Galloping Home

Like a horse headed for home, once we turned back our ears pricked upright and we were off and galloping. From Hay it was a blur of towns; Balranald (where the bakery does an exceptional cinnamon iced loaf), through Mildura to Renmark.

At Plushs Point, a free camp on the banks of the mighty Murray, just outside Renmark, we were perplexed by what appeared to be a lost boys camp of small tents, surrounded by the detritus of odd socks, dirty saucepans and piles of oranges, but no inhabitants. Was this some Boy Scout or high school outdoor ed camp with the occupants out canoeing or hiking. The presence of the occasional empty beer carton mitigated against this theory, unless Scouting has changed dramatically since my day. Another mystery was the absence of grey nomad rigs that usually populate any decent free camp.

Part of the mystery was solved at sundown when a parade of battered vans, old station wagons and the occasional tired 4WD, driven by feral haired, beanie and fair isle jumper clad, backpackers streamed into camp. Of course, the fruit picking backpacker contingent. Still didn't explain the absence of grey nomads but perhaps they avoid the backpackers?

From Renmark we headed across South Australia via Berri, Morgan, Burra and up to Crystal Brook where they conveniently provide an overnight camp in the middle of town. We returned the favour by eating at the local pub and next morning we were off again, through Port Pirie, Port Augusta and all the way to Ceduna by nightfall.

From Ceduna it was back onto the Nullarbor with an overnighter just over the WA border. Next morning, from about Mundrabilla onward it was pissing with rain. They must've got half their annual rainfall that day because it was pretty constant so even had we wanted to there wouldn't have been much point in stopping. We made it all the way over the Nullarbor and camped just south of Norseman.

Next morning saw us up at sparrows and heading into Esperance where we stopped for a "big breakfast" before hitting the road again. Just past Ravensthorpe we stopped to pay our respects at the newly created Kokanerup Memorial to the one major massacre that occurred on the South Coast. The 1870 killings on the Phillips River. Back in the car again we were home in Albany by nightfall, 8 days after leaving Newcastle.

Just under 13,000kms in 3 months. The conclusion has been a bit abrupt but I guess circumstances create outcomes. At this stage this blog will go quiet for a while but I do intend to continue with Edward's trip once circumstances allow it. Next step will be to return to Sydney and travel by sea back to Albany and then, who knows when, continue on to Europe. Stay tuned!