Entry 19 – 2023 – September – Canberra to Adelaide.
Leaving Canberra, the maximum daily temperatures were hovering in the lower teens for a few days. The ambient air temperature was cool, providing pleasant driving conditions. We had another commitment, a surprise 70th birthday gathering about 500 kilometres down the road.
We spent a night at free camp locations of Jugiong and Benalla. Both were great locations providing an opportunity to stretch out with some walking and pleasant bush scenery viewing. Benalla provided some interesting ceramic art work with a mix of murals.
We continued travelling west towards our home base in Adelaide. Initially we had spent some time travelling along the Hume Highway, the main route between Sydney and Melbourne. Where we can, we avoid the main roads, which can be busy with their high volume of fast-moving vehicles. Along those less “busy,” roads you can have a more personal, closer exposure with the country-side, where we enjoy some grand viewing of the passing scenery. Leaving Violet Town, we were able to travel along some of those less busy roads and they tickled all our feel-good senses.
Along these less travelled roads some of the small country towns do their best to entice some business from the passing traffic. The township of Colbinabbin had established some magnificent silo art. It was grand viewing. Adding to the atmosphere, you could hear the sound of the grain conveyer belts running in the back-ground of this operating silo.
We spent a night at St Arnaud and another at Bordertown. Both locations we enjoyed time with a walkabout, exploring both locations, appreciating the scenery.
There was a stop at the township of Murtoa where we were able to get up close to a “Stick Shed.” It was the last remaining stick shed in Australia. The stick sheds were constructed during World War II when there was a wheat glut and exports were restricted. The Murtoa stick shed took 4 months to construct and like all the other stick sheds was built by hand with a life expectancy of about 10 years. The shed was about 270 metres long, 60 metres wide and 19 metres high. It was a delightful experience, where we were able to get up close to the last remaining stick shed in Australia.
2023 was a different year for us, with some pre-planned activities creating a more structured movement, with some deadlines to adhere to. During this time of the year, September, a “normal,” year for us, we would be enjoying the warmer climate a couple of thousand kilometres further north, for about another couple of months. Generally, when we head south through these regions the country-side would be dry looking, accompanied by substantially warmer weather. There would be lots of activity out in the paddocks with the grain harvest in full swing and the roads would be busy with trucks transporting grain and machinery moving about.
It was the tail end of winter and the ambient air temperature was quite chilly, unsettling when we were outside. The cold felt like it was entering our bodies with our bones feeling like they were freezing. The positive for travelling through these regions of Australia at this time of the year was the pleasant viewing of a lush green country-side and roads deserted from the busy grain harvest activities.
There was a deviation to visit Mary’s mum who was still living at the family farm. We spent a few nights on the Fleurieu Peninsula returning to some of our favourite locations. Port Elliot caravan park and time spent at the home property of friends Petra & Jeff. We even managed some catch up time with friends of Steve from his boy scout days. It had been around 6 years since we had last managed some chat time with Lew and Rob. Our last picture for the year was to be breakfast time with Petra & Jeff.
As per normal for us, we were savouring our time, living the travel lifestyle, putting off returning to our home base. It was Wednesday 13th September when we finally succumbed to the call, driving the final 75 kilometres to our home.
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