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.
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