2023 - Lap of South Australia

SA Tour Wrap Up What a fabulous trip - 10 weeks, and still so much more to see in South Australia. The aim was to follow the coast of South Australia to the west before returning east inland via the Flinders Ranges to meet up with long time friends for a week after Easter. D espite the early setbacks with our car and the van, not including the ongoing awning bracket repairs, everything went well. We covered a total  7,944 km at  an average of 14.3 l/100km,  including 5,089 km towing the van. The drive from Mildura to Hay to home into a strong headwind with increasing elevation was the least economical section of the trip at 17.3 l/100km. Overall I was very happy with the fuel economy. We have a long range fuel tank which I tested to its capacity driving 825 km ( 793km towing) from Mildura to home without refueling.  I was watching the fuel gauge drop on the hills around Gundagai, and although I was never too far from fuel if needed,  I may have pushed it a littl...

Thu 27 Apr 23 - Hay to Home (Towed 505 km)  15 Deg this morning in Hay with a glorious sunrise, but a strong northerly wind that persisted until mid afternoon. It reached 27 Deg in Narrandera and it was a pleasant 19 Deg on arrival back home in Canberra.  I didn't feel well all day, and I thought we would be doing well  to reach Jugiong for the night, I definitely had no plans to get back home today.  Despite the horrible road conditions and relentless truck traffic from Hay to Narrandera, we made good time including a few stops  for more running repairs on the awning centre support bracket which has now completely sheared out of the wall - 1/2 roll of tape held it in place until we got home. The roads also caused another casualty with a latch on the pantry door snapping off, and releasing the contents onto the floor - tape to the rescue again to hold the door closed, but no significant damage caused.  T he road from Narrandera to Wagga and beyond was much ...

Wed 26 Apr 23 Mildura to Hay (Towed 288 km) We were hoping today might be our 2nd last day before we get home, but we only travelled 288km, and with more than 500km to go to get home, we will have another overnight stop somewhere tomorrow - we're aiming for Jugiong. It was 14 Deg overnight reaching 27 Deg in Hay, slightly overcast morning with no wind and another nice sunny day. I woke still not feeling well and felt worse as the day unfolded. The road from Mildura was good in a few patches, but mostly very bumpy, rutted and damaged, I assume from the rain and the ridiculous volume of road trains and B-Doubles on the road. The truck traffic was like a constant convoy in both directions. We left Gol Gol at about 0815, and at 1000 we stopped for our morning brew and a rest at a gravel pit along the highway. I had considered driving further today, but by the time we arrived in Hay, I was feeling very tired and unwell, so we made our way to the show ground RV Park and set up on a nice ...

Tue 25 Apr 23 (ANZAC Day) - Mildura  12 Deg to 29 Deg, some light cloud, no wind, and a much warmer day, warmer than most we've had this trip, but we're not complaining. I went to bed feeling a bit ordinary last night, and I woke at 0400 to drive into Mildura for the Dawn Service, feeling worse (sore/dry throat, headache and other body aches). I took a couple of panadol and went straight back to bed, waking again at 0930 and feeling a little better. To be safe, I took a COVID test and it thankfully returned a negative result.  I had some breakfast, then we drove into Mildura to watch the ANZAC Day march. After the march, we had a wander around the city, then some lunch and returned to the van for an afternoon nap. I hate sitting around, so I decided to go for a short ride along the river, but discovered two flat tyres from yesterday's ride - the first flat tyre I've had this trip. With a lot of sharp prickles to be removed from both tyres, it took me a lot longer than e...

Mon 24 Apr 23 - Renmark to Mildura (Towed 145 km) 6 Deg, feeling like 5 Deg this morning, climbing to 27 Deg throughout the day, another stunning day - no wind and clear blue sky. We got away from Renmark by 0830, and noticed a substantial increase in the number of trucks and roadtrains on the move. The roads were mostly good, but very lumpy and bumpy in places.  After about 8 weeks in South Australia, we crossed the border into Victoria again, stopping after 85 km at Lake Cullulleraine for morning coffee. We then continued on through Mildura (Victoria), crossing into NSW to our destination for two nights at the Rivergardens Caravan Park in Gol Gol (3.5km north of Mildura). After setting up, we drove back to Mildura (back into Victoria) to buy some more fruit and vegetables, and after visiting the information centre, returned to the van for a rest. We're both suffering from hayfever and feeling very ordinary. After a rest, and being too nice a day to not do anything, I climbed on t...

Day 70: Sun 23 Apr 23 - Renmark Down to 6 Deg this morning, reaching 25 Deg by mid afternoon. It was another glorious sunny day with not the slightest breeze and no clouds - perfect weather for us to celebrate our 35th Wedding Anniversary, and so pleased we stayed in Renmark for the occasion.  After our morning coffee at the van, I went off for a short walk along the river, then we drove into Renmark for a nice breakfast at the Renmark Hotel  - it was very enjoyable in the morning sun overlooking the Murray. From there we went for a stroll along the riverside to kill a little time before stepping on board the Paddle Steamer 'Industry' at 1030 for a one hour cruise up the Murray and back.  The 'Industry' became operational in 1911, and was designed to remove snags from the river, then later used in the construction and maintenance of the locks and weirs along the Murray. It was  retired in 1969 becoming a static museum until 1990 when it was restored by volunteers, wh...