Not the trip we planned!

The day started with a lovely blue sky, some white clouds and a warm wind.   

So we planned to drive west along the Coorong with the end destination being Pelican Point.  We did not get there as the track was too rough, and the thought of getting stuck, with a dog in the back seat, in a National Park made us think that it would not be a good idea to continue driving on the track.

However, it is very difficult to know where the Coorong National Park begins, as often there are no signs.   And it is quite difficult to see the boundaries between farmland and National Park. But we have worked out that anything near the water or in scrub land is probably National Park.

I also realised today that I gave incorrect directions in a previous blog.   Younghusband Peninsula (the line of sandhills)  has the Southern Ocean on the other side of it, then to the north side there is the water (stretches about 140 km) and the land.   

Therefore we cannot drive north or south along the edge of the water, which is how I described the trip yesterday.  Of course one must drive East or West.   Sometimes I wonder about my sense of direction!

Our first stop today was at Long Point jetty, which was constructed in the early 2000s and has been upgraded since then.   It is used by professional fishermen and as a stop for the tourist boat from Goolwa.    

The long drop toilet stands proudly on top of the hill.

This part of the track was very smooth and wide, but once past the shacks it deteriorated somewhat.   I tried to take a photo of some of the shacks, which are small and made out of bits of timber and corrugated iron.   Some are very well made.

After returning to the main road, we decided to turn left onto another gravel road, and made a detour to settlements called Narrung and Raukkan.   We passed mainly farm land, where farmers were busily cutting crops before the rain set in this afternoon.

We  did pass another track which could have taken us to Pelican Point.   On the map it showed a heavier line.   But too late by then as we had changed our minds about the destination.

Raakkan (once called Port MacLeay) is the home of the Ngarrindjeri, and is a beautifully kept small settlement, with a school, a shop, community hall and parks.   And houses of course.   

There is a view of Lake Alexandrina, the barrages and Mt Barker away in the distance.   Unfortunately we missed the signpost for the viewing area.   Not our day.    

When we arrived we were intent on finding an old church, seen in the photograph below.  It was built in 1868 by a Ngarrindjeri stonemason called  William McHughes.    Another famous Ngrrindjeri man is the author, inventor and political leader, David Unaipon, who appears on the Australian $50 note. 

The next little settlement is called Narrung which I believe was once a busy little place.   Now it is a collection of houses, with a church and hall.   The photograph below shows the large shop that is now a home.

A few miles from Narrung there is a ferry which crosses the short channel that connects Lake Alexandrina with Lake Albert.    A very short ferry ride, but interesting all the same.

The weather changed drastically this afternoon, first the strong wind, then the heavy clouds, followed by rain.   

Outside the front gate of the Caravan Park there is an old Dairying Company building, which now houses a Cafe/Restaurant/Bar.   We had coffee there last Saturday and tonight we decided to go there for dinner.   

We both ordered Coorong mullet, caught the previous day, which was absolutely delicious.  We left only a few chips on our plates.

Walter waiting patiently for his dinner.

We were lucky to be given a table with a view of the outdoor eating area, the grass area where I threw the ball to Piper, and Lake Albert.   The weather was terrible.    

Ever onwards.  

Exploring the Coorong

Today we drove south along the Coorong, on the Noonameena Loup.    Noonameena is the name of the settlement of holiday houses on the bitumen part of the road.  

Yesterday we drove on the same road, but travelled north, and realised the views would be better if we travelled south,  so we decided to take the tour again.   We also now had the brochures from the council, so could identify landmarks.    That makes quite a difference!

The Coorong is a long strip of partly saline/partly brackish water which lies between the sandhills (called Younghusband Peninsula) on the south and the land on the north.    The Southern Ocean is on the other side of the sandhills.   The Coorong stretches about 140 km from the Murray Mouth to an area known as Chinaman's Well.   

The Coorong is a National Park, and is also a critical wetland habitat supporting hundreds of thousands of native and migratory waterbirds.

The Coorong is also the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri People, whose heritage and spiritual connection of the area goes back thousands of years.

A view of Younghusband Peninsula (the sandhills), and the water in-between.    We were travelling on a well maintained gravel road.   

An old church, with a house beside it.   A church in the outback, but perhaps there was a settlement here.
 

Another view of the Coorong.   I think it is mostly quite shallow water.

An old shearing shed, built in 1872, which held dances and events until the 1980s.

The National Parks and Wildlife headquarters are also on the road, but the gate was closed so we did not stop.

After the settlement of holiday houses, rather than continuing onto the main road, we took a track along the edge of the Coorong.

There were numerous camping spots along the track, plus three areas with shelters and toilets.   Permission, plus a fee I guess, must be obtained from the National Parks headquarters in order to use the camping places.

We then entered the land which belongs to the Aboriginal Trust and it is forbidden to camp in this area, however the track is on public land so can be used.

The buildings below were part of an Aboriginal mission which was established in 1876.   A group of Ngarrindjeri people built the stone buildings.

We could have continued driving along the track, until we arrived at the main road, as we have a 4 wheel drive vehicle.  However the track was now barely visible and the thought of being stuck out somewhere without a phone signal put us off somewhat.    So we turned around and drove back the way we came.   Much safer.

Dogs are not allowed in National Parks in Australia, but as we were on the edge of the Coorong, and Piper was in the car, and not getting out, we felt okay.   Not that we had a choice as we could not leave her back in the caravan.  

Another day in Paradise

Another day in paradise, mainly the lovely caravan park, where the views over the lake are ever changing, where the grass is green, and there is plenty of space, plus a lovely field across the entrance way where I can throw the ball to Piper, on green grass.

After travelling in outback areas, where thick green grass is rarely available, and where there is mostly dust, and more dust, and in different colours, it is absolutely luxurious to step out of the caravan onto thick green grass.   I feel like I am back in England.    And surprisingly the caravan floor remains clean.

On the last trip to northern New South Wales and inland Queensland, we saw plenty of what looked like grass, but it was often prickly native grass or young burrs, with horrible old prickly burrs underneath.

So all this lovely green stuff here is positively luxurious.

But first a photo of the caravans/motor homes which were lined up beside the front gate.   Unfortunately we now have them lined up beside us too, although they appear to use this part as drive through sites (during quiet times), one caravan per two sites.     

The enormous recreation facilities.   They cater for large groups, except sporting clubs and 'schoolies' (the Australian end of school celebrations for 17/18 year old students).   Both groups are notorious for out of control partying.  

The old caravan in front appears to be a bar/cafe and opens onto the inside of the facilities..   

The very long kitchen.

                                                    

The games room.

The very long bar room with barbeques on the side.   There are also another two barbeques outside the room.

The main hall, with decorations and plastic tablecloths on the table.

We have done a little touring, although it is difficult to tear ourselves away from our luxurious caravan park.

Today we drove around the edge of the water behind the line of sand hills.    I stopped to take a photograph but first I had to climb a hill.

My view of the sand hills.

We have now visited the council office and picked up heaps of brochures and maps so tomorrow we are heading out to fully explore the Coorong area.   At the moment I am reading as much as I can so the next blog should contain more information about the Coorong, which is a very significant area, environmentally.

But in the meantime we are loving this caravan park, which is definitely one of the best we have stayed in, and reasonably priced too, about $42 per night.

Pleasant Days

Peace and quiet at Lake Albert Caravan Park.    To be honest, the people from the vintage caravan rally were not noisy, but we were surrounded by caravans.   Plus it was lovely to see the people dressed up, and hearing the music and laughter coming from the kitchen/lounge area.    

Now we are on our own!   And we are enjoying it.

 The view from the window by my bed.    Not a caravan in sight.    They are there, mostly lined up by the entrance, where there are large hard standing sites.  There are also large hard standing sites at the end of the caravan park.   We are on a grass site, reserved for the smaller vans.

One of the last vintage caravans to leave, towed by an old station wagon.   Station wagons were certainly very long and low to the ground.   

                                         

I took Piper for a walk along the path in front of the shops .    A lovely walk, in the sunshine.

                                         

The view from the jetty towards the shopping area.   The jetty was once the wharf which was part of the trading area for the lakes.   In the early days of settlement water was the only way goods could be shipped in and out of remote places.   

The shady park in front of the shops.

A very old building, which now holds bric-a-brac for sale.   Plus coffee!

A line up of pelicans, no doubt looking out for fish in the water.

Tomorrow another look at the Coorong, which we started to do today, but did not get very far.   Always another day.

A restful holiday in Meningie

We are currently staying in our caravan at Lake Albert Caravan Park, which is on Lake Albert, the smaller lake in the Coorong area.    We are currently about 173 km drive from home, or less if you take a shorter route through the hills.    However, as the crow flies we are probably less than 100 km away from home, but there is an enormous lake, Lake Alexandrina, with the extension of Lake Albert, plus a few hills, between us and home.

The Coorong is a 140 km long coastal lagoon and estuarine wetland system located where the River Murray meets the Southern Ocean.    But more about that in a later blog.     This is an extremely significant area, and one which is often under threat.    It is worthwhile finding the area on Google Earth, to give some idea of the location.     That is if you live elsewhere in Australia or in another country.  

A late afternoon view of Lake Albert.  

We arrived here to find ourselves in the middle of a vintage caravan rally, some with old cars painted to match the caravans.

The rally included dressing up in period costume, competitions, live music, food and plenty of fun.   

The caravan in the photo below was a beautifully restored wooden caravan with a tent attachment.    The modern ones are still popular in Australia.

                                         

The tiny one next to us (no photo) was built in 1947.    Certainly Walter and I would not fit into it, height or length wise.

The blue caravan below was also tiny, with a car to match.   Most of the caravans were similar to the white caravan with the yellow stripe.

Another caravan and car duo, yellow this time.

The blue caravan, folded down, and ready to be towed away.   A slow trip home, I think.

And today, Monday, most of the caravans have left, with only a few dotted around the park.

I love the pathway running beside the caravan park, with its avenue of stubby gum trees.

The caravan park has lots of interesting pieces of sculpture, but I thought the pelican carved into a tree stump was the best.   Someone has left a bone on top.

Piper and I posing in front of a statue of an ostrich.   Now I know we have emus but obviously the original bird was an ostrich that was imported into the country.   Apparently a very small man (about the height of a seven year old) used to ride the ostrich, and spent his time robbing people, with rumours of a few murders too.    

Piper is relaxing beside me as I write this blog, no doubt dreaming of all the birds at the waters edge.   The ones she would love to chase, if only they would step ashore.    As she is on a lead, there would be no chance of doing any damage, but the thought is there.

Tomorrow we are going for a drive along the edge of the Coorong National Park.

Murrayville, Victoria

 We are in Murrayville, Victoria, in mallee country.   Mallee country refers to the semi-arid region of southern Australia.    It is named after the small multi-stemmed eucalyptus trees that grow in this region.   Much of it has been cleared to make way for growing crops.    The down side to this has been the rise in salt, which the mallee trees kept below the surface.    In the 1980s we had open fires in our house and burned the mallee roots as they threw out tremendous heat and also burned for hours.   This cannot happen anymore, thank goodness.

I was not going to write another blog, as we were on our way home.   However, Murrayville is such a fascinating little town I cannot resist just one more blog.

The name Murrayville reminds me of books written by Dr Seuss (the village of Whoville).    No connection!   This town was named after the Premier of Victoria (1909-1912), and the ville (French for town) was added to give the settlement a legal name of town.    A bit pretentious, I know.   

Murrayville has not got much going for it these days, as most shops are closed, even the police station is boarded up.    However, there are many lovely homes here and a prosperous looking school.

An added extra.   We stopped because cattle were crossing the road..    There was no one with them, but they followed each other, very dutifully, except for a few that realised it was easier to stay on the left hand side and head off to their destination in the distance.   But most of them crossed from the left side to the right side, then walked along the edge, then crossed over to the left side again.   And then walked to their destination in the distance.  Some of the cattle stopped in the middle of the road and stared at the cars that had stopped.   It was fascinating. 

Back to Murrayville.  There is a beautiful caravan site here, council owned, with an honesty box for the fee, which is $25 a night, and that includes power, water and a waste water drain, plus a dump point, a camp kitchen, and a luxurious ablution block, with large showers, shower curtains and toilets. plus washing machines.   Everything is spotless.   

The sites have green lawns, and no burr weeds.    Next door is a well kept playing field, with open access to it.    And no rules on the walls!    I guess the council hopes that visitors will spend some money in the town, but as mostly everything is shut that is a difficult task.

I forgot to add the swimming pool next to the caravan park, not open at this time of the year.

The camp kitchen, ablution block and laundry.

Our caravan and car sitting in the sunshine.   And Piper posing in front.   I think she is waiting to go on a walk, or waiting to catch the ball.

There is a sign warning people not to drink the water.   I did not look into this, as it could have meant in the ablution block only.   We carry our own drinking water, so not a problem.

The main street, which was a busy hub once, a very long time ago, when local shops were important.   But all the shops were closed, even the pharmacy.

The old newsagents.

The milk bar.   We all loved a milk bar, with its delicious milk shakes.

The pub was still open and seemed to be thriving, but then maybe not.   It offered meals at the weekends.

The Post Office with a grocery store beside it, recently opened after being closed for the past two years.   The lovely woman whose family have just bought the shop is determined to make a success of it.   The community members are appreciative of being able to pop  in to buy forgotten grocery items, instead of travelling 28 km to the next town.   I bought two packets of biscuits to help out, which cost me $9.   Very expensive biscuits, but hey ho, all to a good cause.

The service station, with fuel pumps at the front.   Long closed.   Fuel prices were cheap as well.

The old Post Office, not occupied.

The old railway station, which according to the sign is now used as a coffee hub.   When we visited a year ago, there was no sign of coffee then either.

The railway line is still used, probably to cart grain.   A silo stands to attention in the background.

An old church, now a renovated house with a lovely garden surrounding it.

Another beautifully renovated church, now a house.

And now I must walk to the ablution block and try the showers.   I hope there is hot water.   Just a thought.

And before I go, I must write about the redback spider I found dangling from the front A frame, between the hitch and jockey wheel.   I was about to hitch the caravan onto the tow ball.   Sadly for the spider, who was obviously enjoying the early misty weather, and minding its own business, I could not leave it there.   As well as being poisonous it has a very painful bite so I knocked it off with the broom, and stood on it.  Boots on of course.   Poor redback spider.  

How many more redback spiders are there under our caravan!