Ok, so at first the heading doesn’t look like it makes sense, but that is where we actually are… Orroroo!
A very slow pack down in Coober Pedy yesterday as Fi and Kate headed off about 8:30am to find the perfect gemstone. Mark and I completed the packing and hooked up the vans while the kids played on the playground.
We were more or less done by 9:00am, which was great because it gave me the time to finish writing the day’s blog before we hit the road. However, by 10am and no word from the girls, we had to be out of the caravan park, so we loaded the kids and drove around the corner to million dollar playground so the kids could keep playing.
Finally, the text message came through… “Purchase Made, it is done”, and it wasn’t long before Fiona and Kate wandered up the street with Kate grinning ear to ear.
“Well, lets see it…” I said, and Kate was more than happy to produce her Opal from the bag. A quick photo for the blog and we were on the road just after 11am. Kate was obviously very happy with her purchase, as it went around her neck and stayed there all day. Well done Kate, a beautiful gem.
Anyway, as we hit the road, we encountered just what we didn’t want… a strong South East wind 🙁 Of course just so happened we were also travelling south east, and for about 100kms it felt like we were on an aeroplane in turbulence. Fuel economy wasn’t that great either 🙁
Just north of Pimba, we came around a corner and were presented with a spectacular view of a pure white salt lake. Looked magnificent and there were a lot of “Ooohs” from the kids in the back.
We stopped just up the road for a quick photo. Check the lovely purple wild flowers as well!
Just down the road, we stopped again briefly to take another shot of the lake through a valley. They really do look spectacular.
At Pimba, we turned left and headed about 8kms off our route to visit Woomera. This is where the military used to test fire their missiles into the surrounding dessert. We stopped for a quick photo, then hit the road once more.
Was about 5:00pm when we finally pulled into Port Augusta. With the strong headwinds, I must have rolled in there on the smell on an oily rag, didn’t matter what speed I was doing, the car was the burning fuel to keep us moving. I put just over 75 litres in my 80 litre tank! I never like to get that low!!
With Daylight savings no in full effect, it simply felt to early to stop driving, and with the late checkout this morning, we hadn’t covered the k’s we had intended, so after a quick family meeting the decision was to push on and see how far we get. Stopped briefly for dinner at KFC (hadn’t had slick food in ages) then pushed south out of Port Augusta.
Now the weird part, as we left the main highway turning east, we were presented with the strangest site ever…. a green land!! A stark contrast to the desserts we were used too.
We haven’t seen such beauty in weeks, and the rolling green hills were an Oasis coming out of the dry red desserts we had been travelling in. Bizarre how that happens, dessert to one side of Port Augusta, and paradise to the other!
We wound our way through the hills (another strange sensation… corners!) into the farmlands of South Australia, lovely green fields and dams with actual water in them, until we arrived in Orroroo, just a spot to stop for the night, but least we have water here 🙂
Never heard of Orroroo, well it is just down the road from CooMooRoo! I’m not joking here either!!
Before I sign off today, I’ll grab a photo of the green hills out the back of the caravan park, so you can see just how lovely they are. Wonder where we will land tonight? Feels like we are so close to home 🙁
Man is it cold here!!!
