Day 134: Mount Gambier

Today we visited numerous lookouts overlooking the crater lakes in Mount Gambier.  The amazing thing is that the lakes were all formed through volcanic activity  three to four thousand years ago - that's not very long ago......

We also visited the local Visitor Information Centre and two of the sinkholes in the city - one is 20 metres from the main street and is called "The Cave". You can walk into these sink holes and both of them have gardens either in or around them.  The other sink hole is called the Umpherston Sink Hole.

Sink holes are formed by the action of water flowing through the limestone and gradually eroding large deep holes.
Doug & Sue are having new tyres put on their van on Monday so we will stay in Mount Gambier for an extra day and leave for the Grampians (Hall's Gap) in Victoria on Monday - it's only a two - three hour drive.

Farmland to the south of Mount Gambier

Blue Lake

The Cave sinkhole

Historical display

Possum at the Umpherston sinkhole at night

Umpherston sinkhole

Day 133: Naracoorte to Mount Gambier

Today we only had 100km to drive to Mount gambier. Along the way, we stopped at Bool Lagoon which is a wildlife sanctuary well-known for its bird life, however due to the incredible rain they have this year, the birds have spread their wings and their were very few at 'home'.

Next place of interest was Penola in the heart of the Coonawarra wine growing area - there were wineries everywhere but we had our fill in the Barossa so we didn't stop.  Just north of Penola, we came across a series of wood carvings done with a chainsaw in the trunks of gum trees. The carvings were about Mary MacKillop and other religious figures connected with Penola's past. We have seen similar carvings in the past when we were on holidays in Tasmania a couple of years ago. They were very good.

Penola is also famous because it is known as the central location in the life of Mary MacKillop (St Mary of the Cross), the first Australian to gain Roman Catholic sainthood. In 1866 she established the first free Catholic school in Australia and also established her order of nuns.  We didn't stop in the town but it was quite pretty and had some historical buildings.

We arrived at the Blue Lake Caravan Park, right next to Mount Gambier's Blue Lake, at about 10:30am. After setting up and the mandatory cuppa, we set to fixing Doug's caravan awning damaged in the wind yesterday.  It took 2 1/2 hrs but the end result is pretty good and it should see them home to Brisbane.

This afternoon, we did a bit of shopping. Tomorrow we will go sight-seeing.

Another funny SA road safety sign

Bool Lagoon Game Reserve

Our van site

Fixing Doug's awning

Day 132: Naracoorte

Today we visited the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves. We went through three caves - two were guided tours and the third was a self-guided. We also went through the Wollambi Visitors Centre at the cave site - it was very well done.

The caves are Heritage listed due to the fossil finds within the caves. There are however also some spectacular formations.

Unforetunately, this afternoon, after viewing the caves, we got back to the vans and Doug's awning had blown to the ground in some strong gusty wind, bending some of the supports.

He will get it fixed at Mount Gambier where we head to tomorrow.

Bones of prehistoric animals

The top is the ceiling, the bottom is the reflection of the ceiling in water....

Day 131: The Coorong to Naracoorte

We left the Coorong at 9am (slept in) and drove 100 kilometres to the town of Robe which is on the coast to the east of the Coorong. It is a pleasant little town which comes alive in holiday times.

The two photos below were taken near the Obelisk at Robe. The Obelisk was erected in 1852 and was used to navigate the entrance to the bay, as well as to store rocket lifesaving equipment. The firing of rockets, carrying baskets to distressed ships to bring passengers ashore, saved many lives. It later assisted passing ships with navigation because its height of 12m, makes it visible 20km out to sea.
The erosion of the land surrounding the obelisk will mean it will eventually fall away - we had to watch how close towards the edge we walked - the limestone was not very stable.

Cape Jaffa Lighthouse in the far distance

The Obelisk

Below I have included a photo of one of the road safety signs which you find regularly in South Australia - there is a series of 4-5 humerous signs similar to the one below - this one is the best:-

Day 130: Meningie to Coorong National Park (42 Mile Crossing)

Today we drove a short distance of 76km along the Coorong to the east. We pulled into the Coorong National Park and are camping the night for $12 which is pretty cheap. There is water and a toilet available in the National Park. 

On one side of us is the Coorong (narrow channel of salty water) and on the other side, about 1500 metres from us is the ocean. We drove over to the ocean a couple of times today to walk on the beach and relax. The ocean here is not clear like in WA because the Murray River enters the Southern Ocean 80 km to our west. The sea was very rough and the beach was very angled - good trough for fishing.

The beach was covered in pockets of shells - most of them broken up but many small pippy shells as well were not broken. Down here they call pipies 'cockles'. When I was a kid we used to call them 'eugaries' so they certainly have a few different names.

We didn't do anything else other than that although I demonstrated my culinary skills by whipping up a batch of scones for afternoon tea. The scones turned out great but the cream was a disappointment - it wouldn't whip. They were nice anyway.

Tomorrow we are driving to Naracoorte (where the caves are) via Robe. I imagine we will stay there two nights before heading onto Mount Gambier.

Our Oz-Trip is rapidly drawing to a close...................

Ground-up shells on beach

The beach showing one of the 'pockets' of ground-up shells

Access road to the beach

Our camp site

Day 129: Meningie

This morning we packed a picnic lunch and off we went to explore the western end of the Coorong around Lake Albert and Lake Alexandria near the mouth of the Murray. It is interesting country as you have the two fresh waterlakes and then the Coorong which is very salty water and full of bird life. The Coorong is actually the narrow strip of salt water east of the Murray mouth which runs for 140 kilometres. If you have seen the movie "Storm Boy" well it was set in the Coorong near where we drove today. At no time did we lose a phone signal but you still feel like you are in pretty remote country.....

We visited the tiny aboriginal settlement of Raukkan which sits beside Lake Alexandrina - it is famous because of David Unaipon....... if you look at one of our $50 notes, you will note on one side an aboriginal man standing beside a small church - the man is David Unaipon, (1872 - 1967) who was an Australian Aboriginal of the Ngarrindjeri people, a preacher, inventor and writer. He was the most widely known Aboriginal in Australia in the 60s and broke stereotypes of Aboriginal people. On the note, David Unaipon is standing beside a church - this church is also in Raukkan and David used to preach there.  Refer to my photos below.

After visiting Raukkan, we visited the Point Malcolm Lighthouse (had to get there on a vehicular ferry) which was Australia's only inland lighthouse - it was lit to mark clearly the narrow waterway between Lake Alexandrina and lake Albert when these lakes and the Murray were used extensively in the 1800s by paddle steamers. It operated from 1878 to 1931.

Tomorrow we will drive down the Princess Highway along the Coorong. We may end up spending the night in a free camp so we may not have a phone signal or Internet tomorrow. After leaving the Coorong, we plan to visit Nuricoote to see the world heritage listed caves - probably on Wednesday.

The Coorong

The Coorong

The Coorong

In the Coorong

The Coorong

Church in Raukkan where David Unaipon preached

David Unaipon's final resting place at Raukkan

Point Malcolm lighthouse

Point Malcolm lighthouse

Day 128: Meningie (Lake Albert in the Coorong)

We had a two hour drive from Renmark to Meningie which is right on the shore of Lake Albert at the start of the Coorong. The Murray River enters the sea just north of here.
The weather is beautiful - 20 degrees and fine.

We have not done much today other than set up and have a drive around town.

So far we have driven over 21,000 km. Our car air-con is playing up again - there is a leak somewhere but thankfully it is cool down here.
Interestingly enough, we purchased the cheapest petrol we have found in 21,000km at Renmark - $1.389/L.

Below I have included an updated map of where we have stayed overnight on our trip - we are getting there - only another 2 1/2 weeks before we arrive in Canberra to see Brad & Simone!!

This afternoon, we had afternoon tea outside our vans and watched the setting sun. Tonight we are playing May-I again.

 

The CHOOK MAN playing his guitar and Lorelle having a good laugh - we went on board his boat last night for some entertainment - we even bought his DVD!!!

Our van site at Meningie (on Lake Albert)

Lake Albert

Pelicans on Lake Albert

Sunset over Lake Albert from our caravan site

Sunset