RoadTrip Australia: June 2011 -- South Australia
Forum Administrator's Note:
Quote:
Normally, all of the road trips that are discussed and posted on this forum, occur in North America... But Lifey is a long-term member and a RTA RoadTrip Advisor and so we are hosting her road trip field reports from a road trip that she is currently on in southern Australia... Enjoy the journey with us!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over half a century of traveling, we have crisscrossed the State of Victoria, every which way. So today the plan was, to just head to the border, and start enjoying South Australia, a State of which I have not seen a great deal.
But we all know what happens to plans......
I had not gone 50kms and there was the exit to Mt Macedon, and the memories came flooding back. Memories of the 60s and 70s, when with my mother-in-law, we would go visit the spectacular gardens of the grand homes on that great mountain, just north of Melbourne. I reminisced also over the picnics we would have there in some of the beautiful parks. Mt Macedon stands out with a huge cross on the top, visible for miles. We used to walk up to it. We took our children there. But thinking of Mt Macedon, one cannot avoid thinking of Ash Wednesday 1983, the day so many died and so much of the State was dessimated. (At that time the worst ever, 2009 exceeded it threefold.) On that day most of those grand homes were destroyed, as were so many of their gardens.
Also part of the Macedon Ranges is Hanging Rock, the next exit along the Calder (A79). Like Mt Macedon, it is a very popular day trip from the city. Probably best known from the novel, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and as the location of the film by the same name. However, to me Hanging Rock bears a much different significance. It was where we took the children to experience the Total Eclipse of the Sun. Well away from any source of artificial light, it was an experience they have never forgotten. Cannot remember, nor can I find it on the internet, as to which year it was, but I recall they were all quite young.... so probably 1980 or 81 (??).
And not all that much further on came the exit to Malmsbury, a beautiful little historic town with some magnificent blue stone buildings... and an even grander bluestone railway bridge. We once hiked to the base of it - ye can't drive there - and took ever so many photos. They just don't make them like that anymore.
This was starting to be a nostalgia journey, and that was only the first hour!
The freeway on which I was driving by-passes many of the small towns we used to pass through in those days. So when I got to the exit to Harcourt, I could not help thinking of the fresh, crisp, juicy apples we used to buy at the roadside stall. Harcourt is the heart of apple country in central Victoria, and there is no end to the many apple related products available there. Alas, the road no longer goes through Harcourt, and I was left wondering how the orchadists, who so heavily depended on the passing trade, are faring now.
By the time I got to Bendigo the freeway had long since ended, and it was two lanes the rest of the way, right through the centre of all the small towns.
Around half way to Mildura I came to the areas which had been, and still are, affected by the floods of earlier this year. It was clear that many are not happy with the insurance companies. Large posters were nailed to roadside trees, expressing their feelings.
And then it was Wycheproof! I had never been to Wycheproof before... and was quite surprised. Here, in this relatively small town, the train runs straight down the middle of the main street. This is not a light rail, this is the main trainline for all freight, wheat, etc. I have never seen anything like it. There was no fence, just a strip of grass and plants either side of the single track.
My mechanic had told me what a 'boring' trip the drive to Mildura is. I can't wait to tell him how excited I was by all I saw... grain stored in huge underground bunkers; magnificent eucalypts lining the road; gently undulating farm land as far as the eye could see; and often I was the only vehicle on the road to enjoy this wonderland.
But of course, it did not all go smootly. Before I got to Mildura I realised I had left my map of South Australia - with all my notations on it - at home. Valuable time was lost in Mildura finding the RACV office to purchase another. I had already decided to push on to Renmark, rather than stay in Mildura. However, now that we are approaching the shortest day, the sun had set before I got to Renmark, and I had not booked anything.
Now I know why some get so paranoid about booking things ahead. In this country, when you get outside the capital cities, accommodation is nowhere near as prolific or cheap as it is in the US. Did eventually find an affordable motel, but if I could not have, it would have been quite a way to the next place.
Lifey
iPhone, iPad and Droid entry tools
iPhone, iPad and Droid devices are the next big thing we'll add to this forum. If you have one of these devices, soon, very soon, (or not depending on the usual issues) you'll be able to update your forum posts from your phone on the road.
Mark
You Can Chop Down a Tree, but.....
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...ot_Hill_2_.jpg
it will live on somewhere else.
2nd June
It was 8am, and I was ready to leave Paringa - across the river from Renmark. But before doing so, I figured I would call and book a bed in Cooper Pedy.
Did I say that??
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...at_Renmark.jpg
The Historic Bridge across the Murray river at this point, is a single lane in each direction, and still opens for craft to go up and down the river. Mainly paddlesteamers with tourist aboard, these days. But in the early days, this was a main trading route.
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...Renmark_1_.jpg
When I look at the river which this bridge spans, I think of the Mississippi. The Murray, our mightiest river, is a mere trickle in comparison. I have often thought, if you were to take all the permanent waterways in Australia, and put them together they would not equal the volume of water which runs down that great river from MN to New Orleans.
Chose not to follow the route computer mapping and my gps wanted me to go, but followed my map instead - through Morgan and onto Burra. From there I planned to go through Crystal Brook to Port Pirie, at which point I would once again pick up a main highway - albeit a single lane highway.
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...urra_SA_1_.jpg
It was about 25kms west of Morgan that I came across Boot Hill. I had been thinking of how much the surrounding countryside resembled northwestern Nevada, that corner up there, north and west of Winnemucca. And then to stumbled upon an icon (top) similar to the one Nevada lost, not all that long ago.
I spent far too long there!
Burra is another of these historic towns, with most of the buildings made from local stone.
http://www.roadtripamerica.com/photo...urra_SA_2_.jpg
A designated heritage town, and for good reason. It was good to spend a little time driving around and seeing the sights. (Mr Google and Mr gps would have denied me this pleasure.)
Gave my Outback a well deserved drink in Burra, and learned that Coober Pedy was still 702 kms. By now it was 11am At my steady pace of 100kph (the speed limit is 110), it was going to be a long day. Decisions had to be made.
From Burra to Coober Pedy.... it broke my heart.... I did not stop to admire or photograph another sight or attraction. And I cranked the speed up to (almost) the speed limit. This resulted in my fuel consumption going from 9.2 to 9.4l/100km. (I love this feature in my Outback.)
By the time I got to Port Augusta I needed a break. All the heavy transport on the road was taking the enjoyment out of this drive. Here we do not have 18 wheelers, like in the US. Semi trailers typically have 22 wheels. But these trucks had 42, and then there was the ocassional one with 62 wheels. (I counted them while waiting at a traffic light.) Chose to take the meal I bought to the Native Botanical Gardens, just north of the town, and relaxed there in the midst of a great variety of native plants.
Coober Pedy was now 525 kms up the road, and only one more settlement between me and there. So, satisfied after a good break and a hearty meal, a bottle of water and having filled the tank once more, I set off on what to me, was going to be the most interesting of all highways... the Stuart Highway, the highway into the Outback (land that is, not the car).
Nothing I read or researched indicated that there was anything more to see in this last stretch, other than black asphalt and desert. Even folk to whom I spoke, who had done this trek, said just to head straight for Coober Pedy. Yet, all the way along the highway there were pull-offs with camera indications. And I had to pass by all of them, for lack of time. Just as there had not been any indication that fuel was available anywhere other than at Woomera and my final destination. Yet I was able to fill up at Glendambo, some 113 kms further on from Woomera where I had forgotten to fill up. Not only that, but they had accommodation. The sun was close to setting, and I was regretting having booked in Coober Pedy.
There are several rest areas along this last stretch, none of which are marked on maps. But then, rest areas are nothing like what most of you will have pictured in your mind's eye. Rest areas here are a large cleared area by the side of the road, unpaved and always has a 44 gallon drum for rubbish. Ocassionally they will have a (note! a!) table and seats, concreted into the ground. And even more rarely will they have a small wooden outhouse, longdrop toilet. But that is rare indeed! Lake Hart rest area is one of these.
Furthermore, there is no restriction on spending the night at any of these places. As it was quite late, I noticed that all of the rest areas had some caravans, campers and tents already in them, but the one at Lake Hart had more than two dozen. It was like a little city.
Eventually found the place where I had booked a room. Like most of Coober Pedy, it is underground - actually in an old mine. Underground means walking into the side of a mound, and slightly down. The website said they have underground rooms and camping - there were lots of tents. Other facilities listed on the internet wereTV and Internet, as well as a camp kitchen. I should by now know that you do not believe all you read. I had paid for two nights, and next morning went in to get the second night's money refunded.
For a person who will not go into caves, the whole atmosphere was claustrophobic. It was hot. And the room had a bed and a light. No power, not even a mirror. It was a long walk to the bathrooms, which were above ground. There was no external light anywhere, and the internet had been broken for 'months'. The so called camp kitchen was a single ring gas burner and BBQ. Not even a fridge!
Despite their warnings of dire consequences, I cooked in my room (my Trangia always comes with me wherever I go), and I left my phone on charge in the bathroom - the only place with power outlets.
Lifey
