This morning, Nov 16th, we left for Coffin Bay, however, first we had the caravan tyres rotated in Port Lincoln, a new steering wheel fitted at Toyota plus I bought a new pair of hiking shoes as the others were delaminating.
As we were leaving Port Lincoln the news came that covid 19 had broken out in Adelaide, so we wondered whether to start heading for the border but decided to continue with our “plan” to go to Coffin Bay and keep an eye on the news. Expecting if this was to get worse we would get at least 24 hours notice of a lockdown or similar and time to move to another state.
We spent the afternoon at Coffin Bay at a beer, wine and oyster bar opposite the caravan park. We had loved this place earlier this year and loved it again. We enjoyed one dozen natural, some fish balls and one dozen mixed oysters. Four were la français which were cheese and a bitey flavour, four an asian flavour jelly of ginger and something else and a Chinese flavour with bacon for the last four. All really yummy.
and walked along the foreshore that evening, Coffin Bay is such a pretty spot.
The next day we drove into the national park and visited a few lookouts on the way to Yangie Bay.
and only just missed some emus that ran out of the bushes on our way out to the bay.
Yangie bay, we had morning tea overlooking the lake
Then did the 2:5 km hike to the lookout and returned by the lake
There were camping spots here and would consider staying here another time for peace and relaxation especially if you have a kayak, it would be a great spot to camp.
Then it was off to the other end of the sealed road to Point Avoid, stopping at Apollo bay on the way
Golden island lookout
And a walk along Almond beach
Today the new I phone watches we bought in Port Lincoln and their fitness app got its first work out, with us doing over 6kms for the day.
Later in the day we walked part of the Oyster walk that runs around the bay near town.
The second day we explored the other side of Kelderie Bay and the areas along Mt Dutton bay
This included a 4 km very bumpy track to Gallipoli beach where the movie Gallipoli was filmed in 1981.
The next view point was looking bay to Coffin Bay from the other side of Kelderie Bay.
When we were nearly back to coffin bay Amy rang us with the news that SA was locking down for six day’s starting at midnight. It was now 3.oopm. So much for any notice!
Not wanting to get stuck in a SA lockdown for a possible unknown time, not allowed to travel or go outside the van even for a walk, it was a mad panic to get back to the van park, pack up the van and bolt for the NSW border and the town of Broken Hill. We were hours and hours away from the breakout so were not concerned we would transport it or catch it.
This was a eight hour plus drive to get past the state check point, (which it is just past Petersborough) and we arrived in Yunta at 11:45 , the last town in SA and stopped at a road side stop for some sleep.
Then we drove the two hours to Broken Hill and got over the border into NSW early the next morning.. The only traffic one other car and trucks, the SA state now in official lock down. We knew if we had got past the checkpoint and last town it would be okay to do the rest of the drive to the border the next morning. on our approach to Broken Hill there were caravans everywhere as everyone had done the same as us and escaped SA.
Well what tension with the SA in lockdown .
One minute we are out touring and 4 wheel driving in SA and then the next we are in NSW. The lockdown was going to be six days but if things exploded it could of been longer. It was an enormous drive and at night and we had not driven at night previously with the van attached. Such a long drive and especially after we had been out driving all morning anyway. John coped really well.
So here we are in NSW with the decision, where to next? Do we go home ,do we travel Victoria , do we stay in NSW??
So initially we decided to stay in NSW and drove out to Menindee lake, south west of Broken Hill to find all the parks were either a hell hole and we were warned off staying there by the info centre, one was under Reno and the other was booked out. The free camps were to far down a very corrugated road so hard for our van.
We stopped at Menindee lake and it was dry
and the town was uninteresting. However, we did notice the river was quiet full as was Pamamaroo Lake where they were booked out at the van park. The lake was obviously an area used by water skiers.
So we returned to Broken Hill and headed to Victoria thinking we would travel that state.
We had an over night road side stop half way to Wentworth and stopped at Wentworth the next day for morning tea with more umming and arring whether to cross over to Victoria. The decision to travel Victoria until SA opens up for travel was made.
The road down to Wentworth was so much greener than our last drive thru here 2 years ago when it was a desolate sand landscape. It is now dry but green growth visible and the goats weren’t hanging around the road edges looking for any scrape to eat.
The border from Victoria back to NSW opens in three days, so having decided to go to Victoria, we crossed over to find masks are still being worn everywhere and compulsory even outdoors for the next three days. This lifted from wearing all the time to only wearing indoors .However not wanting to wear them and finding the SA lockdown had finished after only three days , so much for that lockdown, we decide to go back to SA and finish out travels there. However, we then found we can’t go back to SA till Dec 1st due to the fact we had enter Victoria, albiet just across the river from NSW. Quiet bizarre one side of river we could of gone back but on this side of river we can’t until one week later when this border between Victoria and SA opens.
Big mistake ! so we will wait around Mildura and cross to SA from here on Dec 1st. Yet another change of direction and ideas.
Mildura
After three days at the Water View van park, which was ok, we swapped for the last week to the Apex park which had lots of tracks for walking and Milduras swimming beach just in front of us. Warm weather was in store, the water would of been be nice for a swim, except John can’t swim as the lesion removed from his back in Port Lincoln opened up when the stitches came out and is red open and inflamed and the river water not the cleanest , a mild algae bloom with the heat is present, but we can paddle but not swim. However it is very pleasant looking out onto the river from under our awning.
While in Mildura we visited
Red cliffs lookout
Big Lizzie
The wharf areas of Mildura and Lock 11
Orange world which was an amusing tour of the orange orchards then a
Drive to Dareton and had lunch by the river, a area for a good mooring if we ever visit the Murray river by boat. We visited briefly the Inland botanical gardens and took photos from the lookout at Merbein, a small neighboring town and the highest point in this area.
Lots of relaxing and avoiding the heatwave as two days there was a heatwave with 44:3 and over 45 degrees the next day. Inside in the air conditioning necessary for most of the day.
We visited Wentworth and checked out a van park on the Murray about 15 kms from Wentworth , Fort Courage, another spot to enjoy if on the Murray in a boat.
So now we wait for Dec 1 and back to SA. Next blog will be SA again.
