Days 128 - 129 Saturday 20th August & Sunday 21st August

Day 128  Saturday 20^th August

Today we went on a drive out to see Lock 5. They have built a number of locks along the Murray River to control the flow of water particularly during flood time.

Then we drove out to the Heading Cliffs where we saw the Murray River and the cliffs that have developed over the years due to erosion. On our way we saw the Black Stump which is a tree root that a man called Frank Turton found and brought back to use for tourists. This man is also known as the Chook Man whom we saw on the river yesterday.

After lunch we went on a boat called The River Rambler. It took us on a leisurely cruise along the River. It was beautiful. We saw a few koalas in the trees. We also saw lots of birds, including darters, cormorants, swans, ducks and spoonbills. There were a lot of houseboats along the river waiting to be used. Apparently in summer there are about 40 motor boats outside our camping area ready to go ski-ing. Even though it is cold now I don’t think I would like the noise of the boats in summer.

At night who should arrive in front of our van park but the Chook Man. We went down to his boat and boarded and he sang some songs for us and a few other campers. He was a funny and entertaining man.

Day 129 Sunday  21^st August

We left Renmark at 8.30 this morning and drove to Meningie. First we drove through Berri where we saw the Big Orange, however, it was closed. Then we drove on through Loxton until we got to Tailem Bend. There were about 6 towns between these two places but they were pretty deserted. They must have been railway towns and when the railways closed so did the towns. It is such a shame! Tailem Bend is on the Murray and after morning tea, we headed off to Meningie. Meningie is on Lake Albert near the Coorong. It is a lovely spot and we have already seen pelicans.

Distance travelled today  259 kms

Total distance travelled 20093 kms

Day 127 Friday 19th August

We left Nuriootpa at 8.30 this morning and headed off to Renmark. As we went through Blanchetown we crossed the Murray River . It was quite amazing to see so much water and the high banks of the river. We set up camp along the banks of the river where we could watch the ducks and the houseboats. An unusual houseboat came along in the afternoon. It was the “Chook Man”. He is putting on a show in town tonight and hopefully here at the caravan park tomorrow night. It was quite funny to see this boat coming upstream. It is very cold here and overcast but not raining yet.

Distance travelled today  221 Km

Total distance travelled 19812 Km

   

Day 126 Thursday 18th August

The weather was not good when we woke up this morning. It was raining and very overcast, however, we set off for a trip around the wineries. We went to Penfolds, Peter Lehman, Jacob’s Crook, Yalumba and McGuigan. We also went to the Lavender farm and the Angas Park Dried fruit factory and shop. It was a very busy day but as we said “being a tourist is hard work.” The grounds and buildings of these wineries are kept in beautiful condition. Most of these wineries were old, dating back to the late 1800’s. The towns around here, Nuriootpa, Tanunda, Angaston, Rowland Flat and Lyndoch were all beautiful with old stone buildings.

Days 123 - 125 Monday 15th August – Wednesday 17th August

Day   123  Monday 15^th August

We woke up this morning and it was raining, however, we set off into town on the bus and then we caught a tram to Glenelg, the local beach. It had stopped raining when we got there but was very overcast. The tram was great. We went into the Bay Discovery Centre which showed the history of the settlement of Glenelg. There was a monument dedicated to Captain Hindmarsh’s landing in 1836 when the colony began. Obviously in summer it is a busy place.

Day 124   Tuesday 16^th August

Today we set off to the Museum in town. It was raining again and the weather was looking quite miserable. The museum was excellent. We were a bit apprehensive after the first 2 levels but the next 2 levels made up for it. They showed minerals, Egypt, Flinders ranges and the animals of South Australia and the region they lived in.

Then we went for a walk and saw the Festival Centre with the play houses, Parliament house, the Torrens River and the Adelaide Oval in the background. We then went to Skycity Casino and had a pensioner’s lunch (roast beef and veg for $5.95).

It started raining just after we arrived home.

Day  125   Wednesday 17^th August

We left Adelaide at 9.00 this morning after very heavy rain during the night. It was still raining as we packed up and left. We arrived at Nuriootpa  to a very overcast and wet day. They had received lots of rain that morning.

After morning tea we went to visit some wineries including Seppeltsfield, Chateau Tanunda, Turkey Flat, Whistler, Wolf Blass and Barossa Valley Estate. We remember going to Wolf Blass 30 years ago when it was just a tin shed. It is huge now. We also went to Maggie Beer’s farm and watched a cooking demonstration as well as tasted some of her produce. We had a produce tasting at Wolf Blass which was very good.

Distance travelled today 72km

Total distance travelled 19437 km

Days 120 - 122 Friday 12th August – Sunday 14th August

Day  120   Friday 12^th August

We left Wilpena this morning at 8.00 and travelled via Peterborough, Burra and Saddlewood to Adelaide. It was a beautiful drive but long. The Goyder Line was designed by Goyder in the 1870’s and shows where pastoralists start and farming ends. There were sheep farms on one side and wheat farms on the other. There were many ruins of the early settlers’ houses scattered through the valley. Many buildings in the small towns we passed through were very old.

Distance travelled today 439 km

Total distance travelled 19265 km

Day 121  Saturday  13^th August

 We went into  Adelaide city this morning by bus. It is a beautiful city with lots of very old buildings, some dating back to the 1850’s. We walked through Rundle Mall and then caught the city loop bus to the markets. They were fresh food markets and looked fantastic. We then went to Chinatown for lunch.

Day 122   Saturday 13^th August

We went to Mt Lofty first this morning and looked at Adelaide from high up in the Adelaide Hills. It was a lovely view with a tower there to commemorate the discovery and naming of this mountain by Matthew Flinders in 1802.

Then we continued on through Stirling to Hahndorf. It is a lovely little town with many craft and food shops and cafes and restaurants. The town was first settled in 1832 by a group of Germans which is why many shops sell German trinkets and foods. We had lunch at a place called The Haus where we had Kransky and Wurst with sauerkraut. It was great.  We drove along the Onkaparinga Valley however the Onkaparinga factory was gone. The weather was great today but is somewhat overcast now.

Days 118 - 119 Wednesday 10th August & Thursday 11th August

Day   118  Wednesday 10^th August

It’s our Wedding Anniversary. Yah!!  31 years!

Today we went for a flight in a 6 seater plane over Wilpena Pound. The view was spectacular but the plane could have been a bit larger. I felt quite safe most of the time. We were only in the air for ½ hour but we did hit a few bumps. There were a few rain clouds around but these did not hinder the view of the Pound. These mountains are truly amazing.

We went to the resort for dinner last night and had a great meal, one of the best we have had so far.

Day 119  Thursday 11^th August

Today we went on a loop drive up to Brachina Gorge, Bunaroo Gorge and Aroona Gorge and then came back to Wilpena. The mountains are fantastic with lots of Cypress Pine trees growing everywhere. There was some water in the creek beds. The River Red Gums grew beautifully along the banks of the dry creek beds. There were a number of places which had the ruins of pastoralists homesteads. One in particular was Hayward who left his property when the droughts came in the late 1850’s. There were a number of springs around for these pastoralists to obtain water. This drive is known as a geological drive through time as you can see the different types of rock which have been exposed including siltstone, limestone, sandstone etc.

Hans Heysen was a famous painter who painted many scenes from this area in the 1930’s. The Three Sisters was one such painting. Cazneaux was a photographer who photographed a tree in 1937 which became famous.