The Mail Run travels over diverse country, including gibber plains, red sand hills, and 120 million year old in-land sea beds.
We left Coober Pedy at 8.30am and arrived back at 10.30pm. Our route was a huge triangle that took us out to William Creek, up to Oodnadatta and then back to Coober Pedy. But where we went on the way was amazing!
All about the Mail Run
Map of the Mail Run route
The Mail Run Coober Pedy
Our first mail delivery was to Anna Creek Station and to get there we had to pass through the Dingo Fence. This fence was originally built in the 1880’s to keep the dingoes out of the sheep country and it travels from Queensland, through New South Wales and into South Australia with a length of over 5600 kilometres – the longest fence in the world – and reputedly the longest man made structure – even longer than the Great Wall of China.
The Dingo Fence
The Dingo Fence
It is constantly being maintained by fencers who each have to keep about 300kms of fence under good repair. It doesn’t contain all the dingoes but it is a great deterrent and has saved many sheep from being savagely slaughtered by a pack of these wild dogs who can kill for the thrill! Anna Creek Station is the world’s largest working cattle station, covering an area roughly 23,500 square kilometres or 6 million acres. This makes it over seven times the size of the King Ranch in Texas, which is the USA’s biggest ranch. It is roughly the size of the country of Belgium, in Europe. It has an outstation called The Peake which we also delivered mail too. These cattle stations are part of the Kidman empire, founded by Sidney Kidman in 1899 and still held within the family. If you have a cool $350 million or so you could become the proud owner of this family business as it is currently for sale!
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While googling info about Anna Creek Station I came across this fantastic photographic blog about the station, the cattle and the surrounding countryside, which includes areas known as The Breakaways and The Painted Desert. At the risk of making my photos look really pathetic, do yourself a favour and click here to see some great photos and read some good info! From Anna Creek Station we headed to William Creek with a stopover at the iconic William Creek Hotel for lunch. I found this video about William Creek that I thought you might find interesting and also some great stuff about Wrights Air that operates scenic flights over Lake Eyre and nearby country like The Painted Desert and The Breakaways. We met the owner of Wrights Air, Trevor Wright, at lunch and he gave our Mail Man, Peter Rowe, a hard time for still working long, hard days at the age of 85! With his energy and enthusiasm he could have been 20 years younger!
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After some good food and a cold beer we started our travels down the Oodnadatta Track. This track follows the old Aboriginal trading route and pretty well the old Ghan Railway line and historic Overland Telegraph Line. It’s 620kms (320 miles) of unsealed, rough, dusty, corrugated road and is often impassable after wet weather. We passed by the Davenport Range to our next mail delivery at Nilpinna Station.
Davenport Range (photo courtesy Margaret Cook)
Coming into Nilpinna Station (photo Courtesy Margaret Cook)
Nilpinna Homestead (photo Courtesy Margaret Cook)
Station Buildings
Tough country at Nilpinna Station (photo Courtesy Margaret Cook)
Mustering the cattle (photo Courtesy Margaret Cook)
Relics of the old railway sidings are still visible from the road, and one called Edwards Siding is on the Nilpinna Station property. Peake Station was our next stop on the Mail Run. Peake Station is part of the Kidman pastoral holdings and is an outstation to Anna Creek but there is also an historic Peake Telegraph Station which was an important repeater station for the Overland Telegraph. You can find out more about it here and also see some great photos of the ruins. The following photos were taken by Margaret Cook, who I am travelling with.
Peake Creek
Peake Station homestead
Yards at Peake Station
Looking towards Peake Station
South of Oodnadatta our driver, Peter, took us off the road to view the Algebuckina Bridge. This bridge was a massive engineering and construction feat when it was built for completion in 1892. The following information is from Wikipedia:
The Algebuckina Bridge is a Victorian era railway bridge south-east of Oodnadatta, on the Central Australian Railway in South Australia, and opened in January 1892.[1][2] It is the longest bridge in South Australia.[1][2]Of lattice steel construction, it comprises 19 span each 100 feet (30 m) long.[1] It was strengthened in 1926 to allow it to carry heaver trains.[2]It was built by a team of around 350 men, working in extreme desert heat.[1] The grave of one of them, David Saunders, lies nearby. He died in January 1890 from “heart disease accelerated by heat apoplexy.”[1][3]The bridge crosses the floodplain of the Neales River,[2] which is prone to seasonal flooding, and replaced a surface-level railway which was frequently washed away.[1] After a severe flood in 1974, which almost reached the bridge decks, the line was closed in 1981 and a new route built 100 miles further west.[1]
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Now, you’re probably wondering why I would have a photo of a wrecked car! Well, there’s a story attached to this fellow and he certainly didn’t have a good day this day! He was trying to drive across the railway bridge when it was in flood and forgot that the train was due to come through – like it only came through a couple of times a week and he got it soooo wrong! He couldn’t reverse, so he threw his dog into the river, jumped out of his car and the train just ploughed straight through it. He survived, but unfortunately his dog didn’t! I love these bush yarns, and our driver, Peter, was full of them. I also found reference to it on this blog site. One more mail drop at Allandale Station before we arrived in Oodnadatta in time for dinner.
Margaret at the Pink Roadhouse, Oodnadatta
Here I am at the Pink Roadhouse, Oodnadatta
It was just on dusk when we got there, had a break for about an hour, then did the last mail drop at Mount Barry Station before arriving back in Coober Pedy at 10.30 at night. The following photos (a mixture of both Margaret’s and mine) will give you an idea of the country we travelled through on this fabulous adventure – the Mail Run from Coober Pedy
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Unfortunately we travelled through some of the most spectacular country, the Moon Plains and The Breakaways, in the dark but we did have a stop about 50kms out of Coober Pedy to look at the star filled night sky. The stars were so thick they looked like clouds – there’s nothing like a starry night in the desert!
The alliteration is a bit much isn’t it… I wanted to say Meandering along the Mighty Murray with Marion but that would have been really over the top! Anyhow, I was travelling with my sister Marion at this time and our aim when we left Penola was to find a nice spot on the river to set up camp for Easter before the crowds filled up the best spots. We found just what we wanted at Martin’s Bend, near Berri in South Australia.
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On the way we stopped at Bordertown which is known for it’s white kangaroos. Interestingly, they are not albinos as you might think, but a genetic strain of the the Western Grey Kangaroo.They have been successfully bred here and have been sent to various other locations around Australia. Bordertown is also the birthplace of Australia’s former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.
Some of our other favourite stops were –
Spalding – and The Barbed Wire Pub
There was a free camp on the Broughton River just out of Spalding and the next morning we wandered into the local Pub which has a Barbed Wire Museum
The stubble plains
The Barbed Wire Pub
The Barbed Wire Pub
Cadell
We stayed at the Cadell Recreation Ground and were given a wonderful welcome by Margaret and Michael the caretakers, who remembered me from a one night stop-over on my way to WA twelve months ago…I’m impressed. Had a lovely walk along the Murray, too. The amenities here are immaculately clean and it’s a great stopover at a reasonable price.
The Mighty Murray River
Cliffs that line the Murray
Lazy life on a paddle wheeler
Marion and Jack (the dog)
Jack will play with a stick for hours
This MG TF has been converted to a fully electric car
Walker Flat
We had a wonderful stay here at the Walker Flat Boat Ramp Reserve and I did actually catch a fish, thanks to our great neighbour, Jacko, who taught me a couple of new rigs and kept me supplied with river prawns as the bucket of worms I’d bought did no good whatsoever! I now know how to do a Paternoster rig, and also a uni-knot- can’t say I’m an expert, but I can do it!
My fishing spot!
A lone pelican.
Woke up to a very foggy morning one day
My fishing muse, Jacko!
Burra Marion at Burra
Stopped for a coffee, a bit of shopping and would have liked to spend a bit more time in Burra. We stayed at Burra Gorge that night which is on World’s End Highway at Worlds End….that was the only reason we went there! I love being able to make decisions based on place names…
Jamestown
We didn’t stay at Jamestown but went out to a picnic area that would have been a beautiful camp if there weren’t those big forbidding NO CAMPING signs. I drove up behind the Recreation Ground there, though, and found one of the many beautiful stone cottage ruins that dot this South Australian landscape.
Terowie
There is a free camp at the Railway Siding here and the town has a fascinating history. For a start, Terowie was once a town of about 2000 people and now has about 50 residents. Its fortunes changed when they changed the rail gauges, as previously it was the point where all passengers changed trains.
When the broad gauge railway was extended from Adelaide/Burra to Terowie in 1880, Terowie boomed, and for almost 90 years Terowie was the break of gauge going North and South. All freight and passengers changed trains at Terowie. In its heyday (1940-50s) there was a population of over 2,000 people – with the rail industry being the main employer.
In 1969, the broad gauge was extended to Peterborough and so Terowie began to decline, with many leaving and businesses closing. In 1989, the railways finally left Terowie and the line was ripped up.
It rained almost non-stop when we were there, so we didn’t visit the many information boards around the station and railway line, but definitely a place with an interesting history. It is now like a ghost town, as these photos of the Main Street show. So quiet even the chooks peck around the main street footpaths.
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Terowie’s other claim to fame is it here that General MacArthur’s famous words were reported as he changed trains here taking his wife and family from Darwin to Melbourne.
Terowie became a large military camp in 1942. When US General Douglas MacArthur arrived on our platform in March 1942 with his wife and son after escaping from the Philippines his famous words ”l came out of Bataan and I shall return” were reported here.
I’m not sure I’ll return!
Gladstone
Our final stop together was at Gladstone where we shouted ourselves a caravan park to catch up on domestic duties. It was also a good place to do a couple of day trips to local attractions, so we duly went off to the Wirrabirra Produce Market on the Sunday and had a look at the community campsites at Laura and Wirrabarra while in the area. I would definitely recommend these if you are travelling through this part of the country.
Gladstone has a remarkable old gaol which we visited, too. It was closed in 1975 because they only had bucket toilets!
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Then it was time to say farewell to each other as Marion headed back to Peterborough on her way to Broken Hill and all points East, and I travelled up to Quorn on my way to Port Augusta and then all points North. I’ve already told you about the Pichi Richi Railway journey that I had in Quorn, so my next adventure is when I leave Port Augusta and start the long trek towards Darwin. So much to see…..
I became a real tourist today and boarded an old steam train for a two hour journey into the past. The Pichi Richi railway is actually part of the original Ghan track and runs between Port Augusta and Quorn, in the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. My journey today started and finished at Quorn with a stopover for a cuppa at Woolshed Flat. What a wonderful way to spend a few hours!
All aboard!!
Leaving Quorn
Passed a flock of hundreds of corellas
Through gorges
To Woolshed Flat, where they turned the engine around to the other end of the train for the return journey.
And back to Quorn
Now here’s a bit of trivia for you! To split the stones that were used in the drystone walls they would drill a hole in the stone with a star shaped drill then pack it tight with feathers, fill it with water and overnight the feathers would expand and break the stone open. Bet you didn’t know that before!
Coonawarra? In Rosemary speak, that’s Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon! After leaving the Solos Rally in Penola we toured the famous South Australian wine areas of Coonawarra, the Barossa Valley and the Clare Valley.
Penola is in the heart of the Coonawarra wine growing region, famous for its Terra Rossa soil and the amazing full-bodied red wines it produces.But Penola is famous for more than wine. It is also the home of Australia’s first saint, Mary McKillop and Marion and I visited the Mary McKillop Centre for a very informative hour or so delving into the life and times of this remarkable woman and also Father Julian Tenison Woods, who inspired Mary as they shared a common vision for the children of this area.
when Mary MacKillop and Julian Tenison Woods made their dream a reality
‘Little did either of us then dream of what was to spring from so small a beginning.’ Mary MacKillop 1891
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I found the information about Father Woods fascinating – what an amazing man! Not only was he a priest and an educational visionary at the time, but he was also a botanist, a scientist, a fossil collector and more. He deservedly shares an equal space in the Interpretive Centre with Mary McKillop.
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Neither Marion or I are particularly religious but I have to say we were both quite moved by our visit to this centre and the insight into the amazing lives of these two people.
The schoolhouse is on the corner of Petticoat Lane – now doesn’t that invite you to wander down the street, which is what we did to admire some of the old cottages.
Mary McKillop’s Schoolhouse
Marion in Petticoat Lane
Hawthorne Tree in Petticoat Lane
Look at the size of the Hawthorne berries
Driving away from Penola you could see the changing seasons reflected in the colour of the vines along the side of the road. It was just a taste of what was to come! In the meantime, we’re off to find a camp for Easter on the Murray River on our way to the Barossa and Clare Valleys. Cheers!
In the little town of Spalding in South Australia there is an amazing Barbed-Wire Museum in the local pub. Who knew there were so many types of barbed wire? The museum also has artworks made from barbed wire, fencing materials, different types of fence posts and a wonderful display of photographs of all the bridges that lead into the area and several of the ruins of local stone cottages. Marion and I stopped by here after staying overnight at a free camp in the picnic area on the Broughton River about 1km out of town. Well worth the visit!
Our final stop at the top of the Eyre Peninsula was Port Augusta which we carefully skirted as best we could and continued to head down the coast, this time on the Fleurieu Peninsula. We still had a few days before the rally began and I was keen to stop in one spot for a while when we got closer to Penola. Setting up and packing up my van every day is not my idea of my travelling lifestyle!
Port Augusta to Penola
Our first overnighter we planned to stay at one of the National Park camp sites but when we arrived we found that you had to book a site on line. Well, that was a bit hard to do as there was no mobile or internet reception until we had driven the 5kms back to the gate so we thought we’d keep going. We ended up at Baroota Rodeo and Campground. It was dusty but the welcome made up for that, and the showers were great. After a lazy start the next day we continued along the coast road, stopping to photograph yet another jetty at Port Germein. The signs claim it is the longest timber jetty in the Southern Hemisphere at 1.5kms long, but I think Busselton, in Western Australia, beats it at 1.8kms, so they can justifiably claim the title!
Port Germein Jetty – the end is way off in the distance!
The famous Busselton Jetty, 1.8kms out to sea!
We continued to hug the coast until we got to Two Wells, where we headed east to Gawler to avoid going through Adelaide, our aim being to make it to Mannum and a caravan park to catch up on washing clothes, hair, etc. The caravan park at Mannum was a great find – right on the river – and our camp site was looking out over the water. I also bumped in to a lovely couple I had met at Pinjarra, in Western Australia, Peter and Ann, who were also staying there. We couldn’t wish for anything nicer. The water hens were pesky, though, and one ducked in and stole my toast off my breakfast plate – cheeky thing!
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Margaret decided to head to Penola the next day and I decided to cross the river to Haythorpe Reserve and have a couple of days by myself before tackling the last leg to Penola. Both Haythorpe Reserve and Bolto Reserve are directly over the river from the Mannum township and the ferry runs 24 hours a day on demand. They both have flush toilets and there is an honesty box for the overnight fee of $10. It is free to use the ferry and it carries both vehicles and pedestrians. I love these ferries, having first used one at Cadell on my way across to the west 12 months ago.
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I just had to take a photo of the Paddle Steamer Marion, as that is my sister’s name – although my sister was built a little later than 1897!! The PS Marion is a fully restored, operational, wood fired, steam driven Paddle Steamer and was totally restored for its 100th birthday in 1997. Mannum lays claim as the birthplace of the Australian paddle steamer with the launch of the Mary Ann in 1853. Both the links I have included above give some great information about The Marion, its specifications, and its history – fascinating stuff! And you can find out more about the Maritime Museum at Mannum here.
But the most spectacular sight was the Murray Princess as it cruised by my campsite! What a great trip on the mighty Murray River that would be!
The Murray Princess, paddle steamer
With a stopover at the Naracoorte Showgrounds for one night I finally caught up with my fellow Solos at Greenrise Lake as we camped up to enter the Solos Rally tomorrow. It has been only 14 days since I left Western Australia and I have travelled over 3200kms……so much to see ….. so little time!
After crossing the Nullarbor, a trip of some 1600 odd kilometres, we arrived in Ceduna for the next leg of our journey to Penola, where the Solos Rally was being held in 10 days time. Did we take the short way? Of course not, we added another 1600 kilometres to our journey by going via the Eyre Peninsula!
The Big Picture…
The detail…
It was Friday the 13th the day we arrived! Margaret may live to regret the comment she made about never having bad luck of Black Friday!
We stocked up our supplies and went off to the Information Centre to find out what we should do and see in the area. The lady there was really helpful – and a very good salesperson – because we both walked out with a $72 National Parks Pass for 2 months. The first park we were going to was just south of Ceduna on the Eyre Peninsula and was called Decres Bay in the Wittlebee Conservation Park. The road in soon became a gravel road which was very rough and rocky but ok until we got to a sandy patch on a bend where Margaret became firmly stuck in the sand. I tried to dig her out but the weight of her Winnebago just kept burying her deeper and by this stage she was a little stressed, you might say! Three 4×4 utes stopped and one had a winch on it which was finally successful in dragging her out backwards where she promptly reversed all the way to the main road and we headed back to Ceduna and a Caravan Park where a stiff drink was in order. So much for going off road on the Eyre Peninsula – that experience cruelled it for Margaret and she was very wary of any gravel roads after that!
We had been recommended to go to the Shelley Beach Caravan Park and that turned out to be a disaster, too. We were allocated a spot right at the end of the park where they were still developing the extensions, so it looked like we were camped in a gravel pit, and the amenities were at least 70 metres away. The owner was very apologetic, told us not only were we on sites that shouldn’t have been let out but also we had been overcharged. To compensate he gave us two stubby coolers each – Big Deal!! I won’t be recommending that park to anyone even though most of the reviews on WikiCamps were very favourable.
Shelley Beach Caravan Park
One night was enough here so now we really begin our tour of the Eyre Peninsula. Our first day took in the coastal sights of Smoky Bay, Haslam and Streaky Bay, where we veered off the coast to go to Murphy’s Haystacks on our way to Port Kenny and our eventual camp for the night at Coodlie Park Bush Camp.
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Coodlie Park was certainly a Bush Camp. It was very basic and judging by the state of the camp kitchen and toilet, not often used or maintained. However, it was a bit of fun seeing what had been developed there and it was a shame it wasn’t better looked after and promoted because it had a lot of potential. It also had a private beach that the owners would take you to (for a cost of $15), but we decided to see the sights for free so one night here and we were on the move again.
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There was a lot to see the next day as we travelled through Elliston, where there was an historic reference at the jetty about how in the olden days wheat was stacked ready for transporting by ship to the markets. The jetty itself is constucted on steel pylons screwed into the sea bed and is about 430 metres long. From here we passed through Sheringa and stopped off to see an example of drystone walling where the stones are placed in such a way that they don’t need mortar. These particular walls are believed to have been constructed in the 1850’s by convict labour. Not far from here we came across a delightful old cottage called the Lake Hamilton Eating House which used to be a stopover for coach travellers.
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Now to Coffin Bay, home of the famous Coffin Bay oysters. Wouldn’t you know it, we were there on a Sunday and hardly a place open, so I missed out on those beautiful fresh oysters I was looking forward to. Coffin Bay itself was quite pretty, though, with colourful sails on little boats skimming across the bay.
Coffin Bay
Oyster Beds at Coffin Bay
We finally had the chance to use our National Parks Pass near Port Lincoln when we stayed in a camp called Surfleet Cove in the Lincoln National Park. It wasn’t as attractive as some of the National Parks I have stayed in as the camping areas were formed around the ring road that circled the camp rather than being tucked into the bush, but we were entertained by a couple of families of emus that wandered through the camp. The long drop toilets were clean and the beach was quite sheltered but too cold for a swim.
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After a night at Surfleet Cove we headed into Port Lincoln, famous for its Tuna fishing, although it bills itself as the Seafood Capital of Australia. Commercially, Port Lincoln produces Abalone, Mussels, Oysters, Prawns, Whiting and Snapper,Blue Fin Tuna and Southern Rock Lobster. Pity that most Australians would not be able to afford to buy it! I certainly couldn’t and I was really hanging out for some fresh fish, too. On the positive side Port Lincoln provides overnight camping at Billy Lights Point and Alex Stencross Maritime Museum, which is a great initiative to attract RV’s to their town.
Not far up the road is Tumby Bay, which is another RV friendly town. Margaret and I stopped here for lunch at the jetty and wished we had more time to get to know this pretty area. We thought we might have got our lines out and tried to catch some fish for dinner, but it was so windy we were blown off the foreshore and kept travelling to our next destination.
Tumby Bay jetty
It wasn’t a comfortable day travelling as we had a strong cross wind and Margaret really had to work hard in her larger van to stay on the road. We pulled in to Arno Bay thinking we would stay the night but it didn’t really appeal so we kept going to Cowell, which had a great free RV stop just out of town. The wind didn’t let up all night and the dust swirled so we were glad to be on the road again the next day. We drove into the township on the way out and once again it was a town that appealed to us for a longer stay if we had more time on our hands- lovely old cottages, historic town buildings and a nice foreshore. What is Cowell famous for? The beautiful Cowell Jade!
Jade deposits near Cowell on Eyre Peninsula are among the largest known nephrite jade deposits in the world. They were discovered in 1965 when Harry Schiller, a local farmer prospecting in the area, collected a 3–4 kg boulder of dense, hard rock near an outcrop of white, dolomitic marble. The boulder was subsequently identified as nephrite by Adelaide University and South Australian Museum.
Ninety-one separate jade outcrops were identified by Department of Mines geologists in 1974, and well over one hundred are now known. All are located within an area of ~10 km2, referred to as the Cowell Jade Province. The bulk of resources occur on the 23 leases held by Gemstone Corporation of Australia Ltd.
Whyalla was our next port of call, a brief stop at the information centre and to view the HMAS Whyalla at the Whyalla Maritime Museum. The Whyalla was the first ship built at the Whyalla shipyards in 1941.
Whyalla Maritime Museum
Driving in to Whyalla we saw these spectacular mine tailings that looked like a many coloured patchwork quilt.
Mine tailings, Whyalla
Mine tailings, Whyalla. Margaret’s camera is so much better than my iPhone!
We arrived at Port Augusta, at the eastern end of the Eyre Peninsula, only four short days after starting our trip at Ceduna. It would be easy to spend weeks rather than days in this beautiful part of our country. Oh well, another place to go on the bucket list to revisit.
Next time I’d like to take a deeper breath of Eyre.
This is my last blog for 2014 so I thought it appropriate to recap my travels this year. The map below shows where I started in Tasmania and where I’ve ended up nearly 12 months later in Western Australia. Although it says the distance of 9,700 odd kms I have in fact travelled more than 15,000kms – and loved every minute of it!
I started to tell a story and didn’t know when to stop so I have now decided to share my photos as a ‘wrap’ for 2014. Obviously I can’t include everything, but, as the title says, these are a few of my favourite things.
My year began in Tasmania….
Moulting Lagoon
Lagoons Beach
Mayfield Beach
Weldborough Hotel
9th Island Winery
Sorrell Rally, Tasmania
Detention Bay
Hell’s Gates
Strahan Ocean Beach
Tarhune Air Walk
Evandale Penny Farthing Races
Highlights of Tassie? The beaches, the free camps, spending time with my sister, travelling with friends, and the boat trip on the Franklin River out of Strahan to Hell’s Gates and Sarah Island.
Every bend in the road opens up to more spectacular scenery and I can’t wait to go back and visit all the places I missed plus some favourites from this trip.
Victoria
I left Tasmania after the Evandale Penny Farthing Races and on landing in Melbourne made my way to Gippsland to visit my Aunty Molly. I am so glad I had some time with her as she passed away at the wonderful age of 96 in August. With longevity on both sides of my family I think I’ll be around for a long time yet!! I just love these old photos of her. The beach babe was taken on New Years Day 1936 at the famous 90 Mile Beach and the other at the family home in Yarram, Victoria
Aunty Mollie at Yarram
Mollie at 90 Mile Beach
Auntie Mollie 2014
Leaving Gippsland I spent some time on the Murray River on my way to the Solos Rally in Balranald. It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends and fellow travellers….
Echuca
Murray River, Echuca
The Participants
The Spectators
Glenyce & Rosanna
Nyah Rec Ground
…and Balranald was a quirky little town with a frog fetish! …. and more….
South Australia
Then I was on my way to my house sit in WA, through South Australia and across the Nullabor….. to a welcomed arrival in Norseman
Psyche Pumps
Cadell Ferry
Cadell Sunset
Minnipa SA
Head of the Bight
The Nullabor
Nullabor Plain
Yaay – made it to Norseman WA
Western Australia
Met up with some wonderful people at the Salmon Gums Community Caravan Park and then feeling a little sand, sea and salt air deprived I was on my way to Lucky Bay at Cape Le Grande and other Southern coastal camps.
Salt Lake WA
Lucky Bay
Red Eared Firetail
Lucky Bay Visitor
Munglinup Beach
Cape Riche
Parry Beach
South Coast WA
With a brief unexpected sojourn to the Fairbridge Festival of Folk and World Music I arrived in Secret Harbour to move out of my van and into a beautiful home for 2 months while the owners travelled overseas.
Quirky street performers
Fun with the Mucky Duck
Feather from Fairbridge
In early July I was back on the road again …..but how can I tell you about all the wonderful places I’ve been and people I’ve met over the last 6 months. Well, here goes… it is in some sort of chronological order!! And I thought I’d try the slide show option for the first time….let me know if you like it or if you’d prefer to see the photos in a grid as I usually do.
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What an amazing year I’ve had! You only get to see some of the photos …. this has taken me days as I’ve scrolled through ALL my photos and relived the many wonderful moments I’ve enjoyed in 2014. And as us happy campers often comment, the people you meet are what make so many of the places so memorable. I hope you’ve enjoyed travelling with me and will continue the journey together in 2015.
I can’t believe how lucky I am to be asked to house sit for people who are going travelling. Last year it took me to Mt Isa and now I am on my way to Secret Harbour, south of Perth in Western Australia. That’s a pretty good reason to head west!
After a couple of days rest and recovery following the Solos Rally in Balranald I set off on my next adventure. I left the Nyah Recreation Grounds on March 26, waving a fond farewell to Rosanna, who I had met just out of Boulia in Western Queensland last year and caught up with again at the Solos Rally. Also sharing our camp were two West Australians, Glenys Mitchell and Glenyce Mills. I had spent some time in Tasmania travelling with Glenyce and now here I am heading off to her home State of WA!
Happy Hour at Nyah Free Camp
I camped the night at Psyche Pump, just out of Mildura. (free camp, lots of different spots along the river)
View from Psyche Pump Free Camp
Psyche Pump Free Camp
It turned out to be not such a great choice as there was an amazing thunderstorm in the evening and I woke to mud, mud, mud! The next morning it was a slippery drive out to the road and I couldn’t wait to get to a high pressure car wash and get rid of the mud I had collected under the van, in the van, and all over me!
Mildura to Cadell
Once I had Brutus – and me – sparkling clean I headed towards Cadell Recreation Ground for the night.
I didn’t realise, but the way I had chosen to go meant that I had to cross over the Murray River by ferry to get to the campground. It was a free trip and goes on demand, and it was a bit of a buzz travelling this way.
Michael and Margaret, the caretakers at Cadell welcomed me warmly and set me up on a nice clean level spot. The amenities here are first class and beautifully clean and well cared for. It was $12 a night for an unpowered site but I didn’t object as the facilities were so good – and the caretakers so friendly. The sunset was amazing, too!
Sunset at Cadell Recreation Ground Camp
Before I left the next day Margaret gave me some of her home made tomato sauce that she had just finished cooking and Michael gave me a mud map of an interesting way to go to my next stop which they recommended to me.
Cadell to Melrose
Once again I camped at the Recreation Grounds, which weren’t as nice as the previous night at Cadell but it was only $8 for an unpowered site and once again, great hot showers. I could get used to this luxury!
On the way there was a huge wind farm near Hallett. It seemed to go on forever and although this photo doesn’t show the extent of it I just loved the sky in this one!
Wind Farm at Hallett
Melrose to Minnipa
I made a wrong call today and probably should have stayed in Kimba, which is the home of the Big Galah. Felt a bit of a galah myself for not stopping when I should have but the upside was the lovely people I met at my next stop.
The Big Galah, Kimba
Kimba has a big sign declaring it is half way across Australia. I drove down to the Recreation Grounds which was the camping area in town but it looked like it had just been graded and a large area was closed off. I stopped long enough to have one of the best coffees I’ve ever had at The Cafe – yes, that’s what it’s called – in the main street, a pretty little place with lace curtains in the window and the coffee was soooo good. Fuelled with caffeine I decided to keep driving and eventually found a camp spot at the Apex Park in Minnipa.
Another couple, Judy and Grahame, pulled in with their caravan so I wasn’t camping alone – and I was sick of driving so the thought of having to go any further wasn’t at all appealing. I must say the toilet block had me a bit worried about the locals though! The next morning Judy was saying how noisy it was with other vans and trucks pulling in and out all night but I slept through it all!
Minnipa Free Camp
This was the route I travelled today.
You’ll see I went through Iron Knob, which I drove into but there was absolutely nothing there – or if there was I couldn’t find it!
Looking towards Iron Knob
Minnipa to Koonibba
I was really looking forward to today as I was going into Streaky Bay, a place I had picked out on the map before I started this journey. I think I built it up too much because when I got there it was crowded and there was no free camp – but I had another beautiful coffee at Mocean, right on the waterfront.
Grahame & Judy had been told that Smoky Bay was even better so I headed off there but it was jam packed – the caravan park looked like a supermarket car park – and once again, no free camps that I could find. This was my fifth day of travel to cross from the East of Australia to West Australia. My next stop was Koonibba for the night – I’m on my way to WA!
![Dingo_fence_in_Australia[5]](https://roserob.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/dingo_fence_in_australia5.png?w=379&resize=379%2C340&h=340#038;h=340 "Dingo_fence_in_Australia[5]")
The Snail Trail 
