We pulled up stumps on Sunday morning from Balranald for Mildura, a pleasant and achievable target of just 180 kilometres. Everyone must have been at church as there was very little traffic, usually big B-Doubles coming from the other direction, and an occasional caravan. The very high winds had subsided, though still we drove into a stiffish breeze.

Unfortunately I had not taken too much notice of the fuel gauge, so we were a bit light on by the time we approached Mildura, and blow me down, every service station was on the opposite side of the road, and negotiating U-turns or crossing over busy roads was a bit fraught, so we decided to wait till the morning when we could get fuel, fix battery and attend to motoring things.

Our van park was on the outer reaches of Mildura, and adjacent to the river, so a very nice quiet spot. For some reason, the fuel gauge was near zero in the morning, but we felt reasonably confident that there would be enough to get us to the gas station. On filling we found we had 5 litres to spare, so enough for about 75 kilometres, but I would never want to test that theory. Battery World did a great job, fitting a new battery and installing a kill-switch so we should not ever drain the battery again. The alternator tested fine, so we are in good shape.

Speaking of good shape, how good are Fitbit wrist things. I am getting heaps of exercise, even while driving. Yesterday I did over 10,000 steps, and I regularly score over 8,000 seemingly without effort.

Monday’s destination is Renmark where we will catch up with the Manns and have dinner with Claire and Brenton Reimann, formerly from Canberra, but now establishing themselves on a small acreage, building a sustainable home while living in an interesting arrangement combining a shed, a caravan and a loft. Brenton has a big job ahead of him making mud bricks from the clay on his property.

Anyway, the trip was uneventful and we motored along at a modest pace and with very little traffic to deal with. The South Australians take their quarantine controls very seriously, and there is a border control where you have to fess up to alien fruit and vegetables. We were able to keep some carrots and brussel sprouts (not even South Australians will take the Brussel Sprouts!) that we still had and felt sure would be safe, but Fruit Police had other ideas. Jenny felt she had been clever turning the avocado into a mashed concoction, but it was ripped from her clutching hands.

Renmark is another lovely Murray River town, surrounded by endless acreage of grapevines as well as citrus and almond plantations. We popped in to Renmark township to replenish our supply of fruit and vegetables that had been taken from our fridge and pantry.

Tuesday

 We hitched up the car and van and set off for the shortish trip to Clare in Central South Australia. The road to Clare tracks the Murray for quite a way, and we stopped at the village of Morgan which still has a punt to ferry traffic across the river. At Morgan, the river is wide with a steady flow with houseboats and small fishing craft moored along its banks. The punt has a good flow of customers, mainly of the grey nomad variety with caravans, trailers and motorhomes. There was a generous area for RV parking and we were surprised to see two other similar rigs to ours, opposite the bakery and coffee shop. Both were Avida Esperances with Suzuki cars being flat towed – the same rig as ours. We were then pleasantly surprised to recognise the owners returning to their vehicles as fellow members of the Canberra Motorhome Club. They warned us that the pastries from the bakery were great but best to avoid the coffee. 

From Morgan the road leaves the Murray, heading North. The grapevines disappear and now we have endless acres of saltbush with a few optimistic sheep nibbling at the sparse grasses. The road disappears as a black ribbon to the horizon and there is not much to add interest to the landscape. Eventually, though, there are splashes of green on the horizon and the Burra Valley comes to view. The paddocks are rich with wheat and other grain, and plump-looking sheep graze contentedly. Burra is one of those towns that have maintained the lovely heritage structures of the past with bluestone buildings, old miner cottages and ample streets alongside modern cafes and craft shops. Burra is also the place where my ancestors first came to in the 1860s from Germany and Ireland, so I always feel a proprietary pride when coming here. Carl Schutz came here first to the mines then establishing a cab and transport enterprise.

If you get to Burra, enjoy the hospitality of the St Just Café which has very fine food and delicious coffees. We thoroughly enjoyed our curried cauliflower soup.

It is a very pleasant drive from Burra to Clare through lush green valleys of grain, and then vineyards. Another 8,000 steps today – I am feeling fitter with every passing day.

Wednesday

We unhitched the car and took ourselves for a tour of the district, visiting one of the old pastoral properties, Bungaree, and then the village of Mintaro with its very English Martindale Hall – a grand home better situated in an English countryside. Martindale Hall might be remembered by movie fans as a location for the film Picnic at Hanging Rock. We felt sure that any occupants of the house must have died of cold as it felt like a fridge.

We had made plans to meet our friends from Gawler, Roger and Bronwyn Ellul, former neighbours from Canberra. We met at the Indii Restaurant which has been awarded the best Indian restaurant in South Australia, and the second best in Australia. As we sat waiting for our friends we were drinking up the wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen and the laden plates being whisked off the hungry customers, which suggested the reputation might be well-earned. It was wonderful catching up with Rog and Bron, sharing stories and updating the lives of our children. Eventually when the waiters began putting the chairs on tables, we got the idea we had been there for quite a while enjoying the food and conversation. Rog and Bron had to drive back to Gawler, but we will catch up again on the way back by which time they will have left Gawler and moved to Mannum, a river port on the Murray.

Thursday

Today is mainly for travel, leaving lush Clare for Port Augusta where we will again meet up with John and Anne Mann. Along the way we stopped at Bumbunga, well known for its pink lake. It’s true – the lake is quite small, but the water is a pale pink. In fact we noticed that farm dams in the region all are pink. We had never heard of Bumbunga before, but apparently it is a popular spot for Asian tourists. We stopped for a few pics of this unusual spot. From there to Port Augusta is fairly featureless, but we were very interested in the bright light from the SunDrop solar farm just South of Port Augusta. SunDrop is unique in Australia as a heliostat, which focusses mirrors on to a central collecting mirror which super-heats salt as stored energy to produce electricity on demand – not just during daylight hours. The heliostat is like a bright star on the horizon from about 20 kilometres. We stopped for a couple of pics but could not get close as we were unsure of being able to turn around near the site.

Friday

Jenny’s birthday, and the start of a week of celebration and partying. Well, it will be quite subdued partying. We popped into town and visited the Wadlata Outback Centre which explores the Indigenous and European stories of the region as well as the archaeological pre-history. We followed up with a visit to the Platform Gallery featuring the works of local artists at the old Port Augusta railway station. John was looking for some sort of amplifier to improve TV reception, so we went in search of an electronics store. Not only did we find John’s tool, but a George Foreman. The look of triumph on the faces of Anne and Jenny speaks for itself. Not that we don’t have a George Foreman grill, but this one has a removable plate. What more could a person want for a birthday.

Tonight we headed off to a local pub for a celebratory meal.  Great meal, good company. Tomorrow we head for Tumby Bay then Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsular.