From: Adelaide (SA)
To: Port Augusta (SA)
Via: Shortest route
Distance: 321km
Highlight: Port Wakefield was an unexpected delightful little town where we moved back in time, at least 130 years
Low: We could not take the little art work we bought in a gallery with us because the exposition had not ended.
Statement of the day: By the motel owner who calls at 18h "Hey how are you, not broken down with your car I hope? You are a bit later than planned, have you had dinner yet?"
Animals: Sheep (hundreds), Horses (9), Sparrows (Many), Cows (numerous), Magpies, Many waterbirds, Gala's (Many), Cows - only in big transport trucks :-(
Surroundings: Between Adelaide and Port Wakefield: cattlefarms, greenhouses, fields. Between Port Wakefield and Port Piri: Grain fields and farms. From Port Piri: Bushy fields and the southerns Flinders on the right. Railroads.
Cars: Many
Giant animal statues: None
Colours: Green grass, silver/green trees, black tarmac, blue blue ocean, white clouds, blue green hills
Average day temperature: 14C in the morning and cloudy, 20C in the afternoon very sunny no clouds.
Getting used to going to another place every day.
Port Wakefield, late morning
Stretching our legs.
Port Augusta, the outskirts.
Fun!
Waiting train.
Contemplation.
Pure art in the evening reflection of the bridge.
Just after sun set. Our view from the picnic table.
Bink is starting to understand that we will sleep in a different place every night and checks with me if this is "holiday". Yes it is. And then Simon explains that we will go to as many playgrounds as possible this holiday. Which is true. And then we go for breakfast in the hotel. The kids eat so many pancakes it is almost embarrassing, especially because we paid the kids rate.....
Then we hit the road again. In Adelaide we see a sign for Port Wakefield and when we drove past we decide it would be good to stop here for a while. Thinking it would be a big town, we were surprised to find that only 600 people live there. Mind you, it is a beautiful completely renovated little place with no-one to be seen. We feel like driving back in time when we pass the renovated houses from the late 18 hunderds.
The drive to Port Augusta is beautiful, with the Southern Flinders Ranges rising at our right, and the Spencer Gulf on the left. We almost feel at home when we arrive. We drive straight to the city centre where we know the playgrounds, cafe's.
Isis me and Simon visit a small art gallery where they exhibit paintings from local indigenous artists, young and old. Simon loves a aboriginal painting of a turtle. The story of the painting is beautiful. It is painted by a 13 year old boy and his school teacher drove all the way down from Northern SA outback to make sure it could be part of the exhibition. We are extraordinary pleased with the small treasure, but have to leave it until the exhibition finishes in a few weeks. It will be send to us.
The rest of the day we spend on the Spencer Gulf esplanade in Port Augusta where we wait for the sun set, have a picnic and enjoy the views. The children are happy in the playground, making new friends and watching footy players cooling their legs in the water.
By the time the motel calls us to ask if they should start worrying, we have just packed the car again and are on our way. Everybody is in bed exhausted. As of here the real adventure will start. We have selected a national park already where we will leave the main road for a while.
Can't wait!!
