SOUTH AUSTRALIA, NEW SOUTH WALES 4 - 11 October

Saturday 4 October  CEDUNA

Had a restless night and not pleased to be woken and kept awake around 5am by cattle moving around in a truck.  Left Eucla just after 8, paying $1.989 for fuel.  On to Nundroo through treed undulating country , 40-140m elev.  Disappointed to find gate closed at Head of Bight for whale watching, 30 minutes later than advertised.  Didn't want to wait around, pay $12 each and see ?? whales.  David is sick of driving through country where we see little and have no activity.  So am I.

Nullabor coast South Australia

Today the country was undulating and treed until nearing Ceduna where flat sheep paddocks stretched towards the coastal sandhills.  We detoured to look at Fowlers Bay - only interesting to fishermen.  So it was 343 km to Ceduna where we scored the last powered site in a beachside caravan park, just in time to see the grand parade of the annual Oysterfest.  Fine and sunny weather, carnival atmosphere, walk to everything, even wireless internet here, what a contrast!  Wonderful sky displays - kites,  then an aerial acrobat pilot in a biplane who kept zooming up, up, then stalling the plane, spearing down to the sea and at the last moment with an awesome roar, cartwheeling a horizontal flight just above the water.  Apparently he is a local 50 year old who is also an Australian champion aerial acrobat.

David wants to stay another night and see him again tomorrow.  He is also keen to go to the Flinders Ranges and Wilpena Pound.  I want to look at the Murray and stay at Gluepot en route (a Birds Australia property).  We both want to get home ASAP, so I'm not sure how things will pan out.

Sunday 5 October  PORT AUGUSTA

Start of daylight saving so, after advancing our clocks 1hr 45m just 1 day ago, we now have to add another hour.  Bad night because of drunken aborigines yelling from beachfront and walking past our trailer.  CP gates were locked overnight and a man (security guard?) was patrolling at 12:30 am when we went to the toilet.  David wanted to view Skyblazers again but with daylight saving that meant waiting around for 30mins.  I got shirty and we left after 10 minutes wait.

Wheat country; few flowers; no birds.  Stopped briefly at Minippa, tempted by nearby rocks, but road to one looked suss and lost interest.  However, we enjoyed our walk near Mount Wudinna, South Australia’s largest exposed monolith, 211km from Ceduna. Like many of the bare granite hills in the district, it’s encompassed by low stone walls that catch and divert run-off water - these handmade channels were built by the early settlers and provided the only source of water for farms and the town for a number of years. Located 12km north-east of Wudinna, the reserve has walking trails, barbecue shelter, picnic and toilet facilities.

 

Mount Wudinna on the horizon

Stayed overnight at TopTourist caravan park Port Augusta, opposite shunting yard for trains.  David interested, watched the Ghan and a goods train for some time. Another lock-up caravan park, very bare as no water for gardens or lawns.

Monday 6 October  GLUEPOT

River red gum, 21m girth, near Waikerie

Lock 2 on Murray River, Taylorville

Big Bend on the Murray near Morgan's Wharf

Wrong info on internet led us to pass by road into Gluepot and travel 10km into Waikerie for key - not needed, so back on next ferry and finally got there, 64km from Waikerie, around 5pm.  I was exhausted and we had another 10km to the campsite.  However, the info centre and volunteer rangers were quite impressive, so we looked forward to some interesting walks tomorrow.

Gluepot Visitor Centre

Tuesday 7 October  GLUEPOT

Bright and bushy-tailed, we set forth to drive some 14km to the Broggy area walk, stopping en route to bird watch at the Froggy hide.  Saw my first yellow-plumed and brown-headed honeyeaters there, these proving to be the most common birds seen at all hides. 

Bird trough

Sand goanna

The Broggy walk through mallee and spinifex was easy and interesting, 5.5km, but spoilt for me halfway by difficulty in walking.  I felt dizzy and my walking became quite erratic and worrying as the end approached.  Back to camp for lunch, where I had problems walking down steps in trailer also.  Decided to spend afternoon visiting most of the remaining hides and not doing the planned walks.  Disappointing!!  I had great difficulty going to the toilet in the night.

common bronzewing galah Port Lincoln ringneck red-capped robin jacky winter

white-browed treecreeper striated pardalote red wattlebird yellow-plumed honeyeater

magpie-lark grey currawong brown-headed honeyeater  raven

Wednesday 8 October MILDURA

Anxious drive to Waikerie Hospital where a nice young medical student, Jeremy, put me through an exhaustive set of exercises to determine cause of my imbalance.  Checked blood pressure - 149/85- , temp normal, urine test ok.  No evidence to explain condition until he asked me to lie back so he could rotate my head to the right -ok- and then left = room spinning around.  He said that crystals inside ear may have shifted for some reason and simple exercises would fix that.  Then Dr Chris Pepulani came, asked me to walk - ok - then to walk one foot exactly lined in front of other.  Very difficult, very wobbly.  He decided it was an ear problem.  They couldn't see inside ear because of wax, so he sent me off to the Medical Centre next door for ear syringe.  Much needed, judging by output.  Suggested I wait to see how I felt, but we left after over 3 hours.

On to Mildura, Vic.  Found a good Big4 park next to shopping centre, with space to easily park car and trailer and just $66 for ensuite cabin - wireless internet @ $10 hour expensive.

Thursday 9 October  GOOLGOWI

Felt better in morning - able to walk quite well.  Morning tea at Balranald beside the Murrumbidgee - very pleasant, the water opaque milky-green and the red gums very tall and plentiful.  Watched a sacred kingfisher repeatedly skim into the water.  Inquiry centre lady spoke of farming problems in the area because of drought and how water allocation is made.  If you have too many assets, you get no water and have to sell same assets (stock) to live.

Murrumbidgee River at Hay

On to Hay, not as big as Mildura but  still a sizeable town.  Checked on Hay Wetlands at Inquiry Centre - no longer exist because of drought.  Lunch at Sandy Beach on the Murrumbidgee, besieged by noisy miners, very aggressive.  Area is split into swimming beach and water-ski zones.

Stayed night at caravan park, just $17, but quiet and grassy.  Hung a load of washing at 4pm and it was dry by 5:30, no wind but no humidity and sunny.  David made bread, I cooked a cake, we went for a walk before dinner.  Tidy town, most homes with well-tended gardens, green lawns, roses blooming. 

Friday 10 October  GILGANDRA

Surprised by size of Forbes.  Shopped at busy IGA which had the worst selection of veges ever - very tired greens, limp lettuce @ $3.98, soft cheap potatoes.  Bananas @ $1.99 only bargain.  Couldn't find Inquiry Centre.  Parkes was so close to Forbes that we whizzed through and I didn't notice what it was like.

Stopped at Peak Hill CP which looked OK but D thought it was too early and we should go to Dubbo.  At Dubbo there were no cabin vacancies at 2 parks - went to Inquiry Centre where they plied us with info, but we decided to try Gilgandra CP, 64km north.  Glad we did, despite rainy conditions en route.  Spacious Rotary caravan park - even has a bird list for the park.  David drove about 590 km today, mostly in good overcast dry conditions.

Saturday 11 October  BRISBANE
Home, having travelled since 2 June!