Melbourne - Great Ocean Road - Renmark - Yorke Peninsula

Feeling a little worse for wear after the weekend’s celebrations we bid farewell to the Carmichaels making our way to the Ashley Gardens Caravan Park at the inner Melbourne suburb of Maidstone arriving just after lunch. While the drive from Officer through to Footscray on the opposite of Melbourne was all freeway driving, the last portion of the trip after exiting the freeway was through suburbia, and boy doesn’t that give you an adrenalin rush. Eventually arriving at our destination, settling into the park, walking to a nearby supermarket and collecting few essentials, we spent the next few hour reading and relaxing before going out to meet up with a friend for a late afternoon barbeque.

Come Tuesday morning and feeling decidedly more civilized that the previous day, we choose to utilize Melbourne’s excellent public transport system for our days travelling with our primary destination being the Bridge Street shopping precinct, an area where a multitude of manufactures, both large and small, disposed of their surplus and/or outdated stock; the area is where a variety of smaller speciality outlets have also based themselves. After bussing it into the city and then transferring to a tram that took us to the heart of Bridge Street, we literally hours trekking up and down Bridge Street but only covering about 50% of the available outlets. Deciding to return another day to complete the remainder of Bridge Street, it was back into the Melbourne CBD on a tram for some sightseeing before eventually returning to the caravan park just prior to the onset of peak hour.

That evening in company with friend Pat we once again became tourist this time visiting the once dirty and derelict shipbuilding suburb of Williamstown located on the foreshore opposite Melbourne, but now very fashionable area; the rejuvenated waterfront area is dotted with numerous parks and eateries, all providing magnificent views across the bay towards the city and adding ambience to the area. We eventually selected a lovely Italian restaurant to dine before strolling along the foreshore enjoying the views.

Wednesday morning arrived and feeling lazy we decided to drive over to the bay side suburb of St Kilda promoted in the tourism guide to Melbourne as a premium restaurant district where we would have breakfast; I don’t know who categorized St Kilda as a premium restaurant district but I suggest they review their criteria.

As our intention was to return to Bridge Street breakfast was eventually consumed at a sidewalk café in the heart of shopping district while watching the passing parade or as Leigh described it, watching all the “Eye Candy”. With breakfast consumed and shopping completed we returned to the caravan park via the very upmarket suburb of Toorak plus several other points of interest.

Thursday was our departure day from Melbourne with our itinerary being the Great Ocean Road listed as one of the world’s great scenic drives and deservedly so. For those of you who haven’t taken the opportunity to drive it and intend doing so, ensure that you travel from east to west as all the scenic lookout are on the southern side of the road; there are no opportunities to pull over on the western side of the road as it is abutted with cliffs.

First stop before tackling the road was the port city of Geelong obtaining any information that may be relevant to the drive. With that done, it merely a case of crossing the peninsula to the coastal town of Torquay, the starting point for the tourist drive and the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. A little know fact about the construction of the Great Ocean Road was that it was a purely voluntary project carried out by return servicemen shortly after the end of WW1 and was built as a memorial to those who lost their lives in “The Great War”.

From Torquay next stop was the famous Bells Beach, a surfing mecca frequented by hardened board riders from around the world and albeit the day was somewhat chilly we were not disappointed to see that the surf “was pumping” and the waves crowded with “boardies” all donned in full wet suits. Leaving Bells we continued west passing through the towns of Anglesea, Aireys Inlet and Lorne to name but a few, all of them relatively small but all very upmarket holiday destinations catering to nearby Melbourne. Of course Aireys Inlet in particular caught our eye with its abundance of architecturally designed holiday homes, some reflecting the intellectual freedom granted the designers.

The road continues to hug the coastline winding its way west along the escarpment eventually turning inland at Apollo Bay passing through the forests of Cape Otway before again rejoining the coast near Princetown stopping shortly after to view the “Twelve Apostles”, a quite remarkable reminder of the forces of nature and the effect of erosion upon Australia’s coastline.

By now it was late afternoon so we decided to book into the only accommodation available at nearby Port Campbell, a pretty little township nestled in one of the very few protected coves along an otherwise extremely rugged and formidable coastline. The next morning and suitable clothed to protect ourselves from the howling winds and cold we attacked one of several walking track that followed the escarpment bordering the tiny but well protected harbour, savouring the views along the coastline and gaining an appreciation for the existence of the township in the mid to late 19th century as a safe haven for sailing vessels plying the coast.

Leaving Port Campbell our first stop for the day was “The Arch” where we renewed our acquaintance with a couple whom we had met at Cape Le Grande near Esperance, WA during our 2003 trip. After a brief chat and exchange of information we continued on our way stopping briefly at the Bay of Islands and the Bay of Martyrs near the town of Peterborough.

At Peterborough the road turns inland toward the city of Warrnambool but not before once again stopping at the Allansford Cheese Factory; gawd I love those places. Having comprehensively explored the region between Warrnambool to the Port MacDonnell previously our destination that evening was the Piccaninny Ponds Conservation Park just across the border in South Australia, stopping briefly at Nelson to obtain any relevant information that may be applicable for the next stage of our journey but not before having a confrontation with a couple of Emus. Fortunately we spotted the two birds some distance prior and knowing full well that Emus aren’t the brightest animal in the universe with a tendency to run into the path of oncoming vehicles Leigh commenced slowing down – sure enough they decided it was a great time to cross the road with one bird all but running into the side of the vehicle.

Although we had been to Piccaninny Ponds previously, the reason for visiting it again was so that Leigh could snorkel the ponds that from all accounts offered quite a unique underwater panorama. Arriving late afternoon to set up camp it was pretty obvious that Leigh’s desire to snorkel the ponds was in jeopardy as the weather was cold, windy and threatening to rain. After settling into the deserted camping area and feeling a little adventurous it was time to tackle a couple of bush walks, the first being down to where Piccaninny Ponds emptied onto the beach, a fairly simple uncomplicated walk until Leigh nearly stepped on a Brown Snake sunning itself on the side of the bush track. Losing our appetite for any further bush walking we returned to the van via a different route passing the rest of the day away reading a book and partaking in a few glasses of wine.

That night around midnight heralded the arrival of gale force winds accompanied by rain and a cold front. With the weather being nothing short of appalling and the waters of the ponds being somewhat chilly the thought of swimming the ponds was deleted from the days agenda, instead driving into nearby Mt Gambier for some shopping and sightseeing before returning via Port Macdonald, a town mooted at the crayfish (lobster) capital of Australia and where for the princely sum of $15 each we purchased two crayfish.

On our return I accompanied Mr Macho Man down to the ponds as he had some delusional idea that the conditions may be acceptable for snorkelling; Haaaa in his dreams. The only plus side about the walk down to the ponds was that we came across an Echidna beside the track furiously burrowing into ants nests. As for dinner that night, well there are no prizes for guessing what was on the menu, the meal being accompanied by ample portions of garlic bread and wine.

With the weather Sunday morning having improved only marginally we left Piccaninny Ponds opting to head north to Renmark on the Murray River and then loop back to the Yorke Peninsula thus avoiding previously explored regions. Our first stop was Mt Gambier to replenish our water supplies with possibly the last quality available, eventually finding a water point at the local sports ground where we busied ourselves refilling the tanks, except it must have been slowest water supply in the town taking some thirty minutes for the tanks to fill.

Eventually leaving Mt Gambier we continued north along a previously travelled route through the town of Penola, the gateway to the Coonawarra wine region that supposedly produces Australia’s finest wines; of course we just had to stop at De Giorgio’s vineyard purchasing possibly some of the nicest Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots you will every taste. After a brief stop at Naracoorte we continued north to Bordertown through wheat field and strands of ghost gums, all making for great Australiana scenery; we eventually arriving at Bordertown around 3pm.

Although Bordertown was established in the early 19th century as a halfway point for travellers between Adelaide and Melbourne it also has a strong links with the early gold rush days. Other than visiting several historic sites, a sink hole that during floods has the ability to absorb one million gallons of water per hour (that’s a lot of water), and of course visit a collection of forty six white kangaroo’s (a genetic anomaly) housed in an enclosure in the town park, there really wasn’t that much to entice us to remain an extra day.

After a sleepless night (the park being located adjacent to the main highway and rail line that both link Adelaide and Melbourne) the next morning we headed off for Berri two hundred and seventy kilometres to the north with the chosen route taking us through the Mallee desert region.

The drive through the desolate areas of the Mallee isn’t what you would describe as exhilarating scenery albeit having our fair share of excitement with firstly a pair of Kangaroos standing in the middle of the road refusing to move until we came to a virtual stop and shortly thereafter being showered with debris when the tyre from a passing semi-trailer exploded. With our nerves a little rattled, we then came across a sign post advertising “Comet Bore – 5K” and immediately conjured up visions of a pretty little oasis in the middle of nowhere. With thoughts of relaxing in a hot artesian spa all by ourselves of course we just had to pull in to investigate, instead finding a dilapidated old concrete water tank connected to a windmill operated bore pump with a nearby marsh teaming with flies and mosquitoes created by the overflow from the water tank, not quite the desert paradise we had envisaged.

With all decadent thoughts shattered we continued on to the rural town of Pinnaroo. Pinnaroo was quite a surprise in more ways than one. Although located on the edge of a desert it is a pretty and wealthy town with a very strong rural industry centred on sheep, wheat, and an enormous potato growing business. Unfortunately like most of remote communities with healthy economies the main drawback is lack of labour created by the reluctance of the unemployed in major urban centres being willing to relocate to outback communities.

After inspecting a variety of old sandstone buildings, well maintained pubs, visiting the local museum, and then having lunch at a local café it was time to push on to Berri - only one problem, the car refused to crank over. Fortunately for us there was an abundance of more than capable diesel mechanics; unfortunately for us the guy that came to our rescue was not only was a Toyota fanatic (and me being a proud Nissan driver) but also had a mischievous sense of humour. With much joviality and teasing at our expense he ascertained that the battery had internally haemorrhaged, replaced it, and then sent us on our way; we eventually arrive at Berri on the banks of Murray River late afternoon.

The main industry in this area is viticulture with production accounting for a whopping 48% of South Australia’s and 23.5% of Australia’s total output, in fact the wine industry has now outstripped wheat production in South Australia. For some reason we had visualized the Renmark/Berri district as a lush fertile valley however the reality is that away from the main farming areas that are subject to intense irrigation from the nearby Murray River it’s very desolate with the only vegetation being a few stunted trees and mulga bushes.

With breakfast out of the way Tuesday morning we donned out explorers hats and set off for Renmark. First stop once again was the local information office that also housed a very informative displays providing information about the river, the region and its subsequent development that from all accounts resulted from political apathy in Victoria. There were also comprehensive displays embracing the design and development of the vast irrigation system spearheaded by two Canadian brothers, plus a very interesting area dedicated to the impact made by the paddle steamers that plied the river in a bygone era.

With the history side of things out of the way we did a tour of the town complete with its own “house boat” village (an interesting variation on the caravan/trailer park concept) and river canal housing estates. Next it was over to Paringa on the opposite side of the river taking in some lovely river scenery plus inspect the No 4 loch and weir system.

From Paringa we headed over to Barmera on the banks of Lake Bonney, the lake being a natural part of the Murray River system and not artificially enhanced. The lake forms quite a scenic backdrop to the town and hosts or promotes various activities including water-skiing, sailing, fishing, canoeing, windsurfing, while the foreshore is dotted with parks, accommodation houses, caravan parks, a drive-in movie theatre, and not to forget, a nudist colony.

Having finished with Barmera it was back to Berri for lunch, raid the local bank for spending funds, and collect our medication (yup, we’re getting old). With our pockets bulging with cash and medication on hand to prolong our lives, it was out to the nearby Katarapko National Park primarily to investigate possible bush camping locations.

Having seen what needed to be seen in the Renmark/Berri district next major destination was Port Broughton, 350 kilometres away and located on the western side of Yorke Peninsula. Essentially following the meandering Murray River we passed through the towns of Glossop (named after the captain of the WW1 Naval Cruiser “Sydney”) and Kingston-on-Murray, stopping briefly at Waikerie at a lookout with views of the Murray River winding through cuttings as it makes its way towards the ocean, while at the same time amazed at just how desolate the region really is. Our first rest stop for the day was the town of Morgan, once the busiest river port on the Murray River and the second largest trading town in South Australia but now relegated to a tourist destination for houseboat enthusiasts since the closure of the rail line and the demise of paddle steamer.

Crossing the river at Morgan on a river punt and having a wander around the town, it was then on to Burra, a town we knew little about but where we had decided to have another rest stop.

About twenty kilometres out of Morgan disaster struck when a group of sheep a farmerwas trying to move away from the highway decided they didn’t want to cooperate instead darting across the road to in front of us. With our brakes locked on we still managed to clip one of the sheep with the bull-bar flicking it off into the bush causing no damage to the vehicle but the other (a large ram) decided to attempt to qualify for the Olympics by jumping over the car - he failed miserably impacting into the vehicle next to Leigh getting his horn entangled in the side mirror with the bulk of his body being flung into the side of the vehicle while at the same time “eye balling” Leigh through the side window before eventually falling free; Leigh’s description of having a fully grown ram looking in the side window at him while he’s trying to maintain control of the vehicle was both interesting and hilarious to say the least . As for the stupid ram it just shook its head and “did a runner” after causing considerable damage to the car.

After sorting out all the “legals” required by insurance companies, trying to contact the Morgan Police and getting the response of “sorry, it’s there day off” – yup, were definitely in the outback, tracking down the owners of the sheep informing them of what had happened and getting them to remove their wayward stock from the road we continued on towards Burra with Mita on the phone contacting insurance companies and making arrangements for running repairs to be carried out at the next major town along our intended route.

Eventually arriving in Burra early afternoon we were pleasantly surprised by the town; this is a town that reeks of history with the local community making every effort possible to preserve its heritage. Seeing what there was on offer our plans for arriving at Port Broughton went out the door, instead booking into a van park and choosing an afternoon of sight seeing instead. Burra was established in the 1840’s as a result of the discovery of copper with the mine eventually closing in the earlier 1980’s however during that period the construction of many of the public buildings and homes utilized the most common building material available in the area – stone.

The town is literally an oasis in the middle of a desert with beautiful gardens, water features, tree lines avenues, and a multitude of magnificent colonial style buildings most of which are in the order of 150 years old. First on the agenda was a stroll down a portion of the main street visiting various antique shops before then doing a tour of the underground brewery, the old goal, police station and lock-up, the town hall, churches, a myriad of historical buildings, homes, and finally the miners “dugouts”, an area where nearly half the towns early population of 4000 literally burrowed into the hillside building underground shelters for their families as there was an acute shortage of housing.

With an abundance of pubs available we choose to eat out that evening selecting one that was within walking distance. The lucky pub to be graced with our presence was first opened in 1857 and with most of its character still intact was an enjoyable venue to not only imbibe after the days events but also to have a typically huuuuggggeee country meal; and there were definitely no complaints about the quality from either of us.

Feeling more relaxed after a great night’s sleep we departed for Port Broughton on the Yorke Peninsula stopping briefly at Crystal Brook for morning tea at the local bakery that not only makes a great Cream Powder Puffs with yours truly consuming two while Mita enjoyed their Apples Slices “served without cream”, something that Mita just had to be brought to my attention. We eventually arrived at Port Broughton lunchtime and for a change this leg of the journey was achieved without any undue excitement, accidents, animal strikes, or other drama.

We intend spending about two weeks on the Yorke Peninsula before turning east making our way to the Barossa Valley attending the Vintage Wine and Food Festival, and where we will also be meeting up with several other couples.