Adelaide to Appilla 8/6/23

It’s been a crazy week of turnaround since we got back from the last trip away to Witchelina. We’ve tried to fit in catching up on washing, family visiting, our usual walking, and preparation for the big Orienteering champs event of Sunday. I’ve also tried to have the food sorted so it’s not taking too much time or thought while we are away, not to mention Trev being sick and a tyre that needed returning to the repair shop for re-fixing on the camper.

All in all we were lucky to be pulling out of the driveway at about midday with a feeling that we were mostly organised. Still not sure where I packed those home made biscuits though!

We decided to fill our fuel tank at Hampstead this time, and chose the OTR station with fuel at almost the lowest price we could see across town. We used the app at the pump, hoping that this would give us a saving. It’s a chance you take. In this case it paid off well, with a saving of 20 cents a litre for our 121 litres of fuel. And we didn’t even need to go inside the service station shop! That’s a good start.

As we headed down Grand Junction road we enjoyed a glimpse of a persimmon tree in a passing yard. The bare tree showed well above the house fence with just the bright orange balls of the fruit attached. Like a Danish Christmas tree-just twigs and baubles.

We stopped at Two Wells bakery for late lunch. I’d read that they make a mean lamb shank pie. It’s true. We admired their stretched dog shaped seat and sat eating our pies, then sharing a vanilla slice while we read the local notices on the board nearby and did our best to keep out of the chilly wind.

Then we were off again towards Brinkworth. Here we checked out the local RV spot-it’s a flat gravel area big enough for a dozen vans with toilets and a shower, an excellent sheltered area with sink, bbq and tables, and a playground adjoining.They even have a water filling station, dump point and some herbs growing along with an excellent large book exchange. Here we had our first cuppa for the journey from the trusty thermos and a mandarin each. ( Thanks Dad and Peg)

We took the road straight on north from here past the little riverside camping area at Whitecliffs. One van was already parked there. We discovered that there is now an elevated toilet facility there! We cut back to the Horrocks highway and worked our way past the green paddocks and newborn lambs to Georgetown and Gladstone where we watched over 40 empty train flat bed trucks go past as we waited at the level crossing. That was once we started counting. Then on to Laura – The home of Golden North. The sun sent shafts of light through the heavy clouds.

Somewhere on that road we laughed at the name on the camper heading the opposite way- “Lumbago.” Also on a back cross road we saw what looked for all the world like a galv dunny (complete with breather). strange! Maybe it was a bus shelter with a heater???

The light was getting lower already and it was a long enough drive for a still-sick man, so we decided to head across to Appilla Springs to camp. There were already a couple of vans up the top near the toilet but the space near the spring down the bottom was free, so we parked there. It was ideal too. Quiet and flat. The frog sounds were excellent and Trev read on the signs that rainbow bee-eaters make their nests in the clay cliffs. Apparently they fly into the holes without touching at the entrance so the lizards can’t detect their presence and come in for an easy meal. We didn’t spot any.

We enjoyed a few games of crib ( Trevor won them all) in the van hiding from the chilly breeze before I cooked an early tea. Then we and decided to read in bed. We were all tucked in by 6:30 and turning out the light by 7!!!!!

The frog chorus kept us entertained and guessing how many different ones out there for a while. We had plenty of chances to rethink the numbers through the night as they continued their chorus into the early hours.