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Published: January 16th 2014
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Leaving Mt Gambier we continued our journey through the limestone coast, through small towns like Millicent who's identity grew when pine plantations were established in the ranges back in the late 1800,s. needless to say pulp and paper mill industries led to a population boom in the late 60,s. and Kimberley-Clark remains the largest employer in the district.
Driving through the town it is signposted to visit the Woakwine range wind farm tourist drive, the largest wind farm development in the southern hemisphere, we decided against this and continued on our journey. We stopped off at Southend, which is located on the Rivoli Bay, and is the gateway to Canunda National Park, mum was born in Southend in Scotland and we thought it would be nice to visit. similar scenery but caravan park very busy and mainly residential so on we traveled to Beachport, were we booked in to the local Caravan Park in walking distance to the water.
Being school holidays all beach areas are very popular, this was no different, and probably one of the busiest, parks we have stayed on. Being only a small town everything is in walking distance. Beachport offers the perfect blend of
scenic coastal beauty, with swimming, boating and walking trails on offer for all levels of fitness.
Beachport boasts the second largest jetty in South Australia at 772 metres long. The town is home to a large fleet of lobster fishing boats which land catches to the local fish factory which is open to the public.In the 1830's Beachport was visited by whalers seeking Southern Right whales thankfully this trade has stopped and these mammals can now visit in peace.
Nearby is the Pool of Siloam which is seven times saltier than the sea, and popular for swimming, not sure I would fancy a mouth full of salty water!
Whilst we were here we visited nearby Robe, the most popular area for tourists in the summer season, this was once one of the limestone coast's largest Ports, with lots of history about its maritime days available in the local museum and tourist information centre. needless to say it was very pretty but also very busy. During our time here the weather continued to be unpredictable with unusually high winds and cool weather so we decided once again to go inland in search of warmer weather and escape the
winds.
The next day we arrived at Murray bridge and stopped at a lovely quiet caravan park at Avoca Dell situated opposite the Murray river and the wetlands. This area has a large parking area and boat launching facilities, it is very popular for families and water skiers, as well as a stopping point for the numerous house boats that tour the river
Murray Bridge is the largest town on the South Australian stretch of the Murray river. like most of these towns there are heritage walks around the town highlighting some of the magnificent old buildings that were used in the early days.This town is a great place to base yourself and visit the surrounding attractions.
Our first day trip was to Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills, The Peramangk aboriginal people inhabited this area long before European settlement. They called it Bukatilla, meaning "deep pool", with the Onkaparinga river sustaining life and providing abundant food sources. Hahndorf's claim to national significance is that it was the first settlement in Australia planned specifically for non-British immigrants and is the oldest German town in Australia. It was a very hard and long journey for the immigrants and the
town today is a tribute to the earlier settlers. The old houses and main streets are so picturesque and again a map available giving you all the history of what the shops and houses were in the olden days. It was certainly worth a visit.
leaving Hahnhorf we then drove to the summit of Mt Barker which gives amazing views over the Adelaide hills and a small walk to the summit was well worth the walk.
The following day we made our way down to Glenelg which is a seaside town on the outskirts of Adelaide. It is a seaside haven with stunning torquoise water and renowned for spectacular sunsets, the beach area is lovely and very safe for the families that arrive here for the summer holidays. We did check out the local caravan park but needless to say it was fully booked. Glenelg has a tram station that runs regular trips to Adelaide so it is a great destination if you want to go in the city and leave your car behind. The weather was also glorious so it was a very enjoyable day.
Our next excursion was a drive out to the Fleurieu Peninsula
and a visit to the popular spots of Goolwa and Victor Harbour. Goolwa was once a thriving river port, the last on the murray river before it reached the southern ocean, It was the only place were paddle-steamers and steam trains met to carry produce from inland for shipping overseas. Today you can go on a authentice paddle steamer which is over a 100 years old and a steam train to relieve the history of the early days. Gleneig is a popular gateway to the Coorong National Park and the lake system at the mouth of the river
Back at the caravan park we took the opportunity to walk the wetlands, the wetlands has abundance of wildlife and birds, and in particular the beautiful blacks swans. Fishing was a must, but without any luck! On our last day we drove out to the small town of Mannum, it was Sunday and very very quiet but again the tourist information center was the hub of the town with access to the Mannum dock museum. Mannum is the birthplace of the Murray river paddle-steamer, the first one ever built, the Mary-Ann was constructed in 1853 by Captain William Randell and launched
Kingston
A little village on our way to Murray Bridge from Noa a small village not far from Mannum. A visit to the museum and the chance to see and old steamer named Marion after a friend of ours was well worth the visit. We returned to Murray Bridge via the ferry which operates free 24 hours a day and crosses the river to provide a circular route back to Murray Bridge and another relaxing evening before we leave tomorrow to our next destination on the Yorke Peninsula
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Alan
non-member comment
Never to dissappoint!
Hi guys, Bit of sun and everything looking good..... I guess you are seeing the old and real Aus! History and scenery - what a life! Well looking forward to seeing some more of that myself - for you living the dream through your words and pics! Enjoy the rest of the trip and looking forward to Cape Yorke! C Jan says you guys over in June - looking forward to a meet up. Take care both Al & Jan xx