Next morning, I had a quick 'slow drive
around town'. Ouyen looked a nicer place than the pub had led me to
expect. The mobile library was in town – parked in its own parking
space. I still haven't been inside one but this truck was partly
'unpacked' so I could see through the locked glass door. Quite
ingenious.
Next stop was Pinnaroo, just the other
side of the Victoria / South Australia border. But there was
something I was watching out for – just as well I spotted it when
there was little traffic about – I wasn't doing my most appropriate
driving! - and there was a safe place to stop to take the photos. My
little Mazda2, 2005 model, clicked over 100,000km. It's been a trusty
vehicle in spite of a challenge or two I've given it. Hopefully it
will see me through another 100,000.
Once into South Australia, almost immediately I started to spot the beautiful stone houses that abound in the state. A pity so many, in the country at least, are now in ruins.
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| Ruins - one of so many |
Pinnaroo was nothing to write home
about, just a chance to walk about a bit until driving on to Loxton,
a really lovely town, bustling and looking prosperous. A very helpful
lady at the tourist info centre gave me a bundle of information for
the following day and pointed me in the right direction to get out of
town. I was heading for a lavender farm where I planned to have lunch
and buy some lavender soap. Ho hum. The pizzas did look delicious but
there was a busload of tourists plus others so I wasn't inspired to
wait. The lavender goods on sale looked tired and as though they had come from
elsewhere. Very disappointing. I did indulge my mug fetish though and bought one decorated
with stalks of lavender. I need another mug like I need a hole in my
head!!!
Before leaving Loxton I took a drive down by the river, another suggestion of the tourist info lady. A lovely spot for caravanners and houseboat holiday makers. But it's not always that beautiful. The river floods from time to time!
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| The Murray at Loxton |
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| The Tree of Knowledge by the Murray - showing flood levels Note 1956! |
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| Giving the tree and the flood levels a broader perspective |
So what to do for lunch? Try the winery
that the lovely tourist lady at Loxton had been recommending
strongly. (I did wonder if she had shares! But she was spot on in suggesting this.)
I'm not a wine drinker but did enjoy a mini yum cha lunch
on the verandah overlooking stunning wetlands at Banrock Station. You can walk about the wetlands but alas, I didn't have time for that. But I did have time to shop! Although not a
wine drinker, I did buy myself some prunes in port. I'm partial to a
drop of port … and tokay and muscat :-)
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| Vines and wetlands at Banrock Station |
Shortly afterwards I crossed the
Murray by ferry and not terribly long after that (well, about 170km!), I arrived at Burra, the
day's destination.
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| Waiting for the ferry at Kingston-on-Murray |
Accommodation here – Paxton Cottages,
three rows of stone miners cottages, about 35 in all, now let out
for holiday makers like me. I loved it!
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| Paxton Cottages - one of the three rows |
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| Inside my cottage |
The cottages are basic but
have all you need. Really, all that's missing are the things that
various accommodation providers tizz their places up with. I wished
I'd been staying there longer. Mind you, the one bedroom cottage I
had was ideal for me or a couple. Back in the day I doubt it would
have been a lot of fun for a miner with a wife and a horde of
children!