And we're off...

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Day 1 – June 30^th - Black Rock to Moorook (770 km)

We left Melbourne at 8:20 am, after organizing 13 Champion Street for our house guests. It was a sunny but windy winter’s day as we drove along the Port Phillip Bay, leaving our Bayside bubble behind. It was our first really long journey in the Prado and it proved to be a very comfortable ride. We were loaded up with the camper trailer, roof box and fully laden boot. The car felt very heavy.

Driving from Melbourne to Bendigo we hit a low temperature of 8 degrees and some rain, but by the time we made our lunch stop at a place called Tempy the sun was shining again. The roads were surprisingly quiet and just one hour out of Melbourne you get a sense of the immenseness of the country – so much space and so much to explore.

We chose to ignore the signs for the quarantine bins for fruit and veg and the information on all the maps as we approached the border between Victoria and South Australia. Merrrily we trundled over the border, with green shopping bag full of lovely vitamins for the next few days. Unbeknownst to us a border patrol had been set up a few kms into South Australia, with the task of checking all vehicles for evil fruit flies/veggies. 5 mins later we had been stripped of all fruit and veg in the car and trailer, but luckliy not stripped of any cash. Note to selves – don’t stack up on fresh veggies just before crossing state borders as they are likely to be confiscated and we could be heavily fined.

Out of nowhere thick black clouds started looming and the unexpected happened. Heavy rain… The weather radar was predicting showers so we decided to continue with our plan on camping at a place called Moorook, on the banks of the Murray river, just outside of Renmark in SA. As we arrived at the council-run campsite it handily stopped raining and we could put up the tent in relatively dry conditions.

Dinner on our first night was chilli and corn chips, eaten inside the tent, kids perched on the mattress, trying not to get tomato sauce on the bedding or spill ginger beer in the tent. Instead of red wine around the campfire it was a case of whiskey in bed.

Favourite moments of the day – tumbleweed in Tempy, first time in SA, finding our free campsite and it stopping raining.

Favourite place names – Teddywaddy (Hazel) and Tittybong (Mark).

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