We had a lovely leisurely breakfast with Bob yesterday morning before heading off on our separate ways. Below is a map showing approximately our travels for the day.
 |
| Planning the drive |
As is our way, we tried to find some back roads that we hadn't been on before, and cut through between the main highways.
You can't really avoid some long and boring stretches when travelling across the country. There is a limit to the time that it is fascinating to consider the numerous open irrigation ditches (carrying water from the Murray River , over 100km away in some spots). The lovely large trees dotted across the paddocks, with their branches reaching to the sky with such balance are beautiful, but once again, 100s of km of them lose their effect. We switched on the ABC news every few hours and drifted along quietly, working away at the kms, enjoying each others company and silently watching the slowly changing landscape. The flat open irrigation gave way to the larger trees around the Murray, and then the fruit blocks of the Riverina region.
At such times you have time to wonder why the kangaroos always seem to be frozen with their limbs at strange angles as though they died in the middle of some uncontrollable spasm. We tried not to think about why they stink so much.
It is almost meditative, and one of the few times that I have time to let my mind wander where it will, with no pressure of time or planning to be done. The kilometres will not be hurried, so why should I be?
We stopped for lunch at Finley bakery- beating the midday rush, by about 15 minutes and lingering over a shared chocolate milkshake and cryptic crossword, before getting out of there as it started to get noisy and busy, and admiring the local lake (should have had lunch there instead) with its grassy banks.
We crossed back into Victoria at the river between Barham and Koondrook, and stopped for a cuppa by the river, watching a big fish trolling along in the shallow muddy waters edge, before heading north a little way towards Swan Hill, passing big lakes. We zig-zagged our way via the narrow Victorian back roads, getting off the road when trucks came along, and toying briefly with the idea of detouring into the eastern part of Wyperfeld National Park. We decided instead that we would head for a sure destination, and made our way towards the Murray Sunset National Park and the campsite we have used before by the pink lakes. As it turned out the main camp was pretty full, and we decided that we would drive on in a little further and found an empty camp site near Lake Becking which seemed to have our name on it.
We had time to climb the sand hill and admire the view over the salt lake in daylight, to unpack, and to do the same again as the sunset put on a show for us.
A very quick and lazy tea was had, as we had filled our stomachs with fruit mid-afternoon before we crossed the border, finishing off the last of our plums and apples rather than throwing them into the fruit fly bins. (Eating fruit at the border is a great SA tradition, but this time we were caught a bit by surprise as we were protecting the interstate orchardists rather than our own)
Although the internet was too weak for a blog post, a quick Facebook update was composed, and once again we climbed up the slope (this time in search of a better signal) . As we came down Trevor pointed out lots of sand coloured spiders who were reflecting the light from his headtorch like tiny stars from the ground. Had it not been for the shine we would have no idea they were about as they were so well disguised.
There was a bit of a breeze as we climbed early into our swags, but it was the first camping night that we had had a clear sky, and I greatly enjoyed lying in my swag admiring the milky way spread out above me while snuggled warmly in my sleeping bag until finally sleep overtook me. It got cool enough to need the bags by about 5am, when we guess it was down to about 7 degrees C.
This morning we broke camp after a more leisurely start, and were on the road by about 10am. With only just over 300 km to go, we knew we had plenty of time, but we stuck to the familiar highway and stopped only for a cup of tea and a loo stop at Lameroo.
We reached home around 2pm and set about washing up, cleaning up and generally getting ourselves sorted out. As I write this Trevor is still washing the Prado, and the second load of clothes are on.
 |
| The final leg of the journey |
Here is the map showing control number two which was never found. (That will come in another blog) and learn from my mistakes.
...Oh, and plan the next trip of course 😊
No comments:
Post a Comment