We’ve sloooowed right down. Just one move this week, from Port Augusta to Adelaide. That was after we got our car back, of course.

This blog post covers 25^th September to 1^st October, from Port Augusta to Adelaide, SA.

The Car is Fixed!

Man, were we ever happy when we got the call from the mechanic (the second one, the one who was hopefully going to weld up the oil line) at 10am the day after we’d dropped it off, to say that it was ready to be picked up. To mentally, and fiscally, prepare ourselves for the shock, Ben asked how much it was going to cost. About $350 he said. Thank. Goodness! That’s well within our contingency plan money for the car. So we got our walking shoes on and toddled off.

Delightful Dolphins

The walk didn’t feel nearly as far as it had yesterday. It could be that our anxieties were lighter, maybe it was because the sun was behind us instead of blaring into our faces, but it was most likely the pod of dolphins we saw as we walked across the bridge! Yes! Dolphins, on a walk to the mechanics! What a treat.

We were so glad to have our car back, that we took her straight to the car wash, she hadn’t been cleaned once, and still had red dust from the Northern Territory and Queensland caked onto her.

So finally, it’s time to hit the road again. Adelaide has always been one of those ‘must do’ stops. Ben was born there and hasn’t been back since he was ten years old. So we gladly packed up the tent (after sweeping about ½ kilo of red dust out of it) and hit the road south. The drive to Adelaide is a really pretty one, probably enhanced by the fact that we’ve now left the outback and are treated with views of rolling green hills, tall gum trees and the glistening blue gulf.

WikiCamps Love

On WikiCamps I found a few camps that are in a forest reserve and are ridiculously cheap. Side note: have I mentioned how much I love this app? It has been one of the best things to make this trip easier. So we headed to Mt Crawford Forest Reserve Information Centre where you fill out the permit form, put your money in the envelope, put it into the honesty box and then go and find yourself a spot.

This is our spot. And it’s $20 for the week. For. The. Week. Not per night.

There are no showers, only three portaloos scattered throughout the park, no water and no power. But there are fire rings, lots of firewood to be collected on the forest floor, HEAPS of space between sites and not too many people. It did fill up a bit over the long weekend, but you’re certainly not sardined like in a caravan park.

We’ve had a fire every night, made friends with Maggie the magpie (well, we think we’re friends, she’s probably wishing we’d bugger off), made use of our new ‘amenities spade’ and been wandering through the forest. It’s a pretty special place, and we’re loving it.

Trip Down Memory Lane

We spent half a day visiting all Ben’s childhood haunts, the house he spent his first 10 years in, his primary school across the road, the old quarry up behind the school, and the places where he used to ride his bike and skateboard.

We’ve all been there ourselves huh, going back to places of our childhood and realizing that everything is WAY smaller than you remembered it. The park that was a huge expanse of land a long way from your house, was actually less than 50 metres from your front door; the quarry that was waaay up behind the school, was actually just a stroll from the car; and the street that you remember as being the steepest and longest road that your little skateboard had ever seen, was a nice gentle incline. It’s funny how our memories play tricks on us.

Since our camp is only $20 per week, we’ll probably stay put for a couple of weeks. Our budget got hammered going through the outback, we waaay overspent our weekly budget on fuel and sightseeing, so we’ve decided to slow down and stay put for a while to enjoy the serenity for a bit.

Camping Info

Shoreline Caravan Park (Port Augusta)
25^th – 28^th September
Powered site – $35 per night

Chalks Camp – Mt Crawford Forest Reserve
29^th Sep – 1^st Oct
Unpowered site – $20 per week

Diesel Prices

BP Napperby $1.259/L
BP Evanston $1.259/L
Thank goodness we’re no longer having to pay the huge diesel prices of the outback.