Day 156 / 2017 Mt Gambier to Murray Bridge

Leaving Mt Gambier we started heading in a north westerly direction up towards Adelaide. The last few days have been freezing here. Would you believe our little $20.00, twenty year old fan heater was the only thing that stood between us and frostbite, it has done a great job.

 Travelling North, we followed the coast through the town of Beachport then onto the town of Robe which we had decided to stay for the night. Our main reason to stay here was the Big 4 park has an indoor heated pool which sounded really nice for a winter time swim. We did the tourist thing though and took a look around the town first. 

Travelling to the beach our first stop was the Obelisk, which is at the entry to Robe Harbor. The Obelisk was put there to guide ships safety into port. When it was originally built it was painted all white. Unfortunately this blended with the background making it hard to see. They solved the problem by painting the Oblesk with red strips where it could be seen up to 20km out to sea on a clear day. We then travelled to the Gaol ruins. The is not much left, but the foundations still exist outling how the gaol was set out. From  here we drove to the lookout where you could see the town and surrounding area. We then headed for a coffee at a small cafe called Mahalia. Here we tucked into a deliscious helping of chocolate cake and coffee. Returning back to the caravan park we went for that much anticipated swim in the indoor heated pool. While it was nice it wasn't as good as the caravan park in Ballarat which boasted indoor spas as well. 

Leaving Robe we headed north along the Princes Hwy. Stopping in Kingston SE we posed for a picture under the big crayfish. Further along we stopped in Salt Creek for lunch the onto Menengie. At Menengie we tried a spot of Emu racing, very popular in these parts. Continuing on, we turned off the Princes Hwy at Wellington where we crossed the Murray river on a cable ferry which is used instead of building a bridge, finally reaching Langhorne Creek where we stoped at a popular free camp for the night.  

Next morning we headed off to Victor Harbor. We were tossing up whether leave the van behind and just do a day trip from Langhorne Creek but decided to take it as if we wanted to stay in Victor Harbor, we could. Victor Harbor is a tourist destination and is a popular place for people from Adelaide. There is a vibrant cafe resturaunt scene but we were interested in the horse drawn rail car which goes along the jetty out to limestone island. The rail car goes out to the island where you can jump off and walk the track which goes around the circumference of the island. There is a cafe/kiosk on the island but was closed when we were there. Once you have enjoyed the walk you can return back to the mainland on the rail car. The conductor advised us to walk the island in an anticlockwise direction. Most people walk clockwise and the track comes out at the start of the jetty, where walking to the mainland is quicker than walking back to the pickup point at the other end of the island. We decided not to stay in Victor Harbor and instead headed onto our next stop Murray Bridge About 100km away.  

Arriving in Murray Bridge we took advantage of staying at the Showgrounds. This was really cheap only costing $10.00 per night for 2 people. Here we could connect to both power and water. There was a shire restriction, you could not dump any grey or black water onto the ground this meant we had to take regular trips to the dump point across the river. Next morning we woke early (well for us it was) and set off for a day trip at Hahndorf only 40km towards Adelaide.  We could have done Hahndorf when in Adelaide but it was easier from Murray Bridge, just straight down the M1. 

Hahndorf is a small village just above Adelaide in the Lofty ranges. It has been classified as Australias oldest surviving German settlement and has a population of about 3000 residents. It is a bustling town during the tourist season and there are lots of German themed food and retail outlets. It is a nice place to spend a day to just wander the sreats soaking up the friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Its is a popular day trip for the Adelaide residents. 

While in Murray Bridge we took a Lunch Cruise on the paddle steamer Captain Proud. This is a nice half day trip just cruising up and down the Murray river enjoying the company of other over a scrumptious lunch, again another relaxed activity to while away the day. While on the water front it is worth taking a stroll along the river bank and dont forget to check in on the resident Bunyup. For the princely sum of $1.00 you can view the Bunyip rise up out of the water and Growl at you.