On Monday morning we set out from Eucla to recross the Nullarbor. Of course we had to call in to see the magnificant Bunda Cliffs one last time. Interestingly we came across three V8 super car transporters parked at the Nullarbor Roadhouse when we stopped for lunch. The afternoon was a relatively uninteresting drive to our overnight stop at Penong which is known for having one of the Nullarbor Links golf holes and a legacy of windmills to access underground water. The windmills are largely unused now that they have a modern water supply. (For your information, the Nullarbor Links is the world's longest golf course, with at least one hole in each of the communities between Ceduna and Norseman).
Tuesday morning we headed back towards the top of the Eyre Peninsula, driving around the interesting rock formations at Wudinna. We particularly liked Polda Rock. The size of the rock was deceiving when viewed from the car park - its true height unfolded as you climbed up the rock past many rock pools filled after recent rain. On the Chris meter it was an easy climb and there were great views once you got to the top. We were the only ones there which made it even more enjoyable. We continued on the drive past Turtle Rock and Mt Wudinna, the 2nd largest monolith in Australia after Uluru. The drive was red dirt but easy going for the motor home but we did collect a stack of it on the motor home wheel guards. Following the scenic drive we headed for Kimba for an overnight stop.
On Wednesday morning we did a quick drive around Kimba taking in the town mural, the main street, the Eyre sculpture and the sign showing Kimba as the half way point across Australia. We then headed to our overnight stop at Quorn via Port Augusta, grabbing some great views of the Spencer Gulf on our way through. On arrival in Quorn we had a quick lunch before heading to the main street. The route from the caravan park takes you across the old railway yards and we were fortunate to see the Pichi Richi steam train building a head of steam in preparation for a travel agent expo which was in town. Quorn, like many towns in rural South Australia, is filled with lovely old stone buildings.
Whilst we only had a short trip to Port Pirie on Thursday we took all day weaving in and out of the Southern Flinders Ranges. The highlights were the views of Spencer Gulf from Hancocks Lookout, Mt Remarkable National Park (where we got up close to wild emus), the longest wooden jetty at Port Germein, driving through Germein Gorge and the Laura Lookout. We even managed to score some old fashioned bread at the Stone Hut Bakers, a quaint shop full of goodies.
We decided to spend 2 nights in Port Pirie and had a relaxing day today wandering around the town with its lovely old buildings in the main street. Christine even found time to have a cut and colour at Shear Envy in Ellen Street. It was a great cut with funny conversations and it even had massaging chairs when you were sitting at the basins. Talking to the lady next to her Christine discovered that the lady was the owner of a new house on a remote road up to Laura Lookout. We noticed the house on our way to the lookout the previous day and even commented that if the big Winnebago parked in their yard could make it up this road then we could. It turned out that her husband had seen us drive by. It is a small world.
We are loving the friendliness of the people we meet, the lack of traffic, the good roads (when sealed) and the diverse scenery of South Australia and are looking forward to touring the Yorke Peninsula over the next week.
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