Two more days on the road......

Before we left Blanchetwon we went to have a look at Loch no 1 only to find it was all fenced in as there was some work being done on the surrounding riverbanks.  A real shame as we had been interested to see how different it was to the lochs we saw in France.  Still the lines of Pelicans and Cormorants waiting in the water for a free feed more than made up for not getting any closer.

We drove on to Waikerie and took some time to look around the lovely town, had a coffee and continued on to  our next stop in Berri in the Riverland region of SA.

On the way in to Berri we passed the huge tanks of the Berri Estate which is the largest winery and distillery in Australia.  And I thought Berri only did orange juice! The things you learn on holidays.  

We had a look around the town and the visitors centre before picnicking beside the Murray for lunch.  We didn't see any paddle steamers on the river here but there were a number of houseboats moored and some speedboats doing time trials as we ate.  It was a lovely way to spend an hour before we got back on the road again.  

Leaving Berri we saw the Big Orange, now deserted, as it is no longer open and the block all fenced as they decide what to do next.  Seems like the 'big things' are becoming a thing of the past in today's very technical society.  If there's no bells and whistles it's no use anymore, it seems.

We continued to drive on, arrived and passed through Mildura, crossing the River into NSW  as we drove on to Swan Hill.  We followed the Murray along and were soon back in Victoria where our plan had been to drive on to stay the night at Swan Hill but time was passing much quicker than we were driving it seemed and so we decided to stop at a little place called Boundary Bend where we found a small caravan park right across the road from the Murray River.

The Murray River does bend right at the Caravan Park and we enjoyed a walk along its banks watching some of our neighbors fishing.  Leaving them to it we returned to the park where we were visited by Crimson Rosellas (Eastern variety) and cheeky Blue Faced Honeyeaters.  We had a quiet night and got up early the next morning for another day of driving.

Our first stop was at Swan Hill and this was a much bigger town than we both imagined.  We had a wander round and a coffee and then made our way back to the car but not before taking the obligatory photo of The Giant Murray Cod.

We then drove the short distance to Lake Boga where we wanted to have a look at the Catalina Museum.  This is where the seaplanes were housed after the Japanese bombed Darwin in the War.  They needed a safe have to keep the boats moored and to be able to service them as well.  The large inland lake here was just perfect and it became famous for seaplanes in the desert.

The museum has been opened by volunteers and enthusiasts who have done so much work on gathering the many items on show here.  The original bunker has been opened as well as a living museum and really does give you an insight into the life of the seaplane corps.

We ate our lunch beside the lake and now the largest thing that lands there is the Pelicans and we saw a few of them that day.  They really did look just like the seaplanes as they came in to land on the water.

After lunch we drove on and continued until we reached St Arnuad where we stopped for some last minute supplies before continuing on to Teddington Reservoir.  We were going to spend our last night at the free camp sight where we had begun our journey 17 days ago.

Driving in we found a number of vans already there as with Cup Day on Tuesday many people has turned it into a long weekend.  We found a spot to set up and spent the evening relaxing by the water.  What a lovely way to finish off our amazing 2 1/2 weeks of traveling in this wonderful country we live in.

The next morning we were up with the birds and this time had to clean and prepare the van for it's last run home.  We did this and were on the road soon after stopping in Avoca for coffee and that was it.  Next stop camper storage yard and our holiday was over.  Very sad but as we always say all good things must end and we will be back on the road again as soon as we are able.  So watch this space for our next camping adventures.

Arriving home we unpacked the car and Bill proceeded to get himself prepared for work the next day.  I was not returning until the next week and so spent the next two days washing, cleaning and shopping.  

Before then though we had one more adventure waiting so until next time.......