Last week we visited the Riverland, an area to the north east which incorporated the River Murray. Mind you the river winds around so much, and so slowly, I could never tell which was upstream or downstream.
We had picked up a camping ground deal when visiting the Camping and Caravanning show, during February. It was a five night, pay for three nights plus a free pizza and cup of coffee deal. Too good to miss we thought. So off we went, with Piper and caravan.
The travel there was a bit arduous and took longer than if we had taken the most direct route. We drove through Adelaide, onto the Port Wakefield Road, where we found the entrance to the expressway closed, due to the new super highway which opened last week. We had to travel via Virginia and Angle Vale, a little bit of going down memory lane due to my teaching stint at Virginia Primary School. That place has certainly changed, almost a dormitory suburb of Adelaide.
Finally we met the expressway at the Gawler Bypass and then in was through the edge of the Barossa Valley, and over the final hill, where the flat land stretched out for kilometres. The memories from the past flooded in, as this was where the green disappeared, to be met with brown or red land and scrub.
We stopped for lunch at Truro, where there was a very popular bakery. We had our sandwiches with us, but the cake we bought was pretty stodgy. Most of it went into the bin.
As we came closer to the River Murray there was an increasing number of vineyards, plus the greenness of the not so little towns, which came as a surprise. This was not how I remembered the Riverland at all.
Finally we arrived at the Berri Riverside Holiday Park, where we were going to stay for five days.
It did not take long to set up, being a small caravan, although the new toilet tent provided a little bit of problem solving for Walter. The old cheap pop up tent proved to be useless in the strong wind. An almost impossible task to sit on a portaloo, with the tent almost vertical. And there was a danger that the tent would fly away completely, leaving one sitting in the open. It does not bear thinking about.
Luckily there was a swimming pool as the temperature was around 35 degrees for the first two days. Not quite Camping Manjastre but very nice pools all the same. All grey nomads swimming in there.
The complete surprise was the green grass, everywhere. it even made the river look green.
The landscaped riverside opposite the camping ground. There was a boat ramp here, and the bank of the river included a memorial to an Aboriginal tracker called Jimmy James.
The sprinklers were on early, every morning.
Where there were no sprinklers, the ground was very dry. I presume there is plenty of water in the river for such grand watering. I know there is always an outcry about the amount of water being taken out of the northern rivers and tributaries that run into the River Murray. Water for inappropriate crops such as rice and cotton. When we looked at the map of Australia, all waterways (when they are full) west of the Great Dividing range in the east, run into the River Murray.
The landscape below was how I remembered it, other than the orchards, and some of the small towns. Mind you, this is mallee country, and the scrubby trees are crucial to the area, as they keep the salt from rising up and making its way back into the river. Once the mallee trees were grubbed out and sold for fire wood. The mallee roots were extremely hard and burnt slowly in the open fires. I can remember we used them in the open fires in our house at Henley Beach. Little did we know then how crucial these trees were to the outback environment.
Walter looking relaxed at our favourite cafe, River Jacks Cafe, in Berri. Such a beautiful setting, and excellent coffee.
I thought I needed to add a photo of me as well. Same cafe.
When we travelled on the back roads we saw plenty of orchards, so it was still a fruit growing area. However, the main crop appeared to be grapes, with rows and rows of vines everywhere. Apparently the Riverland is the largest producers of wine in Australia. Not many boutique wineries though, and very difficult to have a wine tasting experience. Although the tourist brochures tell a different story.
The wineries are large businesses with huge tanks surrounding them. Berri Estates, which is the largest grape processor in the Southern Hemisphere, crushes around 220,000 tonnes of grapes a year. In fact grapes come from elsewhere in South Australia and are crushed at this winery. We bought a dozen bottles of unlabelled wine, which were very drinkable, plus two bottles of Riverland wine.
A photo of the tanks at Loxton.
The big orange, with its viewing platform at the top. Next door was a run down shop. Although the sign states opening hours, I do not think it has been open for a while. Very sad. It was such an icon.
Our first visit was to Renmark, about a half an hour drive from Berri. A beautiful town, very green of course, with a peaceful view over the river.
Once a riverboat, now a bed and breakfast place.
The walk along the riverbank was beautiful, and very shady on a day with temperatures in the mid thirties.
It was lined with beautiful river gums.
And the streets of Renmark, like the streets of Berri, were fairly deserted, with many empty shops. Sadly the people were shopping at the out of town shopping centres, where all the large chains were situated. So typical of many country towns in Australia.
On a positive note we found a beautiful cafe, with a shady garden, where pets were welcome to roam freely. As were children of course. The gate is kept closed. Piper got a big bowl of water and some treats. And we enjoyed our lunch, quiche with four salads. Walter's new hat, bought in a men's store in Renmark, and very suitable for walking in the hot sun, is on the table.
Piper having a well deserved rest in the shade. It was the type of day when we had to make sure we walked in the shade, as the pavements were just too hot for soft doggy feet.
On the way back we visited the small settlement of Paringa where an enterprising resident managed to obtain a huge tree stump. This was on display and one could take a photograph of it, and leave a small donation in the box.
We drove a short distance from Paringa to a 'look out' from which to view the red cliffs that line the river. The sun was intense, and the heat searing, and Walter and I went to the 'look out separately so that we could keep the car air conditioned for Piper. Travelling with a dog!
A houseboat very obligingly cruised past, just in time for me to photograph it.
Early one morning we went on a circular walk along the river. It was here that we could see the damage caused through the cutting down of large trees for building purposes, plus the draining of land for farming, with the added problem that the locks stopped the flooding the wetlands. Now it is a protected area, and the area is flooded regularly with water, and vegetation has returned, with an abundance of young eucalyptus trees.
We visited Lock 4. The locks have been crucial in maintaining a viable water level along the river, and in South Australia Before this the river level rose and fell, according to the rainfall. The drawing of water for irrigation purposes did not help the situation, especially in years of drought, when it was possible to walk across the river bed. There has also been a concentrated effort to regularly flood the wetlands alongside the river. Sadly there is still quite a lot of disagreement and mismanagement by the different states, who often have vested interested in how the water is used, hence the cotton plantations.
We loved Loxton which had a great atmosphere, and quite a thriving town centre. It also had a small shop full of knick knacks and useful or not so useful objects. But more about that later.
Unfortunately I only took one photograph, and that was of the outdoor museum, which we could not visit as we had a dog, although they said it was okay to tie the dog to the verandah at the entrance. But we thought Piper might not like this.
We had visited a similar museum before, so felt that we had not missed out. I took the photograph below through the wire fence.
Our last town was Barmera, which had only a few occupied shops. However the women in the Country and Western museum certainly gave us heaps of information about the town. They were very proud of the festival which is held every year, and the museum contained a garden in the shape of a guitar, with the names of singers with their hands imprinted in concrete.
Barmera was also the site for the Loveday Internment Camp which housed Japanese, German, Italian and Chinese internees during World War !!. There was a display featuring the camp in the Visitor Centre, although nothing remains of the camp now.
I loved this sign, and wondered about the need to focus on dentures, but it appeared there were quite a few residential homes in the town. Lots of dentures needed, I think. And opposite that was the emphasis on sports for the very young, who needed mouth pieces. So I think Steve must do a roaring trade in town.
All the country towns had wide grassed areas running through the main streets, which were beautifully landscaped as well. Often the public toilets are situated there, and Renmark especially had a very arty construction.
The photograph below, shows what the scenery would look like without grass and water.
Altogether we visited Berri, Renmark, Paringa, Loxton and Barmera. I must add that these towns were settled by returning First World 1 soldiers, many of whom were unsuited to farming. It must have been a hard life in a very harsh land. And many mistakes were made.
I loved this blue painted church in Barmera.
Piper loved having our undivided attention. A very happy dog.
Drinkies time. Red wine for me, and non alcoholic beer for Walter. Please note the football themed stubby holder on Walter's bottle. A purchase from the knick knack shop in Loxton.
I bought a new hat from the same shop for a paltry $4.70. A solid hat, with a wide brim which will not flop in my eyes. When i got out of the shop we realised it was a school hat. Oh well, I will add a ribbon or two, pretty it up a bit.
I forgot to say about all the national parks in the area, plus plenty of walking trails, and free camping spots. Plus boats for hire, including all the luxurious houseboats. It has also become quite a foody area, with plenty of cafes, pubs and restaurants.
It was altogether a very pleasant and uneventful trip. The only mishap was the accidental swapping of spectacles one morning. It took two hours of wearing each other's glasses before we realised we had swapped them. In that time I had taken Piper for a walk, and it was while we were eating breakfast, when the sun started to rise higher in the sky that I realised that the world still looked gloomy. I was wearing Walter's tinted glasses! Walter had been wondering why the print looked a bit blurry, but thought it was a morning thing. And it was too, but different than he thought. I must say I liked Walter's glasses much better. Definitely more modern.
