Coorong National Park

Today, I feel like chatting about the local produce on the Fleurieu Peninsula. Despite the limited facilities and space in the van, we are able to treat ourselves to a few culinary gems. Coffin bay has oysters (and they are very nice) and everyone knows about the wine, but I hunted out two treats in Goolwa that are worth mentioning.

Firstly Alexandrina Cheese company, based not far from the McLaren district at a place called Mt Jagged. I didn’t go for the blue (would have loved to, but not a good idea in a confined space) so bought some Gouda.  Yummo. The vendor told me the secret was in the grass fed, happy, fat Jersey cows. If you see it, buy it. I could have also bought fresh Jersey cow milk, but at $5.20 for 2 litres, maybe another time.

My second find was a farm we passed at Langhorne Creek on the way to Coorong National Park called Newmans.  They grow, amongst other things, horseradish. I have had various horseradish dips and spreads in the past, but Newmans is in a different leauge. It turns a humble BBQ sausage or beef pattie into an experience of biblical proportions.

Enough about food – the big news is that Rod is officially a CPA. He got the results of his last exam today and is most relieved. Six years in the making.

The other news is that I have successfully enrolled Georgia at Cheltenham Girls. It would appear that being offered a place and accepting it is only the start.  The enrolment officer and I have become close personal friends over the course of the past few weeks and with the help of several emails, a few phone calls, the services of Glenelg Library and two credit cards, I believe we are sorted.

I suppose I am expected to  report on our activities today, so better get to it. Rod likes to keep the blog in order and on task  – even if that task is spin bowling.

We finished up our time in Victor Harbor and never did find out why it is spelt without the “u” in harbor. Another overcast day that threated to delay departure however the clouds held on long enough for us to shower, have breakfast and get underway. We are becoming quite professional in our setup/packup drill; can do it from start to hitch in about 20 min providing everyone does what I tell them to.  

We backtracked to Goolwa and then turned north to make a wide arc around Lake Alexandrina. The lake is at the end of the Murray River system, close to the Southern Ocean. Early last century, they erected a number of barrages to stop the ocean tiding into the lake with the hope that the salinity would drop and the lake would prove a useable water source for the district and agriculture. It worked, but the lake now appears a strange brown colour.  And there are still a number of small salt lakes dotted about.   After seeing several of these, we managed to walk on one with a slight pink hue, not uncommon. The kids feigned boredom at first but then decided it was fun to run about on a salt lake and lick bits of it. Eat your heart out Himalayan pink rock salt.

We crossed the Murray one last time on a punt at a little town called Wellington and then headed south to the ocean once more.

This stretch of coastline is interesting – long, straight and separated from the mainland by a seam of water running for about 140 kilometres called Lake Coorong.  You can navigate across to the surf at certain times of the year when parts of the lake evaporate, but the sealed road tracks along the inland side.  The landscape is flat and low. The stunted trees and bushes  look exhausted from being beaten about by the wind and seem thankful just to hang on to the rocky soil. 

The towns are on the main highway, inland from the coast, so the only sign of life was the occasional general store at the junction of a dirt crossroad. We saw a sign to Jacks Point, an important Pelican rookery, so we ventured off the blacktop for a little impromptu exploration. Unfortunately the Pelicans were in absentia.  In fact, I can scarcely recall seeing that few pelicans around a seaside area.

Speaking of sealed roads, the Subaru has done itself proud on dirt. We have negotiated a handful of tricky spots and travelled many unsealed kilometres. Rod doesn’t want to wash the car because it has “credibility” now.   I have reminded Rod that I, along with my siblings, learned to drive on unsealed roads and thus am not impressed with a dusty car.

So, tonight we find ourselves camped at 42 mile crossing in Coorong National park along with two neighbours. The first, a big van containing two grey nomads and the other, a late model Camry full of backpackers with two cub tents and not much else. I think they are German.  It is my observation that the bigger the rig (nomad vernacular for “caravan”) the fewer the number of people in it. At some parks, we see these behemoths pull up and two pygmies and a Chihuahua step out. They must shake their head when they see the four of us in the Jayco.

It’s raining lightly and the sound on the canvas is strangely comforting. The smell of the gas burner as it heats up the kettle for a cup of tea and to wash the dishes is familiar and almost homely.  Due to the constant winds, I have jerry rigged  guy ropes to the van roof racks. I am not confident that my bush engineering does anything to stop our roof being blown sideways, but I sleep better nonetheless. We are on battery power, so the lights are dimmer and we won’t shower tonight.  We have neither mobile phone reception nor running water.  But it’s all OK. Think I turned a corner in the past 48 hours and it is starting to feel like home wherever we are.

Tomorrow, Lord willing, home will be in Robe.  Apparently there is a coffee roaster in town. Mmmmmm 

Finally got a picture of a shingleback!