Water

I’m sitting in the sanctuary of Delvy waiting for the storm to pass, hoping I can get out on the bike and take a tour around Kingston S.E. (I don’t know why they still hang on to the S.E. bit – perhaps for historical purposes – but I think it’s fairly obvious that Kingston is in the south east of the state, considering how strong the wind is blowing!).
Anyway, the crossing into South Australia was an innocuous event. I was looking out for the sign, but I obviously blinked at the wrong time. However, it was a very pleasant drive from Portland to the border town of Nelson, which is situated on the Glenelg River and provides the last opportunity to stock up on supplies for the Great South West Walk before heading into the wilderness. Like all small southern coastal towns though, at this time of year there is very little activity going on. The fishing and cruising boats are all tied up at the wharf going nowhere, the camping areas are empty and the caravan parks have only a handful (if they’re lucky) of tourists, and many houses/cottages stand silent; until next summer when all hell breaks loose. I prefer this time of year; less people, less traffic and more of what the place is really like.

 

Moving on, I managed to successfully navigate my way to the visitor information centre in Mt Gambier, then moved onto the bike to have a look around. The Umpherston Sinkhole is a spectacular sunken garden, which has to be seen to be believed. The town’s water supply, the Blue Lake (the crater of an extinct volcano but looking steel grey at the moment), has extensive walking trails, a MTB track, scenic lake and city views, and plenty of picnic/BBQ areas: well worth spending some time there.

 

The chosen free camp site for the night was a few kilometres west at Tantanoola, and home to one of the most spectacular small caves I have ever seen. Discovered in 1930 by a boy who lost his ferret, tours have been conducted ever since. The cliff top walk in the Tantanoola Caves Conservation Park gives commanding views of the coast and Australia’s largest wind farm, Woakwine Range.

 

Next stop was Beachport and a ride around the beautiful Bowman Scenic Drive. Exploring by bicycle is so much easier than driving the bus around, plus it not only keeps me fit; it gives me something to do, something to fill in the hours. Strangely, no one wants to talk to you when you travel alone. It must be way too weird to see a single female driving around in a bus: you don’t see them very often I suppose. Put it this way, I haven’t seen anyone else doing it. There are plenty of ‘oldies’ in caravans, a few European backpackers in clapped-out old vans, and an increasing Asian contingent getting about in Britz campers, but no single white females. I guess they’re busy doing other things.

 

A fast ride out to Lake George (to beat the oncoming storm) on a hard packed sandy road rewarded me with hundreds of black swans noisily honking their way around the far side of the vast lake. A quick wash down of the bike and I (in my swimmers: no wonder people think I’m weird!) using the outdoor shower by the jetty, I headed off to my next overnight free campsite, overlooking Lake St. Clair on the road to Robe and Kingston S.E.