Our drive from Coonawarra to Murray Bridge was relatively uneventful apart from a detour that took us miles out of our way. There was mixture of miles and miles of vineyards, paddocks of purple flowers, cattle and sheep farming and rolling green hills. We went along the Riddock Hwy through Naracorte and stopped at a little bakery in the town of Keith for lunch – what an unusual name for a town ‘Keith’. Again, Google helped with the answer – In 1889 the town was officially proclaimed and named after Lord Kintore, the Governor of South Australia who was also known as Lord Keith because his ancestral home in Aberdeenshire, Scotland was called Keith Hall+- and that’s why the town’s name is Keith.

Not long after leaving Keith, we followed a detour sign as the Riddock Hwy was closed. It was so annoying when you follow a detour, and it does not connect back up to the highway you were on before. We ended up on the coast road, not a bad thing but not what we had planned. We passed through Meningie, Ashville, Lake Albert, Lake Alexandrina, Tailem Bend and finally Murray Bridge.

We arrived at Murray Bridge Caravan Park late afternoon, we had a good view of the Murry River which was great. I had enough time for me to get a couple of loads of washing done, including our sheets – I just love clean sheets on the bed. Luckily for us the sun was out and there was a little breeze so the washing dried quickly. I cooked a nice dinner and we planned the next three days and our way home – Mr C has not been in a game playing mood since we left Carwoola, he’s being a real party pooper, so I have been busy with some crocheting.

The rain seemed to be following us it rained the next day – we did a bit of shopping and went to visit the famous Bunyip of the Murray Bridge, yes it does exist – it could be made a little scarier. Mr C was delighted when he saw how many other men had been dragged to see this attraction.

The later afternoon we were meeting up with friends for a BBQ dinner so we left earlier in the afternoon so we could go via Port Elliot and had a look at the town – it was only about 65mins away. However, the rain was quite heavy and we wondered had we made the right choice. At the end of the day if the weather was still bad after dinner we could always stay the night.

Port Elliot is a delightful town, lots of history, beautiful, interesting shops and buzzing with people. The Bowling green is in a prime location right by the sea – beautiful spot to play Bowls. If we were to come back we would spend more time exploring.

Middleton was next, only 10 mins out of Port Elliot meeting up with Marijke & Nev for dinner – it was lovely to have some female companionship again, we gossiped in a good way, shared midwifery stories and solved the world problems all in one evening – and dinner was delish. The rain had cleared so we drove back to Murray Bridge and our caravan.

Next morning was meant to be a lie in for Mr C, as he did not sleep well the night before however, my friend Alison messaged to say they were in Mannum could we meet for morning coffee – after looking at the map, it was only 30mins away, so I agreed. I drove so Mr C could nap in the car – alas he did not. Mannum was also a great little town, bustling with people and interesting shops. We had breakfast at a great coffee shop and Paul (Alisons) husband was giving us plenty of places to go and visit. Our afternoon was taken up by meeting another midwifery friend and Paul gave us a list of places to see on the way. We agreed that Mannum would be another great place to camp for a week.

Next stop was Hahndorff – yes sound German and it is. I noted to Mr C as I was driving, we had passed many Lutheran Churches and Nev the evening before told us that SA was settled by free settlers not convicts and that there is a strong German influence and that is still evident today.

Hahndorff was so busy, people everywhere you could hardly move, parking was at a premium. Luckily, we found a spot and went looking for The Plough – and Irish Cafe seemingly in the middle of Germany. Mr C had a Guinness, I had a Guinness beef pie and bought some fresh soda bread to take with us for breakfast. I was so excited to see some of the authentic German shops, candles, Christmas decorations, German food – it really was like being in a German Town – well worth a visit and again, we would stay longer to explore the area.

Next stop was Beerenberg – for ice cream and meeting another midwifery friend. Before we knew it, it was closing time, we had talked the afternoon away – and yes that meant Mr C too.

It was a big day, in fact it’s been a big three days, catching up with long-time friends as you are travelling though their country (SA). There was still one more person we had to meet up with and we would do that on our way out of Adelaide the next morning.

Meeting up with Chris and Ted, was delightful. I have always admired Chris and still do; she is a phenomenal woman. It was nice to spend some time with her at home chatting about life and where too now that she is retired and I’m semi-retired. It was the first time I met Ted; he was a charming man with a very dry sense of humour. I could see similarities in our relationships – which did make me smile. They gave us excellent directions how to get out of Adeliade without going through the city centre. Upon leaving we had another flat battery and Ted came to the rescue by jump starting our car. Our first stop when we left was to buy a new battery – which has been done. I do hope that Chris and Ted come and visit us in Perth.

The best part of this Adelaide trip was reconnecting with friends – just perfect and discovering new places to come back to visit.

The drive out of Adelaide was good – no hassles our first stop for the night was a free camp in Lochiel opposite the Salt Lake and the Lock-Eel.

Well that’s it for this blog – the rest of the trip will follow shortly – upon reading this blog, I thought it might sound boring because its more about meeting up with friends along the way – but isn’t that so great that you can travel anywhere in Australia and catch up with friends. We have seen and met so many people, it has been a sheer joy travelling – if you have the opportunity take it – its well worth it.

Next blog: Heading to Smokey Bay SA – homeward bound.

Until next time keep well and happy!