covers the very southern foot of the peninsula.  It is amazing country.  One visitor we spoke to likened it favourably to the Twelve Apostles and we can understand his comparison. 

Chinamans Hat Island



The welcome view to the park coast



 The national park was initially a gypsum mine site.  The gypsum was shipped throughout SA for the building industry.  There are relics of the mining settlement that have been turned into holiday accommodation and one can see the foundations for some of the pipelines and conveyors as you move around the area.  There is also an old pier which was used to load ships with the product.

There are two lighthouses in the park, one on man land & another on an island.  Emus can be seen close to the road and also some of the biggest kangaroos we have seen in coastal areas.

Just south of Stansbury on the east coast are three small villages, Wool Bay, Port Giles & Edithburgh.  These are all only a few Klms apart.  Wool Bay has relics of some early lime smelters which date back to early 1900s.  Port Giles has very large wheat handling facility and loads ships for export and Edithburgh is a small fishing and holiday village.  It has a wind farm close by and I am sure they certainly generated some megawatts while we were there.

Old lime smelter at Wool Bay.  See Port Giles in background.

Grain Handling Facility at Port Giles (about 30% of it)

On the west coast we visited Port Victoria.  There are several large islands off shore here and fishing and diving attract many people to this beautiful area.  We arrived here late in the afternoon and the setting sun very much limited us obtaining a real picture of the beauty of this coast.  All of these towns are made up of significant number of holiday homes and almost every caravan park has large numbers of vans in storage.  Yorke really is the holiday area for Adelaide people.

Port Victoria

 Finally we left Stansbury and headed for Port Augusta.  We travelled up the centre of the peninsula through more grazing and wheat country and passing by Port Pirie.  Our visit to Yorke really was an amazing time but in the end we were glad to get away from the wind and cold.

12th – 14th May

Friday 13^th and we are expecting a very fruitful day.  While others may think this is an unlucky day we are believing it is going to be something special.

Yesterday started off quite cool & sqawly. We had already spent the previous day in washing / ironing mode so did not want to be miss another day.  After a short visit to Westfields shopping centre we set off to check out Port Adelaide.

Port Adelaide is a very historic area.  Many buildings have been restored while others are in disrepair.  As in many other old port areas around the world there is a move to redevelop the area with condominiums and dockside eating areas.  In this case the progress is slow however while we have been here this week the press has been reporting a move from the local government bringing in legislation to demand a clean up of derelict structures.  We enjoyed a great day wandering around absorbing the history.

After a maintenance day on Friday, we set off on Saturday for the Yorke Peninsula. We really enjoyed Adelaide but our real love is not the big cities but the country areas.  The road as far as Cape Wakefield at the top of Spencers Gulf is duel carriageway and very flat.  It really was an easy drive and traffic was far from heavy.  Spencers Gulf is the body of water that lies between Adelaide and Yorke Peninsula. The population in the towns surrounding the gulf are quite small.  Some of the towns are more like villages.  We were fascinated that so many of the towns were named as Ports.  In many cases there was little more than a short jetty.  Interestingly we found the reason related back to the 1800s.  As farming and mining developed the produce or materials produced were moved around the gulf in small sailing ships (ketches).  These ketches would beach themselves on high tide to be loaded and then sail on the next high tide.  Eventually piers were built in some towns but by then each little port had established trading arrangements with local farmers and miners. 

We stopped for lunch and to load up on supplies at Ardrossan on the east coast of Yorke.  The peninsula is quite flat and mostly sheep grazing or wheat farming country.  Ardrossan was one of the earliest farming settlements in the area and is one of the larger centres in the area.  There is a grain handling facility and a long pier wharf for loading grain ships.  There is also a small sand mine and some salt drying.  Again we loved the stone architecture in the old buildings.

We picnicked at a park overlooking the gulf. The view stretched south to the grain facility and north past the pier to the red cliffs.  The day was a clear blue sky and altogether a perfect day for a picnic.

Finally mid afternoon we pulled into Stansbury and set up camp.  Stansbury is on the east coast of the peninsula and is a small community of less than 1000 people.  It is a quiet little fishing village and most of the houses appear to be holiday houses for people from other areas.  There is quite some history here to as the town commenced life as a lime mine crushing for agriculture.

The Caravan Park is on a short spit jutting out into the gulf and we have been assigned a beach side site, 20 m from the water.  When we arrived it was full tide and we could see the beach lined with fishermen well before we arrived at the site.  It is idealic. 

 One little friend who welcomed us.

Here we have met some very friendly people and from them we learned the background to the camp.  It is operated by the local Quota Club and all profits made are turned back into facilities in the community.  There is a great range of picnic tables, BBQs, shade sails and conveniences set up right along the town beachfront and most of this has been financed by the park profits. 

We have found that most of the guests are local to surrounding areas as far as Adelaide and they have old vans which they leave in storage in a second site not far away.  When they choose to come the park arranges for the vans to be brought out to their booked site so they can arrive to a van in place just ready to open and inhabit.  Storage costs them about $300 per annum so it is quite economical.  They are then free to tow their boats etc and enjoy the fishing and that is the main pastime here.  We are able to look out our van window over a beautiful beach.  A very special place.  Our first night out of Adelaide is going to be a great one.

You might enjoy from these pictures what we are enjoying here.

 The view from our van by night

And then by day

6th – 11th May,

We have been on the road for 3 weeks now and today we have reached Adelaide.  The journey here from Nurioopta was an easy one down a freeway and we did not see much traffic at all before we arrived at Semaphore Park in the north west of the city.  We have set up camp right near the beach.  In fact there is just a model tourist steam train track between our camp and the beach so we are well placed for some good walks and rest.  We have some interesting company at night also.

Bunnies - the farmers friends - in camp

Unfortunately our challenges have continued as our GPS system (Gerty) has tired significantly and causing as much confusion as benefit.  Worse though is that our fridge has decided it has had enough.  We are currently depending on our mobile freezer and ice to keep all things cool. Alice has done a big cook up to use any frozen food that is at risk.  Getting repairs done in a timely manner is difficult so we have extended our stay here and will visit the surrounding areas from this base camp until we can get it all fixed.

First night out and we went for a walk on the beach.  The water in St Vincents Gulf was so calm it was like a millpond and there were several small boats out fishing. 

Semaphore is an old beachside area near Port Adelaide but it is developing into a really trendy area.  The main street is full of small shops and no large supermarkets.  A pier juts out into the bay and there is a lot of park area for picnicking.  A small model steam train runs tours from the pier down to near our camp site on weekends.  Further north the coast has been developed into marinas and condominiums.  On Mother’s Day we had lunch by one of these marinas at North Haven.

Semaphore main street from the pier

Visiting the city we loved the parks that completely surround the CBD.  There were sports of all kinds being played and there were row boats on the Torrens.  Even on Saturday it was difficult to get parking.  We visited the city Botanical Gardens in the CBD and next day we saw the other Botanical Gardens at Mt Lofty to the south east of town.  Mt Lofty rises to 710m and it was only 10 degrees when we were there.  Didn’t stay long.

 The Torrens River & Entertainment Centre

The city Botanic Gardens

The autumn colours were really great.

We then went on to Hahndorf, a small German town, for lunch.  This was a very folky environment with lots of crafts and wine / produce shops.  It was a unique experience.

Everywhere around Adelaide the stone architecture in all of the homes & buildings is wonderful to see.  It is the hall mark of the area.  Even new buildings have been created in similar facades and they are a great pleasure to see.

A trip to Victor Harbour and Goolwa showed us more of the historic influence.  Victor Harbour was an old whaling station and one can take a horse drawn tram ride along the pier connecting Granite Island (where the whaling station was) to the mainland.  Goolwa was an old Murray River port near the mouth.  It has really exploded a a marina type residential development, particularly on Hindmarsh Island adjoining.

 Horse drawn trams to Granite Island

Victor Harbour

We are really enjoying Adelaide although the weather is turning cold, wet & windy which is a little limiting.  Now the beachside camp site is working against us as the wind blows across the gulf unhindered. The wind & cold tends to keep us in doors and we do not get to meet as many people unfortunately.  We are not badly off however compared to the young people around us living in tents and some just sleeping in their cars.  We are blessed to be here.