SA Tour Wrap Up

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. Despite 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 little too fine, as my 140 lt tank took 141.54 lt to refill at home ($297... ouch). The trip cost a whopping $2,725 in fuel, but we did a lot of side trips and we have no regrets. The cheapest fuel was in Tumby Bay and Burra ($1.899 per litre), while the most expensive (aside from Canberra when we left) was $2.16 in Hawker at the entrance to the Flinders Ranges. Interestingly, we found fuel 10 cents per litre cheaper at the Wilpena Pound resort. Noeleene and I agreed that Port Lincoln and the Flinders Ranges were our most enjoyable stays. We will definitely return to both some time in the future.  Unfortunately, the rain event which cut us off at Edeowie Station wasted three full days of plans in the northern and western parts of the Flinders. We have plenty on the agenda for our next visit,  maybe on our return from QLD through the centre later this year. The quiet coastal town of Beachport was a very pleasant surprise, while the nearby more touristy town of Robe didn't impress at all. For all its hype, we also thought Streaky Bay was a disappointment. Elliston on the way to Streaky Bay was much more enjoyable, and Wudinna near the Gawler Ranges was a last minute fantastic stay. I would have preferred more off-grid / free camp stays, but there weren't many options along the coast. It was also extremely busy with caravaners, and we quickly worked out that many of our stays had to be booked well in advance. Unfortunately, Caravan parks seem to be cashing in on the high demand and charging a premium, and squeezing Caravans into every available patch of space and some with very average facilities. Wilpena Resort CP charged the most at $70/night, while we thought Adelaide Showgrounds with its great location and excellent facilities was good value at $50/night. Other Showground stays which could do with some maintenance were also good value at only $20/night. Wiki Camps served us well, and overall we were happy with the majority of our stays. This has been a fantastic trip, but we are glad to be back home to reset for a couple of months before we head off again on our next trip north for the Canberra winter. 


The Route












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