And still the rain falls.......

We drove from Peterborough and headed towards Wakerie.   We knew that if it kept raining we would not be able to get into Gluepot as the roads would be closed.  Our thoughts were to drive over and check as we got closer.  It was a dismal day with the rain and the strong winds never letting up.

Road closed signs were everywhere and we crossed through many places where the water was across the road, the deepest being at Mount Bryan just before Burra.  

Later that afternoon we crossed the Murray River and found a place to camp at Graham Claxton Reserve at Cadell.  The rain had stopped when we arrived and it seemed quite dry here.  There were a few others here but we found a spot and settled in for a couple of days.

The sun shone the next day and we enjoyed a walk through the bush and along the river.  We disturbed this Bobtail Lizard having a snack but he waited us out and hopefully he enjoyed his caterpillar later.

We left on Sunday morning and before long it was raining again, our fine weather hadn't lasted too long.  As we drove along the highway a truck driver behind us called us on the two way and just seemed to want a chat.  He told us to check out Lake Bonney at Barmera if we had time.  

We took his advice and drove in for a look and decided to stay for a night or two.  We stopped at the RV park and filled up with water and then found a spot on the shores of the lake and set up.  The rain had stopped and once again the sun was out.

During the night the wind rose again and the next day saw us hunkered down inside away from it.  I did do some washing and pegging it out was a bit of a challenge but it was dry in no time.  We decided after lunch that sitting inside the van being rocked around by the wind wasn't much fun so we packed up and relocated to the RV Park in Barmera for the night.  A nice quite spot out of the wind and the beautiful rainbow was a real bonus.

The next morning we had a walk around town.  The unusual sculpture, Celebration of Life, had us scratching our head but here it is anyway.  We picked up some shopping and hit the road again.  After speaking to the rangers at Gluepot we decided not to go in at the moment as it was wet and with so much water the birds were scattered and not much fun trying to find them in the soggy conditions.  We'll go back another time.  

At this point we decided that we were well and truly sick of trying to avoid the weather and just sitting around waiting for it to dry out was fast losing its appeal so it was time to go home.  We set the GPS for home and away we went stopping for lunch at Mildura and that night at Hattan Rest Area.

The next day we drove on stopping at Manangatang for a short while.  We loved their little park with the garden wall made of mallee roots and their whimsical sculptures.  

We continued on through to Cohuna and stayed at their new RV Park right beside Gunbower Creek.  What a lovely little town and a great facility to encourage the 'grey nomads' to stay and shop.  We had a look around and then drove on home the next morning.

Driving home we could see that Victoria had had a very wet winter too.  Creeks, rivers and irrigation channels were full to overflowing and water was lying in many paddocks as we drove through the Goulburn Valley.  The landscape was green as far as we could see and after years of drought an absolute joy to see.

We arrived home during the afternoon exactly four months after we left to begin our travels.  We have  travelled 13,794.5 km and it was a very different trip to what we envisaged when we set out.  That being said we still enjoyed ourselves immensely.  We have seen plenty of water, rain and mud along the way but have also seen our amazing country looking green and vibrant and visited places we never even knew existed.  We have met some lovely people along the way and will always remember them with fondness as each and every one helped make our trip one to remember for always.

And so now we unpack the van, reacquaint ourselves with the washing machine and other appliances as we learn to live in a house and garden once more.  As for the weather, it seems it has followed us home as still the rain falls!

until next time......