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Itinerant Ozzie
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25.01.2022 Day 130/131 - Kimba to Rudall and Wirrulla The weather was finally warm and sunny again after a few days of cool to cold weather. My parcel had arrived at the post office and it was time to leave Kimba travelling west on Highway One to Widunna (or so I thought). I fuelled up on leaving town and was enjoying the driving conditions with light following winds when, about 30 km out of Kimba, my van suddenly lost power and swerved all over the road. It was all I could do to come t...Continue reading
23.01.2022 An Introduction: A very long time ago, when I was studying Geology at University and as a boy growing up in WA, I enjoyed many camping and field trips into the WA outback and fell in love with the Australian landscape and lifestyle. Back then, I promised myself that one day I would travel slowly and fully around this vast land and experience all that Australia has to offer. That day has finally arrived. After several years of planning, I returned to Australia after many years... overseas just 3 days before the International borders were closed due to Covid 19. I stayed a week with my sister and her husband in Perth and flew to Blackbutt (NSW) just south of Sydney to purchase the motorhome pictured in the photos at the top of this page. I immediately drove to Canberra with the intention to stay with my daughter and her boyfriend for 3 days before making the slow trip back across the Nullabour to Perth where I would spend 3-4 months refurbishing and upgrading the van. Just 1 day into my Canberra stay, the Federal Government locked Australia down and just like that my planned 3 day stay in Canberra extended to 3.5 months. I'll be forever grateful to my daughter Mia and her boyfriend Alex for providing me safe haven during that time. Most of the work and purchases I planned to make in Perth I was able to complete in Canberra and inevitably the time came in early July when there were no more excuses and it was time to leave. The SA borders were hopefully going to open (but not WA) and I felt that a return to Perth was possible but likely to take at least 2 months especially if I had to wait for the WA border to open as I expected. I will admit to some trepidation in making the trip in the middle of Winter but the likelihood of cold nights and wet weather were not excuse enough to delay further. Initially, the motivation for this page is to provide updates to family and close friends of my journey and places stayed during my return to Perth. Later in the year, I plan to travel around the SW of WA for 4 months and then in March/April 2021 head off around Australia for an extended trip which I expect to take up to 4 years. During those later trips I will open this page to a wider audience to provide reviews of the places I visit and, if there is sufficient interest, descriptions of the nomadic lifestyle and tutorial content related to how I have prepared to undertake this journey and the products and methodology I'm using to make it feasible. And so it goes...till the next time. I'll check back again a little further on down the road.
22.01.2022 Day 98/99 - Hay to Balranald and Lake Benanee The weekend heat broke overnight and I woke up on Monday morning to a cold and wet day for my drive to Balranald. After fueling up, I started the 130 km drive over the Hay Plains and, consistant with the drive into Hay, suffered slow speeds due to side/headwinds and poor fuel economy. The Hay Plains are bleak and visually uninteresting and I will try to avoid ever having to pass through them again. Over some stretches, I was barel...y able to make 65 km/hour. I was so concerned I looked up a mechanic on making Balranald to see if I had an engine issue. After a brief check where all was well he confirmed my experience was no different to what others face driving across the plains. My camping spot in Balranald was an RV park behind the Information Centre. It is a sealed parking area for 15+ vehicles with toilets and showers, potable water and bins. Nothing special, but perfect for an overnight stop. The Information Centre complex included a cafe, museum, interactive centre, old gaol and schoolhouse. It was quite a surprise and I enjoyed taking it all in. I went for a walk along the Murrumbidgee River to stretch my legs and the pictures I took during the walk are the only ones I have from my stay in Balranald. The forward weather forecast didn't look too promising, so the next day I drove 66 km from Balranald to a free camping spot at Lake Benanee 15 km from Euston. The forecast for the next few days suggested rain followed by a day of heavy winds and as I had no intention of driving in those conditions I planned to stay at Lake Benanee for 3 days. The drive was benign with mild temperatures and overcast skies and Ithe road was finally protected by trees again so I was able to average 85 km/hour. The campground at Lake Benanee is a flat gravel/dirt area with some natural and man-made shade. There is a toilet block, non-potable water, information board and bins. The setting on the lake is attractive and I enjoyed several walks during my stay. The campground was reasonably close to the road so it was a little noisy but enjoyed a sensational sunset on the first night as shown in one of the photos. On my second day at Lake Benanee, the rain fell for most of the day often heavily and I spent most of the day in the van. On the third day high winds prevailed as predicted so I was glad of a place to hole up. Tomorrows weather is expected to be fine with light to moderate winds so I'll pack up and leave for Wentworth near the NSW/VIC border. Hoping to find a pleasant Murray River camping spot before finally managing to cross into South Australia. #balranaldnsw #lakebenaneensw #vanlife #nomadic #itinerantozzie
22.01.2022 Day 6 - Jugiong to Wagga Wagga I headed off on a cloudy Sunday from Jugiong and headed west along the Hume Highway towards Wagga Wagga 120 km distant. I was a little nervous about the leaking rear fuel tank but I took it slowly and carefully around corners to reduce the possibility of further leakage. As it turned out the drive was largely uneventful much to my relief. After driving 50km, I passed Gundagai and remembering my Australian history and the legend of the Dog on a T...ucker Box I wasn't surprised to see a sign pretty soon after passing the town. I decided to pull off and take a break and have a look see. The photo reveals the legend is commemorated by a small but tasteful statue in a pleasant setting with a good cafe and toilets. To be honest, I found the information boards more interesting than the statue which provides context regarding the legend and the life and times of the early drovers. As the Hume Highway heads south towards Victoria, I eventually turned off onto the A20 and made my way into Wagga Wagga at midday. I spent the next few hours in Aldi, Woolies, Bunnings and BCF buying groceries, filling my propane gas bottle and a few items to fix some issues that need attention with the van. Shopping done, I moved off to my camping location at Wilks Park which is 2km away from the town centre and is a pleasant grassed area adjacent to a nature reserve with water, toilets and a dump point. I won't talk much about Wills Park and its inhabitants in this post as I intend to stay here for several weeks due to the worsening virus situation and to wait for the SA border to finally open. Wagga Wagga is well serviced with all the supermarket chains and specialist shops and I'd rather wait here with all these facilities than a small country town with who knows what. On a bitterly cold and foggy Monday morning I drove the van to a mechanic to repair the fuel tank. It was a very difficult job for them and took nearly 10 hours of difficult exacting work. I was expecting an ugly bill but the owner offered me a 'cash' rate of $500. I'm pretty certain I dodged a bullet there and am forever grateful to him for the excellent service and extremely competitive pricing. And so I find myself holed up at Wilks Park for the foreseeable future. I really don't how long I'll be here. In a week or so I'll talk more about Wagga Wagga and Wilks Park with some photos. Till the next time.
19.01.2022 Day 112 - Renmark to Lake Bonney After three cold and wet days, the weather put on a magnificent sunny morning for my departure from Plushs Bend. I drove into Renmark and replenished water/fuel and stocked up on groceries and then drove a leisurely 40 km West along the Goyder Highway to a campsite at Lake Bonney. I wasn't expecting much from this camping area for some reason but right away I was impressed with the beauty of the lakeside setting. The only firm gravel but slopi...ng base was around the boat ramp area below the single, flushing toilet block. Around the lake there are a number of sandy campsites but it would have required a 4WD to access which, sadly, I don't have. Facilities are otherwise limited with no water, bins or dump point but fires are allowed. The ruins of the old Lake Bonney hotel area also located on the access road to the camping area. The hotel was used by many drovers during the mid 1800's until the large cattle drives into this area stopped at the turn of the century. The weather during my stay was warm in the mid-20's with a slight breeze. The lack of road-noise mid-week meant the setting was very serene and peaceful. The sunsets and particularly the sunrises were magnificent. I was really impressed with this location despite the limited facilities. I got talking with a fisherman on the lake edge who originally came for a couple of days and has so far spent 2 years camped up here. I'm not sure I like it that much but a longer stay could easily be justified. The bird life here is varied and plentiful. It's been a real pleasure watching the pelicans, terns and galahs in their natural habitat. From Lake Bonney I intend to follow the Goyder Highway back towards the Murray River at Cadell. I'll check in again a little further on down the road. #lakebonneysa #vanlife #nomadic #itinerantozzie
19.01.2022 Day 105/106 - Wentworth to Renmark Having enjoyed a weekend of fine weather camped beside the Murray RIver at Wenworth, the time came to pack up and commence the drive to the SA border and beyond. I fueled up in Wentworth and crossed the Murray River into Victoria before heading West on the Sturt Highway. I drove through flat, exposed farmlands for most of the 150 km journey and rid myself of fresh fruit before arriving at the SA/VIC border at Yamba. The crossing took about 1...5 mins involving the Police checking my border pass and a quarantine check for disallowed fruits and vegetables. Soon after the border, the road drops down into the Murray River Valley and the Riverland Region at Renmark. Renmark is a medium sized regional town with good facilities so I took the opportunity to buy provisions from Woolworths and engine oil from Super Cheap Auto. I then drove onto a 72 hour free camp (Tom Price RV Park) adjacent to the Sturt highway about 5 or 6 km out of Renmark. The campground was pleasant enough with a gravel/dirt parking area alongside a grassed and treed park with a toilet block and BBQ facilities. I had intended to stay 3 nights here but unfortunately, the road noise was persistent and intrusive day and night. The following morning, after a restless night, I left for another camp near Renmark on the Murray River. Plushs Bend campground also 5-6 km out of Renmark turned out to be a series of bushland camp areas (some numbered individually) right on the banks of the Murray with a toilet block and bins but no potable water or dump point. From here I need to slow down as I have to be in South Australia for at least 14 days before I can apply for an exemption to cross the WA border. Consequently, I decided to stay at Plushs Bend until after the weekend (6 days). The first few days were warm to hot and after a morning walk, I usually just stayed around camp busying my self with the odd task or gazing out over the Murray River. My camp is situated East so I don't get any sunsets but the sunrises have at times been spectaular. A cold front bought rain and cooler weather just before the weekend so I spent more time inside the van mostly reading. At least I had the AFL preliminary finals to look forward to on the tv in the evenings. I have realised that this lifestyle is strongly influenced by the conditions spending much more time outside on mild and warm/hot days and inside the van during inclement weather. From Renmark I intend to follow the Murray River West for a couple more camps before heading northwest towards Ports Pirie and Augusta. I'll check in again a little further on down the road. #renmarksa #plushsbend #tompricervpark #murrayriver #vanlife #nomadic #itinerantozzie
18.01.2022 Day 114 - Lake Bonney to Cadell Recreation Reserve After 2 very pleasant nights at Lake Bonney it was time to pack up and head 70 km West along the Goyder Highway to Cadell Recreation Reserve. Getting to Cadell required a short free ferry ride across the Murray River. It was too short to really enjoy and the banks were steep to the ferry landing which the Bedford Motorhome had a little difficulty negotiating. After the ferry, it was a few km into the Cadell township and a sho...rt dirt road in good condition to the camping area adjacent to the town oval. The recreation reserve was a mostly shaded, gravel/dirt camping area for 10 - 12 vehicles. Some sites had power and town water but I opted for an unpowered site surrounded by what appeared to be an army of ants. A liberal spreading of ant powder took care of them. Despite it's small size, the campsite had very good facilities including a toilet and separate shower block, bins, dump point and a laundry with washing machine which could be used for $3 per wash. To be honest, the facilities are probably the main reason to come to this campsite as the town and the site weren't particularly attractive. While in camp, I took several walks; one to the Murray River, the so called bird walk, alongside the (now empty) Cadell lagoon. It didn't deserve a photo. I also took a walk to the general store which, in keeping with most general stores in small country towns sold an incredible variety of goods of various vintages some from the last century. Overall the bush around Cadell was scrubby and very dry. The weather during my stay was warm in the low 30's and the lack of road-noise mid-week meant the setting was very quiet and peaceful. There seemed to be a number of long stay residents including a couple I talked to at length with a huge American bus. Their history of breakdowns was very impressive which, as a US import, was very costly and difficult to find parts. Even though I have had my issues with the Bedford, it has been nothing like what they've had to put up with. The weather is expected to turn wet and cool again tomorrow so I'll be leaving Cadell after 2 nights and heading towards the Worlds End Reserve at Burra Gorge for a one night stay. There is no mobile or TV reception at Burra Gorge so I need to move on quickly to find a location where I can watch the AFL Grand Final on Saturday night. I'll check in a little further down the road. #cadellrecreationreservesa #cadellsa #vanlife #nomadic #itinerantozzie
17.01.2022 Day 119 - Georgetown to Port Pirie The weather was still cold and windy when I left Georgetown heading North. At Gladstone, I turned West and drove across the last of the Southern Flinders Ranges before dropping down onto the coastal plain and into the industrial town of Port Pirie north of Adelaide on the Spencer Gulf. Had a few tasks to do in town including fuelling up, getting some cash from the bank and shopping at Aldi/Woolworths. I bought more than I usually would as af...ter Port Augusta I won't have access to a decent supermarket (and certainly no Aldi) until I get to Norseman or Kalgoorlie assuming I get across the border. Finished with the shopping about midday and drove 5 km out of Port Pirie to a free camp at Lawrie Park which is nestled in the foothills of the Southern Flinders Ranges. Lawrie Park has a 48 hour time limit and has a flat gravel/dirt base with fire pits and and covered BBQ facilities with seating area. There is a toilet block with potable water and good TV/mobile reception. There are good views down to the Spencer Gulf and to the Ranges. I plan to stay at Lawrie Park for 2 nights so on the second day I wandered over to the nearby Nelshaby Reserve and wandered through the nature trail around the Nelshaby reservoir which used to supply water to Port Pirie. The weather is trying to improve but still too cold for my liking. I'll check in again a little further on down the road. #lawrieparksa #portpiriesa #vanlife #nomadic #itinerantozzie
17.01.2022 Day 125 - Iron Knob to Kimba The weather was fine with light winds on the day of my departure from Iron Knob. I was glad of a place to camp up for a few days of inclement weather but 3 days in Iron Knob was far too long. I had 90 km to drive to Kimba travelling West on Highway One through an initially undulating landscape with little vegetation. The further I went, the more and taller the trees became and eventually grain farming dominated the landscape. This part of the Eyre... Peninsula obviously gets enough rainfall to support agriculture and the towns are easy to spot by the presence of large Viterra grain silos which are always present. Kimba, like many of the towns in this region, supports the surrounding farming community and has some shops, a post office, a couple of service stations and an IGA supermarket. What was surprising was the size and quality of the facilities provided by the town at the free camping area adjacent to the town oval and sports facilities. I would go as far as to say that this was the best free camping area I have come across in my travels so far. The RV park has two areas with a flat gravel base. The first area has a modern and spotless toilet and shower block with hot water provided at $1 per 2 mins. The second area also has a toilet/shower block being built but it is not open yet. Bins are scattered throughout both areas. I'm guessing that the town welcomes tourists for the money spent by them in the local economy and they are investing back into the facilities provided to those tourists. I intend to stay here for up to 5 days as I'm waiting on an online purchase being delivered to the post office. Initially, the weather was warm to hot and fine. I went for several walks around the town and took advantage of the WiFi access at the local library. They even gave me a South Australian library card which may come in handy in the future. The town is well known for one of the early examples of silo art and the Big Galah, a statue in front of the Big Galah cafe and laundromat. This is my first example of Australia's love affair with 'Big' objects...I'm sure I will encounter many more in my travels. As predicted, a cold front came through on day 3 of my stay in Kimba and the weather turned cold and windy. I spent most of the next 2 days inside the van trying to stay warm. Fortunately, I had decent TV and mobile reception. My package arrived a little earlier than expected on the Thursday and I did some shopping and laundry in preparation for leaving tomorrow. I'll check in again a little further on down the road. #kimbaSA #biggalah #kimbasiloart #vanlife #nomadic #itinerantozzie
15.01.2022 Day 1 - Canberra to Jugiong (NSW) The day dawned fine and I left Canberra on Tuesday 30th June after saying my farewells to Mia and Alex. The van was ready (or so I thought) and I had plenty of fuel as I headed west along the Hume Highway towards Yass and eventually on to Jugiong in NSW. All was going well until I passed Yass when I noticed the fuel guage of my 100 litre rear fuel tank acting strangely and bouncing between 0 and 50% full. I was concerned enough to pull into a... service station just past Yass to fill up again. As it turned out, the tank only took 25 litres (and so was still 75% full) but after completely filling the tank, I noticed a significant amount of fuel leaking on to the ground from the top of the tank. I didn't think to check this tank during my stay in Canberra so it probably shouldn't be surprising that Murphy's law (what can go wrong, will go wrong) has impacted me negatively so early in the trip. I spent a frustrating 2 hours in Yass trying to find a mechanic out of the seven operating in town who could take on the job of fixing the tank in a reasonable time. The earliest any mechanic could fit me in was the middle of next week and when I had him check out the van he couldn't accept the job because his hoist wasn't big enough. In discussion with him, I decided to continue on to Jugiong consistent with my original plan and stay there until I could secure an appointment with a mechanic in Wagga Wagga. The day was still fine when I arrived at the Jugiong show grounds and I found a space in the large, well grassed camping area along with 20 or so other travellers and a few long term stayers left over from the Covid 19 lockdown. I've been here for the last few days enjoying the open grounds along side the Murrumbidgee River. The facilities are good with water, toilets and bins which is all I really need as the van is pretty self contained. The weather has been the only real negative (so to speak). There has been some rain but its been mostly sunny and cold with daytime temperatures ranging from 8 - 15 deg plunging to 0 - 2 deg overnight. On the whole though, I've mostly enjoyed my stay in Jugiong and will be happy to return again although preferably in the warmer months. And so the time has come to leave Jugiong and I'll be departing tomorrow (Sunday) for Wagga Wagga as I've secured an appointment with a mechanic on Monday morning. Hopefully the drive to Wagga will be trouble free...fingers crossed. I'll check in again a little further on down the road.
12.01.2022 Day 85 - Still in Wagga Wagga but... It is now nearly the end of September and disappointingly I'm still camped up at Wilks Park in Wagga Wagga. Mostly I've been trying to stay warm and dry through the depths of Winter with trips to the supermarket for food and twice weekly visits to the Library. August and early September were cold and wet but the last week or so has been a harbinger of Spring with some warm sunny days breaking up the cold and wet. Not much happens at Wilks ...Park at the best of times...just the occasional inflow of travellers and the handful of full timers who are still here. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is a nature reserve adjacent to Wilks Park and from time to time I have noticed a mob of grey kangaroos in the distance but they have never been close enough to get a good look. Fortunately, last week a small family group came close enough to get a few pictures which I've included in this post. It's good to see such wildlife so close to the town centre. I have already been disappointed several times with murmerings of border openings from the SA government but yesterday a news release suggested they were going to open the border at midnight tonight (23 Sep) assuming NSW continues to have no Covid19 cases due to community transmission. This is potentially excellent news as I should be able to continue my onward travel towards Perth. I'm going to delay departure until Monday just in case they don't open and to let the initial rush die down before I attempt my own crossing. I'm not completely out of the woods as I still have to get across the WA border at some point in the future but for now I remain optimistic that I can at last get going. The next time I post I should be at some place other than Wagga Wagga. Here's hoping!
11.01.2022 Side and rear view of my 1974 Bedford motorhome.
11.01.2022 Day 102 - Lake Benanee to Wentworth With the rain and high winds behind me, I left Lake Benanee on a cool but mostly sunny day and drove West through undulating farmlands past Mildura and onto Wentworth staying in NSW. The journey was just over 150 km taking around 2 hours. My camping spot in Wentworth was called Thegoa Lake but was actually bushland camp areas adjacent to the Murray River just past Lock/Weir 10. The camp areas had a gravel/dirt base in an area thick with riv...er red gums. I was able to find a spot with some access to the sun for the solar panels. Facilities were extremely limited being just a single bin near the boat ramp but there was toilets and potable water 500-600m away near the Weir. Nothing special, but quiet and peaceful for the 3 days I stayed. I enjoyed the walk to the Weir and onwards to Junction Park where the Murray and Darling Rivers join in a location steeped with history. Despite the paucity of facilities, I really enjoyed this camping location. The weather was good and there is something about camping next to a body of water (river or lake or beach) that is peaceful and relaxing. Next up is a drive to and hopefully over the SA border. In Lake Benanee, I met someone who indicated that the SA government had changed the restriction of crossing the SA border in Victoria as long as you drive the VIC leg without exiting the vehicle along a prescribed route. I confirmed this with a call to the SA Covid support line. When I check in again I hope to be in Renmark, South Australia. #wentworthnsw #thegoalake #murrayriver #vanlife #nomadic #itinerantozzie
10.01.2022 Day 116/117 - Cadell to Burra Gorge and Georgetown. I left Cadell after 2 warm days using the Recreation Reserve facilities. A cold front had come through overnight and the weather had turned cold and rain was threatening. Driving West along the Goyder Highway, I crossed the Murray River by ferry at Morgan. It occurred to me that up till now, I had been following either the Murrumbidgee or Murray Rivers and enjoying riverside or lakeside camps in the Murray/Darling catchment.... From Morgan, everything started to change and the landscape transitioned to undulating bare plains with low scrubby bush. I guess from now on, the land will get drier and more desolate. After about 70 km I spied a range of hills in the distance which turned out to be the Southern Flinders Ranges. Turning South along the range I eventually arrived at Worlds End Reserve at Burra Gorge. The rain had been falling for a while but fortunately, as I arrived at camp there was a small break. World End Reserve is a series of bush camps along the Burra Creek with flattish gravel/dirt sites some with fire pits and picnic tables. Three single long drop toilets and bins were scattered around. No other facilities are provided and there was no TV or mobile reception. Accordingly, I only planned an overnight stop here because tomorrow is the AFL Grand Final and I wasn't going to miss that. I was able to get in a walk along the Burra Creek before the rain started mid afternoon continuing well into the evening. When I woke in the morning, the rain had stopped and the ground had partially dried out. I decided to leave early and had no problems driving out despite the dirt roads. Back on the blacktop, I battled side winds and hills cutting across the ranges first to Burra, then Spalding and finally into Georgetown. Georgetown has a gravel RV Park adjacent to the Memorial Park. The town has provided good facilities for travellers with a new, well maintained toilet block, showers ($1 for 2 mins hot water), potable water and bins. There is no dump point but, more importantly, the TV and mobile reception was good for the football. The day was cold and very windy so I spent most of the time in the van but did brave the cold for the odd walk around the very quiet town. I plan to stay in Georgetown for 2 nights before heading into Port Pirie for fuel and groceries. Hopefully the temperatures will warm up in the next day or so. I'll check in again a little further on down the road. #georgetownmemorialparksa #georgetownsa #vanlife #nomadic #itinerantozzie
09.01.2022 Front on view of my 1974 Bedford motorhome.
09.01.2022 Day 121/122 - Port Pirie to Port Augusta and Iron Knob The morning of my departure from Lawrie Park near Port Pirie was sunny and near windless which is always good for the Bedford. I reconnected with Highway One and drove north towards Port Augusta. Had a fair amount of traffic to deal with but the views of the Spencer Gulf on my left and the Southern Flinders Ranges on the right were great. About 2 km before the Port Augusta town centre I turned onto a side road for a kilom...Continue reading
07.01.2022 Day 36 - Wilks Park, Wagga Wagga Well...its been a month since my last post and I'm sorry to say that I'm still in Wagga Wagga. My basic plan was to stay at Wilks Park in Wagga Wagga until the SA government opened the border with NSW. I had hoped I would only have to wait a week or so but it's been a month already and I'm likely to remain here for a lot longer...but more on that later. Wilks Park is a supposed 72 hour camp with good facilities and only 1km or so from the Wagg...Continue reading
03.01.2022 Day 95 - Narrandera to Hay With the back axle repaired I tentatively headed off from Brewery Flat Reserve at 9 am and was very happy to drive on past where the axle broke 3 days ago. The first 100 km on the Sturt Highway towards Hay were uneventful but then, all of a sudden, the trees disappeared and I entered onto the start of the Hay Plains. The plains are a mostly flat, treeless expanse and you'd think it would make great driving. What I didn't realise is that the trees br...eak up the wind and in their absence I was now heading into a side/headwind which didn't do me any favours especially for speed and fuel economy. The motorhome is NOT aero dynamic at all and in some stretches I was barely able to get to 70 km per hour. I could see the fuel gauge sink with every passing kilometre. Finally after 3 hours of driving I made it to Hay and immediately drove to Sandy Point Reserve which is a free camp 1 km out of town again on the side of the Murrumbidgee River. It is a large, flat, gravel/dirt camping area interspersed by large, shady river gums. There is a toilet block, non-potable water and bins but no showers. There is a sandy beach area also with BBQ facilities. The weather forecast for the weekend was for unseasonably hot and dry weather getting into the mid 30's so I decided to stay a couple of days as driving in the van in those temperatures is not good for the engine or the driver. As expected, Saturday and Sunday were as hot as predicted and both days were an exercise in finding shade out of the sun and wind. The awning on the Motorhome helped during the heat of the day and thankfully the morning and evenings were pleasant. It was a relief to have the river close by to cool off. The winds increased in strength especially on the Sunday to the point where I experienced a near calamity when a large red gum behind the van split in half and fell adjacent and along the length of the van clipping the back tray. It missed the body of the Motorhome by centimetres. The back tray was bent by the impact but not structurally damaged and I lost some rivets and a bolt which I was able to repair with the help of a fellow camper. This was a very sobering experience; I knew that gums do have the habit of dropping limbs but I didn't expect to be impacted so early in the trip. I will give all gums a wide berth from now on. A cold front is expected overnight heading into Monday so I'll continue onwards towards Balranald. I have another 130 km of Hay Plains to navigate so I'm exoecting a slow, fuel guzzling leg. #haynsw #sandypointreserve #vanlife #nomadic
02.01.2022 Day 132/133 - Wirrulla to Streaky Bay and Perlubie Beach Handed in my toilet/shower key at the Wirrulla general store in the morning and asked for directions to Streaky Bay. Essentially, I needed to transfer from the Eyre Highway to the Flinders Highway but in between was 16 km of dirt road to Haslam. I turned off onto the dirt road with some trepidation as I hadn't driven a significant distance on dirt in the Bedford before. After a few kilometres, I figured out all would be...Continue reading
