Heading West – SA Return Leg

So what’s the time.?!

The car was showing SA time (no auto-updates here), my phone was showing Telstra time (which is WA time), and dad’s phone was set to location and showing Central West Time (Eucla time). Very confusing.

Day 7 – Eucla to Fowlers Bay – 350km

Today we turn around and start heading back across South Australia.

I love the Bunda cliffs, and I just have to stop at them again. While it still isn’t sunny, it’s still an amazing place.!

More photos…

*Don’t worry it looks more dramatic than* *it is*

Be assured we were within the safety barriers … well … within sight of them.

And now a matching pair of Nullarbor signs.

Eating at Roadhouses is just eating at Roadhouses with everyone else. So rather than do that, we grabbed some sandwiches from the Nullarbor Roadhouse and we were going to boil the billy for a cuppa and eat our sanga’s in the vastness of the Nullarbor. Well, that was the plan. The reality was we didn’t find a suitable spot and ended up in a pretty ordinary rest area. Well, it was a good idea.

And about those big trucks. Check this out.! I have no idea what he’s carting, but that’s four trailers, six axles per trailer, with 3 driving axles, and steering wheels on the prime mover … that’s a total of 98 wheels.! I’d hate to be paying that tyre bill.!

Update: I’ve been informed they are carrying mineral sands from the Jacith-Ambrosia mine north of Yalata.

A little after Yalata, we turned off the highway to Fowlers Bay. I had no idea what was here but it was on the coast and it had a caravan park, so we thought we’d check it out.

This little guy was not impressed that I was on his road.

At Fowlers Bay you are struck by the large sand dunes along the coast just on the west side of town and nearly encroaching in on the town. Makes you wonder if it will suffer the same fate as the old Eucla township.

Given that we had no real plan for this trip, we threw in some of my camping supplies, just in case we got stuck. This seemed like a good opportunity to pull the gear out … seems a waste not to use it for one night, and it’s starting to warm up.

*Looking down on the township from the top of the d*une

The thing you miss when staying in motels is sitting around the camp kitchen talking to other travellers, from the young couple heading back to Perth, the lady who’s taken a year off and is travelling Australia in a Toyota Hiace, or the German couple on a road trip from Perth to Alice via the Great Central Highway and back via the Nullarbor.

Accommodation – camping caravan park – $25

Day 8 – Fowlers Bay to Kimba – 490km

We were a little later getting on the road this morning after packing up the tent and all the gear … but we were still on the road a bit after 9.

Today was largely a day to get miles under our belt. Our only real detour was out of Minnipa to Pildappa Rock, which is about 10km out towards the Gawler National Park. It’s a mini-wave rock and from the top, you can see for miles in all directions.

I nearly lost my little drone here – there wasn’t any wind until I was way above the rock, and then a gust threw it around … before crashing into a tree and falling to the ground. Lucky, it’s a tough little critter.

Footage of the rock before the drone crashed

Climbing the rock

So I just kept it close to the ground, and like a good puppy, it followed me as I climbed the rock.

A couple of other photos of the rock.

Tonight, we are back in Kimba, in fact, the same room we stayed in on the way over.

Accommodation – Roadhouse motel – $110

Day 9 – Kimba to Renmark – 590km

We’ve got this packing-up down pat. Up, shower, breakfast, pack, gone. Usually, within 45 minutes.

Dad took the first stint of the driving today, so I just sat and watched the world go passed. Over the last week or so, there have been many conversations about many topics … and while I don’t think we’ve solved any of the worlds major issues. I know we’ve given them a good crack.

However, with differing political views, there are also a number that we just keep going in circles. That’s okay we have time for circles.

But what we can agree on is that a hell of a lot of wheat is grown out here, and at 42 degrees C, today is too hot.

When we were in Burra last week we heard about a lookout and old mine, so we called in today.

*An old open cut mine from the late 180*0’s

*Remains of the old mine infrastructure to haul, crush,* *and dress the mined material*.

I’m not sure I was aware that the Murray River had locks on it … and this is lock number 2.

Then back on the road I found another ferry, this time coming into Waikerie, where there was also a silo art installation.

Next time you’re here, they have a great little bakery, and the honey cream bun was amazing.!

*Checking out the silo art with my new* *friend*

Tonight’s destination is a cabin at a caravan park right on the Murray River. As it was still high 30’s it was so refreshing to get in the cold river for a swim.