A brief stop in Naracoorte

I thought I should write this blog, before we head off to the south east again.    I had, of course, full intentions of writing this blog immediately after the last one, Bellwether Winery, but got distracted by the garden.   A rush to get everything planted before summer.   And planting means weeding too, plus a few other maintenance jobs around the house.   But more about this later on.

Naracoorte!    Such a pleasant surprise, other then the cold weather.   I cannot believe we never visited the town when we lived here during the 1980s.   Our family would have loved it, so much to do, plus a huge swimming lake.   The caravan park was next door to it, and was surrounded by parkland and playgrounds.   A great holiday destination.

Back to our recent visit, where we stayed in the showgrounds, a green oasis, with basic facilities.  Cheap though.   The main camping ground has now become a Big4 Holiday Park, with prices to match.   The showgrounds had plenty of space and somewhere for Piper to run freely, so we were all happy.   It also had no shelter as such, and the wind blew fiercely through the showgrounds most of the time.    A good test.

Now Trev's Bargain store featured prominently on the main street, next to the huge supermarket, and up the road from a huge and popular pub.

Thank goodness for Trev's, as they sold a range of dog leads, and saved the day when Piper chewed through her old lead.   Piper did not like being tied up.   She now has a flash orange lead, with a comfortable handle, for the low price of $6.   I liked Trev's.

Naracoorte is very spread out, with lots of associated farming firms, and most definitely a country centre.   However, the main shopping centre was a bit bleak, I thought, with lots of roads running through it, too many vehicles and too few shops.   It took ages to cross roads, especially with a dog in tow.    So typical of many country towns, in that everyone wants to park immediately outside the shop they want to go into, rather then walk a few metres.

However, away from the centre of town, it was a joy to walk around, at a leisurely pace, with plenty to look at and admire.   There was the Creek Walk, the Historical Walk and a Nature Park

This old engine, in the photography below, is the only 1877 V9 class steam locomotive in Australia.
Interestingly, the Naracoorte to Kingston railway line, closed in 1987, was built about 1881, and joined Mt Gambier Railway station.  Initially there were no engines, so the carriages had to be pulled by horses.   Some of the lines are still in place, and the track is still there.   It would make a fantastic cycling track, but then that would cost money to develop, and I think the region is more interested in wine growing rather than catering for cycling enthusiasts.

The old mill, built in the 1960s, in the photograph below, is now part of a museum called The Sheep's Back, which has displays showing wool production from the earliest European settlement in the 1840s to the present.   A fascinating museum, which includes an old shearing shed, an old school (I so remember the smell), Post Office, rooms in houses, even the prototype of a robotic shearing machine, which never really worked.   No photographs of the displays, due to leaving my telephone in the caravan.

The river walk was beautiful, and of course water was plentiful due to the winter and spring rains.

Piper loved the walks too.   Notice her new orange lead matches her harness, and the spots on her body.   A colour co-ordinated dog.

The wisteria in full bloom, and very fragrant too, on the wall of the beer garden at the huge pub.   We had to sit out there for dinner, due to having a dog with us, but it turned out to be a blessing as the dining area inside was extremely crowded and noisy.    We also had an interesting conversation with two men who were on a short holiday from Adelaide.   The food was good too, and service was fast.  A very organised pub.

Another walk, further along the river walk, which led into a wooded area.   Although it did say to keep dogs on a lead, I would not have been tempted to let Piper off the lead, due to snakes coming out of hibernation.   Mind you, it was so cold I think the snakes would have been very sluggish.

The huge lake, fed by an underground water source, and opened in 1971.   Initially it was not fenced, and the water untreated, but all this changed in the 1990s, when changing sheds were built, the lake was fenced off, and a filtration system installed.   And entry is still free too.  It is now open from December to March.   Plenty of room for all swimmers.

On the last day, we went for a drive into Victoria, destination Casterton, in order to visit the home of the Kelpie dog.   For those people who do not live in Australia, the Kelpie dog is an amazingly intelligent breed of cattle and sheep dog.    A dog that needs much training and exercise if kept as a pet, which we found out when we had one in the late 1970s. 

The story is as follows:  The original 'Kelpie' was born in 1871, her parents being a pair of black & tan Collies imported from Scotland.    The pup was named Kelpie, a Scottish term meaning 'a malignant water sprite haunting the fords and streams in the shape of a horse'.   The pup was purchased by a man called Gleeson, who swapped his horse for the dog.   All this took place at a ford on the Glenelg River, in Casterton.   Who knows whether this story is true or not, but it sounds good.    And there is no doubt the Kelpie breed of dog is an excellent sheep dog.

The Kelpie Centre.

The main street, looking very forlorn on a wet Sunday afternoon.   Many shops had closed or were due to close shortly, so typical of a small country town.   Although it has been said that the Kelpie centre is helping to bring the town back to life again.

The iconic Australian scene, two dogs protecting the utility while the owner is in the pub across the road.  Well we presumed he was in the pub.   There was nothing else open.   I hope the owner ties them to the open back before driving off!   Or brings them into the cab.   They were certainly well trained dogs.    Border collie dogs in this instance rather than Kelpies.

Piper enjoyed being in the caravan and made herself at home on our beds, which we also used as lounges during the day. 

And one more interesting fact, well for us anyway.   Naracoorte is part of the Wrattonbully Wine Region with Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz being the main two varieties grown there.   Although grapes were planted there in the late 1960s, it was not until the 1990s that planting began in earnest.    We lived in the UK, so it was no wonder we had never heard of this wine region, in between Padthaway and Coonawarra.   A very pleasant find, for us.   So of course I sampled some of the local wines, just to make sure they were good!

And we are looking forward to returning to the area again, with my friend Kathy, in a weeks time.   We will stay in a rented house in Mt Gambier on this visit.   Quite luxurious.

Camping at Bellwether Winery, Coonawarra

Finally a trip away in our caravan.   Great excitement.   Although Piper thought otherwise in the days leading up to our departure.   She would not eat her dinner, despite it being her favourite cooked food.    She knew we were packing to go somewhere, and in her mind that somewhere was going to be without her.   But she was wrong, and a very happy dog jumped into the back of the car.    

It took ages to pack the van, who knows why, as it was only a small van.   All the heavy stuff went into the boot of the car.  We finally set forth mid morning, direction the Coonawarra wine district, in the south east of Australia.   Limestone country.

The day was sunny and very warm, and temperatures appeared to be rising so we packed plenty of summer clothes, and minimal cold weather clothes.   A big mistake there.   Apparently one should always have a thick jacket, hat and gloves to hand, regardless of the time of year, when travelling in the south east.  And sturdy shoes if camping.   I wore lightweight Skechers.   Wet feet for five days!   It was all a learning experience.

We had a lovely trip through the hills, via Strathalbyn.   Gorgeous countryside.   The van travelled well, very lightweight and well balanced.   So easy to tow.

First stop was the Wellington ferry, which carries vehicles across the Murray river.   This 24 hour ferry is free.  

A very fast flowing Murray river, and wide at this point.

We stopped at Tailem Bend, on the Dukes Highway which was the main road between Adelaide and Melbourne.    Lunch and coffee at the services, and not too bad either.   Little did we know that this was the last of the hot weather for us.   Walter and Piper looking happy in the sunshine.

We turned off at Keith, quite an historic little town apparently.   I know that last time we were there we visited the only cafe that was open, and sat outside and no one walked passed us.

We drove along the Riddoch Highway, again through picturesque countryside.   The land is so green at the moment.   According to a traveller we met, in his huge off roader, the south is currently the only green part of Australia.   He was from Brisbane and loved the cold weather and green surroundings.    At that stage we could not appreciate it as we wanted sunshine and warmth.

We passed through farmland before arriving at the different wine regions, namely Padthaway, Wrattonbully (Naracoorte) and Coonawarra.   All part of the Limestone Coast, which was once a popular area for the local indigenous peoples, and then settled by European settlers in the  1840s.   The area was under the sea off and on, up until 2 million years ago.   The deep limestone deposits created from the coral and other sea life, plus the moist climate, makes the area very fertile.   Great farmland but also ideal for grape growing.

We arrived at Bellwether Winery, which is a small boutique winery that blends grapes from different areas.   We went to a wine tasting session there, quite a different flavour wine but quite delicious all the same.   We bought a bottle of  Bellwether 2018 Wrattonbully Malbec.    The winery also has the name Glen Roy attached to it, due to it being situated in sheep shearing sheds called Glen Roy.

The winery and camping grounds were rustic!   We were taken aback when we first arrived, as it appeared to be lots of old wood, rusty bits and pieces and basic sites.   There were two sites with electric hook up, and three sites without electricity.   We had one of those, and relied on the solar panels on our caravan for light at night, which worked very well.   We paid $30 per night for our site, which was pretty reasonable considering it also included Emma, Steve and Isabel in their tents.

Our caravan, in the middle of nowhere!   The toilet tent was put between the caravan and the car, and this arrangement worked well.   No snakes made their home in the tent, to surprise us on our nightly visits, thank goodness.

There were quite a few bell tents on site for glamping.   They cost $200 per night which we thought was a lot of money just to sleep in a normal bed, in a tent.   People still had to walk to the ablution block for showers and the toilets.   But they did get a free bottle of wine, plus enough food for breakfast.  Very pricey glamping all the same.

A view of the the camping site.

The outdoor camping kitchen was fantastic, and we washed our dishes here, plus cooked our breakfast each morning.   At least Emma and Steve cooked breakfast, which we appreciated very much.   Nothing like sitting outside eating bacon, eggs, tomatoes and baked beans.   Walter took the coffee machine over there so we were able to have our morning coffee also.   The floor was dirt so no worries about dropping food.   The people who run the winery also had hens, and vegetable and herb gardens, all available for anyone using the camping ground.    The lemons on the table were free to take also.    So very generous.

The ablutions block.   And quite luxurious.

A view of the campsite from the entrance.

There was heaps for children to do; namely a tree house and lots of wood around for building cubbies.    Plus a donkey and a few strange looking cattle.   Not to forget about the small flock of sheep wandering around the campsite and Mabel, the dog, who kept an eye on everyone.

Bellwether winery.   The wine was produced in the building behind this sign.    The tasting rooms were in the old shearing shed.  Renovated of course.

On the second night we had a campfire, thanks to Steve's craftmanship.   It was quite impressive.

We managed to keep reasonably warm, with the help of a few throws.  However coats would have been welcome as well.   The wine and beer tasted very good.

My pink jacket may have looked warm, but it was only a thinly padded jacket, bought in Primark.   More glamour than warmth, and certainly not appropriate for an outdoor campsite.    I should have brought my down jacket with me.

Once Piper stopped trying to eat the sheep poo, and trying to chase the sheep, she settled down.   We even let her off her lead on the final morning so that she could play with Mabel, the dog.   Piper did not like being tied up to the caravan, she slipped out of her harness twice, and chewed through her lead. 

Piper enjoyed the bonfire too.

Emma and Steve, looking happy.

Steve cooked the meat and the sausages over the fire, and they tasted pretty good.   Well done Steve.

We then toasted marshmellows.   Yummy.

Walter, Emma, Steve and Isabel visited the Naracoorte Caves, which were pretty impressive.   As dogs were not allowed in National Parks here, I took Piper into Naracoorte, and walked around the streets.   I also had to buy her a new lead so now she is quite colour co-ordinated in orange accessories, which match the orange spots on her body,

There was only one other incident, well not really an incident, but more of an embarrassment to the rest of the family.  It appears that in Australia, one does not wander around the campsite in pyjamas.   Unlike in Holland where I have seen people in pyjamas riding their bikes around the campsite.   So at 7.30 am I was seen washing the dishes (from the night before) in the camp kitchen, whilst wearing pyjamas, dressing gown, fleece, bed socks and white plastic shower shoes.    And due to the fact that there were no mirrors I did not realise that my hair was sticking out in all directions and I had toothpaste on one side of my mouth.  Quite a sight apparently.  No wonder the young trendies, who were cooking their breakfast, did not speak to me.

It was a lovely few days there, despite the cold, and we reluctantly packed up and Walter and I went to our next campsite in Naracoorte and Emma, Steve and Isabel drove home, via another small boutique winery, which had the most delicious wines apparently.