We spent a frantic week fixing a couple of leaks in the caravan, plus picking all the rotted wet wood out in the inner front corner. Thanks to Emma for her brilliant work in replacing the wood and edging above the door.
This caravan has not been one of our better purchases, although it is very comfortable inside. We have had a litany of repairs done to the van plus leaks fixed, and panels replaced. We are not sure if it is just wear and tear, or the result of an accident or extreme weather. The van is about 18 years old. However the staff at Noel's Caravans, which is meant to be a very reputable caravan dealer, were not entirely honest with us when we bought it. Anyway we are still out and about, and enjoying tripping around. Fingers crossed we have now solved the last of the leaking problem.
But I digress. We are on the way to Queensland, we think, with no real set plan, but we would prefer some warm weather, without rain, which may not be possible as South Australia and western New South Wales have had wave after wave of rain. Great for the countryside, but not for us travellers.
So far, we have driven through the hills from Aldinga Beach, onto the expressway heading east, and then made a sharp turn north at Murray Bridge towards the River land and the Murray River. We stopped at Karoonda Caravan Park one night and now we are in Mildura, Victoria.
Karoonda was such a find, on the Murray Bridge to Loxton road. It is 160 km east of Adelaide and is situated in the Mallee which is a wheat growing area of South Australia. It is a prosperous town, with well cared for gardens and streets, and all the shops are occupied, which makes such a change. However, like many successful small towns the success has been due to the many immigrants who have taken over the shops.
I took Piper up the main street to have a look at what was to offer. The many sign posts.
The painted silo, which is apparently lit up at night time.
Our car and caravan nestled between small trees. The tree on the right caused me a few anxious moments as it was leaning over the caravan, but I thought it probably has been like this for a while. So not likely to fall on the particular night we were parked there. And it did not do so!
There was a lovely Pioneer Village in the town, which looked interesting and was free as well. But sadly we needed to drive quite a distance to Mildura.
Mildura is situated in northern Victoria, just across the border from South Australia. It is a large fruit growing area, mainly citrus, stone fruits, almonds and table grapes. It relies heavily on water from the River Murray.
The weather in Mildura has been very cold with misty nights which last until about 1 p.m. When the sun comes out it is very pleasant, and for two days I have been able to sit outside with my face to the sun.
The view of the Murray River from our camping ground.
Mildura had beautiful parks and paths along the River Murray, which we enjoyed using every afternoon.
There were many river boats moored along the sides of the river.
We visited Orange World, where we were entertained with stories of life on a citrus orchard, as well as much factual information about the growing of citrus fruits. Plus information about irrigation techniques and the effects on both the land and the Murray River.
Underneath the top layer of soil there is salt, and the frequent watering of the fruit trees brings the salt to the surface, which then kills the trees. So of course they need to wash the salt away, and up until about twenty years ago the salt was flushed into the Murray River. And ended up in South Australia. During the drought in the mid 2000s, the water levels in the Murray dropped, fish died and the lake at the end of the river, Lake Alexandrina, became very salty.
Now the salty water overflow is sent to an area not far from Mildura, where it dries, and salt is produced and sold, which apparently is sought after as it has minerals in it too.
I mentioned the word mallee area earlier. Mallee country was originally made up of shrubby trees, which were cleared to make way for pastures and fruit growing closer to the river. Sadly it was found that once the mallee shrubs were removed salt came to the surface and some of the land became unusable. It was apparent that mallee roots kept the salt down in the soil. Never disturb nature should have been the motto.
It was a lovely ride around the farm, with lots of information and interesting tales.
I managed to spend a bit of money there, namely a bag of delicious oranges, a jar of orange flavoured honey and a jar of orange marmalade.
We also spent plenty of money in the shopping mall and large shops which lined a major road. These shops take away the custom from the town centre, but unfortunately the items we needed to buy could only be obtained from the outlying shops. Bunnings, BCF, KMart to name just a few of the big shops.
Tomorrow we head north to the Menindee Lakes.
