South Australia

Sunday 27th July - After chatting to the other couples at the camping spot and getting some suggestions about our travels in the next few days we continue south towards the infamous opal mining town of Coober Pedy. In years gone by this town with virtually no rainfall, intense summer heat and surrounded by enormous numbers of waste piles was truly the wild frontier and though things have calmed down since the highway was sealed in the 1980s it is still a unique place.

We roll into the tourist information centre for a map and walking tour then walk down into town where Tracy checks out several opal shops while Tim looks for pictures. We meet up for a tour of one of the original mines and the underground homes and Post Office constructed in later years (the summer heat is so intense that many homes utilize mine workings that are enlarged into very pleasant dwellings). We also get a show of modern mining equipment.

In Coober Pedy opal is found in seams within sandstone and most is worthless "potch". The key to success is finding veins of valuable opal, which is done by sinking a vertical shaft and using a machine like a snow blower to break up the rock in a horizontal direction, looking carefully for the telltale signs of opal. The waste is drawn to the surface by a suction, effectively a giant vacuum cleaner which leaves a telltale dust pile.

After learning all there is to know about opal (!) we continue south into the late evening, stopping at a rest area that promises views of dry lake beds when the sun rises tomorrow. Unlike some of our stops this one is rather noisy as a couple of road trains stop for the night after running their engines into the small hours.

Monday 28th July - We'll finally reach the sea today, and will also have to confront winter (while cold at night the desert has not put us in mind of the season). First though we wake to the glorious panorama of open desert where water collects over a wide area if it ever rains, with even less growing than in any other of the barren areas we've passed through. We get to enjoy more of this scenery than we bargained for too, our petrol/ gas calculations have been thrown off by a head wind last night and we have to backtrack a few km for a refill before ploughing on towards Port Augusta with the mountains of the Flinders Ranges rising to our left (sadly we don't have time to visit this gorgeous area).

The transition in terrain is pretty swift, the desert reaches close to the sea before suddenly transforming into views of water and the industry around Port Augusta. Then we climb east into the hills towards the Clare Valley where the contrast to the desert is amazing. Here despite fairly low rainfall the fields are green, the livestock well fed and the towns and villages full of attractive and historic (for Australia) sandstone buildings. We could almost be in parts of England and it's no surprise the area was settled by Brits in the 1850s.

We find a campground near the village of Clare among an interesting combination of bare and wintry deciduous trees and leafy eucalypts (while the weather is still generally dry it settles into a pattern of temperatures around 15C (60F) in the day and 8C (47F) at night). We head quickly into town to visit a couple of wineries and get some pictures in the evening light before retiring for a night of laundry.

Tuesday 29th July – We spend the early part of the day driving through the southern Clare Valley, taking in a couple more wineries (including the excellent Annie's Lane) and taking a walk around Auburn with its attractive sandstone buildings. The rolling scenery around here make it the most scenic of South Australia's wine areas.

Driving on to Gawler we book into the campground we've been recommended as a good location on the railway to Adelaide but convenient for the wineries of the Barossa Valley, the largest wine producing region in South Australia. Luckily the Hash run is also north of the city on the rail line and we find our way there for a good long run on a dry evening after quite a bit of afternoon rain.

Wednesday 30th July – The day dawns dull but brightens into a crisp and springlike afternoon so we jump on the train for a look at the city of Adelaide, which proves to be our favorite of the major Australian cities. It is attractive, has a compact centre, effective public transport and a pleasantly laid back atmosphere. Combine this with the moderate climate and range of scenery nearby and we could certainly live here.

We put in a few miles of walking checking out the city centre, covered market, riverside and North Adelaide before jumping on the train for a ride north to the historic port area of Port Adelaide. This area was once very wealthy from trade in and out of the state and the impressive buildings are a testament to past success. Now it is nicely restored with a good selection of restaurants and we find our way to a very good brew pub.

Thursday 31st July – Time for some exercise as the weather is good once again so we get on our bikes for the ride east into the Barossa Valley. Despite the name the terrain is only gently rolling and we soon arrive in the main town of Tanunda. From here we ride north and east, being particularly impressed with a visit to the Seppeltsfield Winery which is housed in a spectacular collection of buildings and produce excellent fortified wines including Port, Sherry and the rarely seen Tokay. Weighed down with a few purchases we continue on to Greenock which bears no resemblance to its Scottish namesake before riding back to Tanunda. Here Tracy settles into a pub while Tim races the fading light on an undulating road back to pick up the truck and pick her up.

Friday 1st August – It's a wet start to the day so Tracy opts for doing chores and relaxing while Tim heads into Adelaide today for a look at some of the indoor options on offer. The State Museum has excellent and highly informative displays on Aboriginal history and life, which contrast with older displays of much more intricate Polynesian artefacts.

After a couple of hours here the weather is brighter so Tim takes the opportunity for more pictures in the city before visiting the Botanical Gardens where highlights include a hothouse full of the enormous "Giant Amazon Water Lily" and a fine collection of desert plants contrasting those from the old world and new. Final stop is the small but informative immigration museum where the story of immigration into this free state (as opposed to the penal colonies in New South Wales and Victoria) is detailed.

Saturday 2nd August – Time to begin the ride back east but we start by heading south around Adelaide and down to the Coorong, the spectacular but threatened wetlands at the mouth of the Murray River. Low river water levels from drought and overuse mean the encroachment of salt water into the area affecting the delicate ecological balance.

We had lunch at a rest stop overlooking the wetlands and its huge flocks of birds and had time to stop briefly for photographs when we spotted some emus before driving south to the small town of Kingston SE. This was mostly notable for having been founded by members of the Cooke family.Next stop was the village of Robe, which boasts a spectacular walk along the limestone cliffs between a modern lighthouse and a historic coastal marker. Here we enjoyed an impressive rainbow and then watched the sunset before heading for a historic local pub.

We wanted to camp near the wine region of Coonawarra so we drove to a spot that claimed to have space for us to spend the night In the camper. Despite having exact GPS coordinates the best we could do after searching up and down the road was a pull off used to store road surfacing materials. Not our best camping spot!

Sunday 3rd August – We get up really early in case anyone complains about out impromptu camp and move to the town's lake, which has not had water for some years by the look of it. Tim runs early, then we get the bikes out for a dead flat ride north to check out a few wineries.

First stop is the town of Penola for pictures and to get some tourist info, then we ride north to the tiny village of Coonawarra, home of the large Wynn winery and on to take in three of the smaller establishments. The big find is Rymill's which boasts an excellent building where you can see the production floor, a very knowledgeable host in the owner's brother, excellent presentation (glasses washed between each sample and warmed for the reds, good pour of each wine) and fantastic wine. Anyone visiting Coonawarra must visit this place, and we'll be exploring how to get supplies from their UK importer. Overall we were more impressed with wines in this region than anywhere else in Australia.

After a leisurely day we finally get on the road to South Australia's second biggest town, Mt Gambier. Here we find a cosy little campground near the center of town and Tim takes a short walk to check out the several takeaway food options nearby, finally opting for Indian. Later in the evening Tim takes a run up to one of the volcanic craters the town is famous for, of course all he sees is a black hole!

Monday 4th August – We are up early as there is lots to see here, packing the camper quickly and parking it conveniently on a sidestreet outside the campground. The climb to the crater rim of Mt Gambier is fairly easy and the view impressive. One crater is wooded with signs of the formal gardens once laid out at the bottom while the main one has a beautiful deep blue crater lake.

We take a walk around the larger crater for more lake views then walk back into town for a look at a one of the limestone "holes" (circular depressions in the ground where the limestone collapsed into a cave). Formal gardens were built in the hole many years ago and it is still well maintained as a somewhat unusual town park. After picking up the camper we visit another larger hole on the way out of town before finally crossing the state border into Victoria and a return to the south coast.

We pass the time in the afternoon by exploring the attractive old port town of Port Fairy, enjoying both its interesting historical buildings and some good fresh seafood before ending the day at a nearly empty seaside campground in Warnambool, a town that will be bursting with tourists in the summer months. We soon make our way to the local hash run and after a short trail we join several of the members in a fine local bar for dinner.