Going Out of Business Sale

Jun 14 2000Port Augusta

Jun 14 2000Port Augusta

6/14/2000: Woke early, showered at the campground, breakfast in the camper.  Collected a few shells in the seaweed.  Loved the Norfolk Island Pine trees here.  Gassed up in Kingston, and headed toward Adelaide.  Saw a few emu and goats in with sheep flocks.

Still having trouble with driving on the left, the narrower roads and the wider campervan.  Not as many trees on this drive, but very lush and green just the same.  Most rural mail boxes are 15-30 gallon drums on posts.  Drums are mounted horizontal.

Traveled along the Coorang, saw a large (big red) kangaroo hop across the road (6’ or more).  We have had a horrible rattle by the hood (bonnet here) in this vehicle since we picked it up. Steve finally inspected it and found the latch was loose, so a temporary fix was to wedge a stick under the hood—ah, much better.  Strong head winds all day, poor mileage, and poor speed.  Saw 2 smaller kangaroos (grays) by the side of the road in the brush.  Landscape is getting dryer, less trees, more sand, and a few irrigation systems.  A lovely sunny day.  Lunch in the camper.  Made it through Adelaide…oh my…tough going with all the traffic. On the north side of Adelaide, we saw many greenhouses, commercial gardens and our first vineyards.

Other phrases we have noted:  roadhouse is a gas station, road train is a semi with several trailers, grid is a cattle guard.

Fall here is like our spring…crops coming up, very green, and it’s the rainy season.  Must be a second season for cool hardy crops.

Pulled into Port Augusta 6:30 P.M.  Fixed supper in the camper, read awhile, to sleep.  It gets dark around 6:00 P.M.  Long, long drive today.