Week 463 - Eden Valley, South Australia

South Australia has been hit by heat wave conditions. We have survived the first wave of heat and the weather forecasters are predicting another wave this weekend before a welcome cool change. Our walks with the dogs along the Murray were early mornings and late evenings and a swim in the Murray was a luxury to behold.

The picturesque Yalumba winery 

We had planned to have a couple of nights at Blanchetown, but the campsites along the river were feral and seemed unsafe. Also the local caravan park looked more like a refuge camp than a holiday camp. So we decided to drive through to Angaston and parked up at the back of the pub, which we have done before. The beer of the day was Coopers Pale Ale at $7 a pint.

Moving on, we passed the road sign warning us that we were entering the Barossa Valley. As you can imagine, the scenery is magnificent but drier than we have witnessed before. I don't know where the farmers get their water from but they were irrigating continuously to preserve the rows and rows of grapevines.

Australian Pelican 

As you drive through the area, you can smell the investments of the profiteers and the townships are rich with new infrastructure. The towns are well kept, the gardens are manicured and any litter is cleaned up immediately, which makes the country drives and the scenery very pretty.

Lock Number 1 - 
One of 15 locks on the Murray River. 
Can you see the Cormorants on the lock wall?

Black and White - Angaston is set amongst a 
botanical garden and well kept by the local authorities. 

Blanchetown -  is a remote community on the Murray
 and the local camping grounds and caravan parks 
house the underprivileged.

So we are camped up at Eden Valley Recreation Grounds, awaiting the next wave of weather.

God's Country - The views from 
Eden Valley Lookout - you can see forever. 

Week 462 - Waikerie, South Australia

We left Echuca on the Friday and headed towards a heat wave in South Australia. We ended up camping at Cohuna, just 64 km down the road. A lovely friendly township that offered the traveller a pretty place to stop. The birdlife was in abundance and our poor toad was covered in bird droppings the next morning.

White faced heron

Nile Perch - This sculpture was used at the 
Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 

Weeping willows at Cohuna. 
Camped at the park at Cohuna.

We parted ways with our travelling companions, Allan and Di and headed north west towards Robinvale and Euston CMCA RV Park. Apart from the custodian, there was only us and another Highway Wanderer, by the name of Pet-els. So to fend off the heat, we headed off to the Euston Club for a few cold beers in the air conditioning.

The next day the temperature started to climb towards the heat wave and I took advantage of the RV Park to wash the shit off both the bus and the car. It took me most of the day but at 4 o'clock, I took Jo by the hand and headed for the Euston Club to buy Jo a birthday drink.

Crossing into South Australia

The next day we clocked up a staggering 310 kms on our way to Boner and Love Muscle's abode at Waikerie. Boner and Love Muscle have been friends for some 20 years so we had cause to celebrate, catch up on old times and have a few more beers than we should have.The heat wave has settled in now, the days are 40+ degrees and fortunately Simon and Oleen have a 5 man spa, airconditioning and a fully stocked beer fridge.

Renmark 

Week 461 - Echuca, Victoria

We have had a busy and varied week, departing Lake Mulwala on Sunday and heading west to Tocumwal. On arrival the hoards of Christmas and New Year revellers were departing in droves and surprisingly left the Town Beach for us to enjoy. The daytime temperatures were up in the mid 30's, so a dip in the Murray was most welcoming every afternoon. The wildlife was abundant with the roos in the morning and the birdlife in the afternoon. Next door was an inexpensive restaurant where we could get an egg and bacon breakfast for $10 - luxury!! and as a bonus, there was a very pleasant walk through the forest and at the end of the track was the Tocumwal Hotel. Ordinary beers, but a welcome cold one after a warm day.

The last moon 

Next stop Echuca, a little bit disappointing as the busy tourist strip was basically empty and not a tug boat to be seen. However, we could hear the steam engines in the distance as we sucked on a pint of Keepers from the Cricketers Arms Group - a very tasty drop. At Echuca we camped down by the Campaspe River, a little bit dusty and a little bit dry, yet very peaceful.

Kyffen Reserve 
An idyllic stop on the Murray

Our company for the Echuca leg was Allan and Di from Hervey Bay whom we met about six years ago at Port Augusta. It's nice to catch up with fellow travellers once in a while.

So our journey South West to Adelaide is progresssing to a tight schedule.

Another stowaway his is our second large 
spider in just a couple of weeks.

Sunrise Sunrise on Lake Mulalwa 

Week 460 - Kyffen Reserve, New South Wales

Last week we were camped at Jugiong awaiting the New Year. But arrival of the new year turned out to be a bit of a fizzer. The scheduled fireworks didn't arrive, so 2018 snuck in through the back door.

New Year's Day we packed up and headed South West to Holbrook to visit John, Pam, Dave and Henry. It was exactly one year ago that we house sat here in remote Holbrook and unfortunately the township and the RSC have not progressed, in fact the RSC have taken a step backwards in the food department. However, I was compensated by a few pints of Furphy's, a Victorian brewed beer with lots of body and lots of taste.

Our journey continued to Howlong, to a fantastic dump point. Now what can be good about a dump point? This one had plenty of room for us to maneouvre and our black hose could reach without a problem. After emptying the black, we could flush out our black and grey tanks with fresh water - a chore we haven't been able to do for some time.

Deadwood 

Standard Railway Bridge -The design of these 
bridges must have been quite successful as several 
of the bridges are quite the same

So with all tanks empty and sparkling clean, we continued west to Kyffen Reserve, 32 kms west of Corowa, to Lake Mulwala.

Please observe the sign - The fishermen 
in Tocumwal were very confused and 
so is the council 

Lake Mulwala is a man made lake off the Murray River and obviously flooded a forest of gums, so at sunset it is quite spectacular.

Skippies - An early morning walk with Rusti 
drew the attention of the kangaroos 

White clouds, White corellas 

Town Beach was absolutely packed over the 
Christmas and New Year period, but we arrived 
just as everyone was packing up to go home 
and we had the place to ourselves 

I was born in the Medway Towns (Rochester/Chatham).
However the oldest building in Rochester was built in
1106, this one was probably the turn of the 19th Century 

Scenic Tocumwal

We are now well and truely away from the cities and suburbia and the tranquility of the lake is a great reminder of the beauty of this country.